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Josh Thall and Ray Wilbur Student issues editor Public concerns editor campus@statenews.com @thesnews
City Council elections see 33 student votes BY PETER NUTTALL PNUTTALL@STATENEWS.COM
The goal that was set for the number of MSU students who cast a vote Tuesday by East Lansing’s City Clerk, Marie Wicks, was 25. Yesterday that number was beaten, but just barely. 25 was the number of students who came out to vote in the last City Council election in 2013. In 2011, 139 students came out to vote. Yesterday MSU’s student voter turnout for East Lansing’s City Council election was once again almost nonexistent. Only 33 of 2,600 students who are registered to vote in East Lansing came out to vote at one of the five precinct locations on MSU’s campus. Precinct 14, located at IM Sports-East, had none of their 311 registered voters show up to vote yesterday. Also located at IM Sports-East was Precinct 13, and accounting junior Scott Haeck was their first voter — he showed up around 10 a.m. “I think it’s important that we come and participate in the process, because who is making the decisions in the local community does affect us as students,” he said. “What’s the point of having an election and having the right to vote if we don’t exercise it?” Later on Tuesday, around 5 p.m., Precinct 12
in the Lake Huron room in the Union had seen seven voters show up. Cathy Scott, chair of Precinct 12, expected that at the rate they had students showing up to vote, they would hopefully get maybe one more voter before they shut down at 8 p.m. No one else ended up coming in. Scott said it is important for MSU students to come out and vote in these non presidential elections. “The time students will spend here will be affected by who’s in charge,” she said. Some students on campus didn’t even know elections were held yesterday. Journalism junior Jason Ruff said he didn’t know the election was happening until this week. Other students said they didn’t think the elections affected them because they’re just students. Others didn’t even know what was being voted on. English senior Chris Symons said he wanted to vote but didn’t know he had to be registered in East Lansing. With the lack of MSU students coming out to vote or knowing that elections were being held yesterday, some students have suggested some ideas can be done to increase student voter turnout in future elections. Together Symons and Ruff suggested, for future elections, information on how to register to vote in East Lansing and what they’d be
S T U D E N T VOT I N G N U M B E R S
2009
2011
2012
2013
2015
36 local city elections
139 local city elections
575 presidential elections
25 local city elections
33 local city elections GRAPHIC: KATIE WINKLER
“What’s the point of having an election and having the right to vote if we don’t exercise it?” Scott Haeck Accounting junior
voting on should be put on table tents in the dining halls across campus, like the ones the University Activities Board puts up every week. “It’s really not as clear to be involved and informed as to what’s going on,” Symons said. “It’s not like there are table tents that say, ‘here’s what’s politically happening right now.’”
Meadows, Draheim and Altmann are new City Council members
Online Services
MARK MEADOWS 2,821 votes
http://healtheguide.msu.edu/ Reliable health information. Formerly known as the Healthwise Knowledgebase, Health e-Guide is an online source of information to help you make better decisions about your health.
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http://thinkingaboutdrinking.msu.edu/ Facts about alcohol use. Alcohol use is just one of many factors that can affect health status. This website uses evidence-based data and validated tools to help viewers decide if their use of alcohol may be impacting their health. Spend some time really paying attention to your own alcohol use, some time thinking about drinking.
Health 4 U classes, coaching services, online programs, special projects, and group opportunities are open to MSU faculty, staff, graduate student employees, retirees, and the spouses/partners of members of these groups.
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“You know I connected with people. I really enjoy going door to door, that’s my favorite part of campaigning,” Meadows said. Meadows was on City Council from 1995 to 2006 and was mayor for eight years. He said his experience can help move the city forward to achieve its rightful place as a diverse and economically stable 21st century city with strong relationship ties to its neighborhoods, regional partners, citizens and the students who attend MSU.
SHANNA DRAHEIM 2,239 votes “So excited, I am so thrilled. I have worked really hard this summer, and this fall to really talk to voters and share my vision and hear from them, and I’m just thrilled that voters have put their trust in me and have cast their vote for me,” Draheim said. Draheim has lived in East Lansing for 11 years, ever since she said she “fell in love” with the wonderful community. She said she would like to use her background to help bring recycling to multi-family complexes in the city that lack on-site recycling. Working on bringing improvements in the operation of the city’s fleet and the types of vehicles purchased as a council member would also be a priority, she said.
ERIK ALTMANN 2,212 votes “I am so proud of the East Lansing community. I just am so proud. We stood up to a smear campaign from people who were trying to buy our election,” Altmann said. “We took a guy who raised $50,000 for a City Council campaign and we sent him home. This is a huge win for democracy and a huge win for the city.” Altmann is a psychology professor at MSU and is currently a member of the East Lansing Planning Commission. He said he wanted to be a part of the East Lansing City Council to take on two key issues, the first is fixing the blighted area in downtown East Lansing on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Abbot Road and the second being the city’s finances.
Contents
MMM.
mmM. INSIDE
E.L. Fire Department stages rescue training at Munn Ice Arena
Día de Los Muertos on-campus celebrations honor the dead
Conner George finds his own place in MSU sports family legacy
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FOR YOUR LOVE OF FOOD presents
Foodie’
George Blaha announces during the game against Indiana on Oct. 24 at Spartan Stadium. PHOTO: SUNDEEP DHANJAL
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“With education, I know that once I have that, no one can take that from me. So, after that, I’m limitless, no one can tell me what to do. I am the boss of me.”
BY TH E N U M B E RS
New members of the East Lansing City Council were elected on tuesday. See Statenews.com
NOW FEATURING:
Tamara Porter, neuroscience and philosophy freshman on her goals to be the first in her family to graduate college. See page 4
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Olivia Dimmer MANAGING EDITOR AJ Moser PUBLIC CONCERNS EDITOR Ray Wilbur STUDENT ISSUES EDITOR Josh Thall SPORTS EDITOR Ryan Squanda FEATURES EDITOR Meagan Beck DESIGN EDITOR Emily Jenks PHOTO EDITOR Julia Nagy COPY CHIEF Casey Holland
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Spotlight
First-generation college students face hurdles to reach graduation BY DEJA GREEN DGREEN@STATENEWS.COM
Neuroscience and philosophy freshman Tamara Porter came to MSU with one goal in mind. To graduate. Porter’s mother went to college and dropped out after one year. Her father did the same. Her sister went to college for three years before dropping out. “(College is) important to me because education is important to me,” Porter said. “With education, I know that once I have that, no one can take that from me. So, after that, I’m limitless, no one can tell me what to do. I am the boss of me.” Porter doesn’t plan on stopping after earning her undergraduate degree. After she walks across the stage of Breslin Center in four years to get her diploma, her next stop is graduate school. Porter’s situation is not uncommon at MSU, as many other black students are aiming to be ‘first-generation’ college graduates, or the first in their family to earn a college degree.
According to MSU’s Office of the Registrar, during fall 2010, 3,175 students who identified as black or African-American were admitted. Those who were admitted counted as 6.7 percent of total students in 2010. In 2014, the expected year of graduation for students admitted in 2010, 58 percent of black, non-hispanic students graduated, according to the Office of Planning and Budgets. Looking at those numbers, the gap is clear — little more than half of self-identified black students graduate in four years. This is an issue administration and programs at MSU are working to address. And while MSU and its programs work to figure out the right ways to give first-generation students the building blocks they need to get to commencement, Tamara Porter is working to put them together during her first year at MSU. MAKING THE LEAP Before first-generation or low-income students can make it to college, they need to know how to get there. That’s where
Neuroscience and philosophy freshman Tamara Porter, center, gets help from her mother Adrienne Alexander, left, and her father Phillip Porter, right, moving in on Aug. 23 into her dorm in East Holmes Hall. Her niece Jordyn Bray, 2, center, also came along to help and kept saying she wanted to move in with Tamara. PHOTOS BY: JULIA NAGY
BIO
Tamara Porter Age 18 Major Neuroscience and philoshiphy Hometown Detroit Claim to fame After her mother, father and sister all dropped out of college, Tamara is determined to be the first in her family to graduate. She is a member of Lyman Briggs College and is on the MSU Debate Team.
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Ambrose said the center is appointment-only at this time. Myaa Jones, president of MSU’s Black Student Alliance, said while programs and admittance for black students is getting better, only time and graduation rates will tell how well black first-generation students are fairing. “I think we do a really good job in admitting, I don’t know how good of a job we do with retaining them,” Jones said. “I think the thing to do now is to wait it out and see how the stats come in and see if these programs are actually working.” Because of a 2014 U.S Supreme Court ruling, Michigan law bans public universi-
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the MSU Detroit Center comes in. Located in Detroit, the MSU Detroit Center focuses on assisting students through the admission process. John Ambrose, associate director for Inclusion and Strategic Planning at MSU, said 25 percent of students who apply to MSU self-identify as first-generation students. A mbrose said the MSU Detroit Center counsels students on what is important in the application process and what MSU’s standards are for admittance. The MSU Detroit Center also allows students to come in and complete the FAFSA with guidance.
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AJ Moser Managing editor amoser@statenews.com @thesnews
B L A C K
or
3175
STUDENTS WHO IDENTIFIED AS
AFRICAN-
A M E R I C A N
(6.7 percent of the total admissions)
WERE ADMITTED TO MSU IN 2010.
OF THOSE, ONLY (JUST 58%)
1841
GRADUATED IN 2014. = 100 STUDENTS *NUMBERS FROM MSU’S OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR ILLUSTRATION: EMILY JENKS
Neuroscience and philosophy freshman Tamara Porter gets math help from mathematics sophomore Aaron Roach during a TRIO tutoring session on Sept. 23 at Bessey Hall. TRIO Student Support Services offers academic assistance to first-generation college students, students from low-income backgrounds and disabled students.
Neuroscience and philosophy freshman Tamara Porter, right, talks to her mother on the phone on Nov. 1 in her dorm in East Holmes Hall as her roommate, psychology and journalism freshman Shavonna Green, laughs. “I don’t understand how you can change the channel without the TV on,” Porter said to her mother who had called her for help with her TV.
ties from using race to make a decision on admittance. But once first-generation students are on campus, there is a plethora of resources they can utilize to aid in their adjustment. FINDING A PLACE TRIO Student Support Services is one of eight programs that are federally-funded and is designed to support first-generation and low-income students. “It’s basically a program where we’re given tutors, success seminars and things of that sort to help us know about different things that a first-gen kid wouldn’t because our parents didn’t go through that stuff,” Porter said. Another program Porter is a part of is the Spartan Success Scholars. The benefits offered to Spartan Success Scholars include peer support, introduction to high-impact learning experiences and the honor to be a part of a community of like-minded students. Jones, also a Spartan Success Scholar coach, offers insight on what it is like to be an aid for individuals within this program. “As a coach, I make sure my students have what they need to be successful Spartans. If they need help with anything, even outside school related, I direct them to the resources that will aid them. I like to think of it as mentoring.” “Both programs are beneficial and something they (students) should really get involved with if the (students) are allotted the chance to because they’re really groundbreaking,” Porter said. But for some students, getting involved with support groups can be difficult between juggling jobs to pay for school, and simply not knowing the
T H U RS DAY NOV E MB E R 5. 2 01 5
resources that are available. This is the case for undecided sophomore Jessie Truesdell. "(Going to college) was almost never not an option,” Truesdell said. “A lot of (my) parents’ friends went to college so I see what good it can do.” But for Truesdell, the hardest part about being a first-generation college student isn’t figuring out how to navigate higher education. It’s trying to pay for it. “I’m paying a third, my student loans are paying a third and my parents are paying a third,” Truesdell said. “I’m working at the Leo’s Coney Island on M.A.C. and Albert and then I have money saved from high school, my job in high school, that I’m taking from. I’m definitely working to cover my portion of the tuition.” Since Truesdell has been in college, her opinion of higher education has changed. “I feel extremely grateful to have this option and that not only has my family come so far, in terms of what they want for their future generations, like as a whole,” Truesdell said. “They want everyone to make better decisions and do as much as they can to help themselves in the future.” “I will be super proud (when I graduate),” Truesdell said. “I know my parents are going to be super proud, so it’s going to be a really good ‘I did this’ moment.” For Porter, coming to college has opened up new ways of learning more about herself. “I will feel very happy and accomplished (when I graduate) and I feel like I’ll have a better sense of where I want to go in life and what I want to do,” Porter said. “(My parents) will be so proud of me and so happy.”
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MSU hires new Title IX sexual assault coordinator FROM STAFF REPORTS FEEDBACK@STATENEWS.COM
MSU hired a new Director for its recently created Office of Institutional Equity, as well as a Title IX and Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator. Starting Nov. 30, Ande Durojaiye will lead the OIE office. The office was created in April and is tasked with handling all discrimination complaints, including sexual assault and relationship violence. In addition to overseeing the office, which investigates complaints made under the university’s anti-discrimination policies, he will attempt to ensure MSU is in compliance with all federal regulation. Jessica Norris will begin Dec. 28 as the university’s new coordinator for Title IX and the Americans With Disabilities Act. Norris will oversee campus programs designed to create
Munn Ice Arena hosts Lansing firefighter confined space training
a discrimination-free zone, including dealing with sexual harassment and violence. Norris previously worked in the Office of Equal Opportunity, Ethics and Access at Illinois State University for eight years, serving most recently as associate director, deputy Title IX coordinator and affirmative action officer. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University and a master’s in education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. MSU’s previous Title IX coordinator, Paulette Granberry Russell, had her office come under fire on the heels of a federal investigation, which found MSU mishandled several sexual assault cases. In addition, a recent survey of students reported nearly 1 in 4 undergrads were sexually assaulted in their college careers. For the rest of the story, visit statenews.com.
Lansing firefighter Cameron Walker, above, and East Lansing firefighter Jim Ladiski, below, prepare to climb out of the training area during a confined space training for local firefighters on Tuesday at the Munn Ice Arena. The semi-annual training allows firefighters from East Lansing, Lansing, Delhi Township and Meridian Township to practice rescuing a person from an area that is not designed for permanent employee access, like a boiler room. PHOTO: CATHERINE FERLAND
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Nebraska MSU
NEBRASKA
8-0
2015 RECORD
33.4 155.0 258.8 413.8 356.6 50 32:58
PTS. PER GAME
3-6
RUSH YDS PER GAME PASS YDS PER GAME TOTAL YDS PER GAME TOTAL YDS ALLOWED 3RD DOWN % TIME OF POSS. PER GAME
33.3 169.3 276.9 446.2 424.3 43 32:08
PREDICTIONS Connor Cook needs just three more touchdown passes to become MSU’s all-time leader in the category
MSU
WINS IF
MSU
LOSES IF
FOOTBALL REPORTERS
MATTHEW ARGILLANDER
RYAN KRYSKA
35-17 MSU
38-14 MSU
The Spartans allowed their bye week to be the break they needed to get healthy.
The defense makes stops in the redzone and the offense controls the time of possession
The Huskers keep it close late, playing against the crowd late in Nebraska is not a recipe for success.
Nebraska wins the turnover margin and scores on all of its red zone appearances.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NEBRASKA COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
Saturday will be the 10th time MSU and NEB have played
In this past season’s matchups, MSU led NEB by 24 points
MSU enters game with a 12-game winning streak
This is the longest winning streak for Spartans since 195556
PREVIOUS MATCHUPS
2014 2013 2012 2011 2003 1996 1995 1920 1914
27-22 41-28 28-24 24-3 17-3 55-14 55-10 35-7 24-0
MSU MSU NEB NEB NEB NEB NEB NEB NEB
OVERALL RECORD: NEBRASKA 7 | MSU 2
“
“
PHOTO: JULIA NAGY
129 carries 697 yards 5.4 yards per carry 5 touchdowns 77.4 yards per game
So Nebraska’s not an easy place to go play, period. End of story. I think our players understand that. We need to be ready mentally as well as physically, and we need to go there with an edge and take our best game there. That’s what we have to do. No question though. -HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO
LET’S GO
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THE STATE N NEWS TH E STATE E WS
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Crossword
L.A. Times Daily Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
News
Holiday used to connect students to their culture
ACROSS
1 Luxurious 5 Decorative bedroom item 9 As such 14 Morales of “Jericho” 15 Improbable 16 Without stopping 17 What a party crasher may get 20 French room 21 Signifies 22 Nuggets’ org. 23 Air traveler’s concern, briefly 25 Mil. group that “teaches you to lead” 27 19th-/20th-century South African conflicts 33 “Stupid me!” 34 Unlikely prom king 35 Chocolate-covered caramel treats 38 Starting from 40 Event with arguments 43 Habit 44 NFL’s winningest coach 46 In the way indicated 48 Support 49 Horror movie characters 53 Jog 54 Petty with hits 55 Shindigs 58 Occupied
61 Shows of crowd approval 65 Film score component, and a hint to words hidden in 17-, 27- and 49-Across 68 “Sweeney __ the Nightingales”: Eliot poem 69 Newbie 70 Italian meat sauce 71 Do not disturb 72 Promote 73 Inbox clogger
DOWN
1 Lats relatives 2 Workplace welfare agcy. 3 Caravel mover 4 Jewish campus organization 5 Mess of a place 6 Hurt 7 Out of the wind 8 Celtics coach before Rick Pitino 9 Lady Gaga, for one 10 Tolkien forest creature 11 Trigger guide 12 Uppity type 13 “Giant” author Ferber 18 Give away 19 Sufficient, to Shakespeare 24 Provide the bank layout to, say
26 Brag 27 Court figs. 28 Snack 29 Horror movie character 30 Hockey legend 31 Polishes in publishing 32 Memorial __ Kettering: NYC hospital 36 Sleep __ 37 EPA issuances 39 Uninspired 41 Tuna type 42 Unbridled desire 45 Shorten 47 Assault 50 First-rate 51 Double exposures? 52 Affairs of the heart 55 Dashboard feature 56 “I’ll pay” 57 2013 Wimbledon champ Andy Murray, e.g. 59 Eye problem 60 Title outranking viscount 62 Memo letters 63 Capital west of Moscow 64 Bathtub buildup 66 Bach’s “Mass __ Minor” 67 Texter’s “What a riot!”
Get the solutions at statenews.com/puzzles Level: 1
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Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk SOLUTION TO WEDNESDAY’S PUZZLE
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Elementary education junior Cynthia Martinez and construction management junior Roberto Villela serve themselves during the Michigan Indigenous Chicano Community Alliance’s Day of the Dead celebratory event on Monday at the Erickson Kiva.
Ramos said he doesn’t want to on as still playing a major role in lose his connection to Mexican cul- our lives,” Ramos said. ture, but his Mexican identity is Ramos said the event was not only for remembering family memIn Mexican culture, Día de los different. “There is a disconnect between bers, but also a time for people Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is about celebrating the lives of the our culture, because it’s framed as to remember victims of state viodeceased, but for people like MSU Mexican culture most of the time, lence and people who have been doctoral student Santos Ramos, it but we don’t live in Mexico,” Ramos incarcerated. Graduate student and a co-event is a way to reconnect with their said. “I’ve only been to Mexico one Mexican heritage, while being as time, I don’t know what it means organizer Christian Ramirez said to be Mexican in a nationalist sort he uses the holiday as a way to far away as Michigan. of way.” remember cultural icons. For Ramos, reconnecting with “I’m from Corpus Christi, Tex“I didn’t grow up Mex ica n c u lt ure necessitates as, and that’s where the artist practicing Día de los acknowledging the diversity with- Selena Quintanilla is from,” he said. “We remember her as someMuertos, but when I in his own background. “For me, it’s been a lot about one who really influenced Mexigrew up and started dealing w it h t he question of can-American culture within the hearing about it hybridity and what that means,” mainstream.” from my friends, Ramos said. “My mom is Irish, so These range of cultural expresI’m interested in Irish culture, but sions are all part of what MICCA then I started to I’ve never felt the need to go too far hoped to achieve by putting on ask questions of my out of my way to reconnect with the event. grandma.” that, because it’s already been so “We wanted to do a public event present in my life. Whereas Mexi- to create community in a differSantos Ramos, can cultural traditions have been ent way, on a bigger scale,” Ramos Doctoral student taken away from me.” said. Ramos and the event’s other par“Día de los Muertos is about re-es- ticipants observe Día de los MuerH I S TO R Y tablishing connections to both our tos for the uniquely Mexican perculture and to people who have spective it offers on death. “My elders told me not to be Día de los Muertos, also know as the passed away,” one of the event’s organizers and doctoral student afraid of death — it’s an import- Day of the Dead, is a Latin American holiday most strongly celebrated ant process of understanding and Santos Ramos said. in Mexico in which people honor Many of the event’s organizers fulfillment,” MSU alumnus and one the dead by celebrating their lives. and attendants didn’t grow up cel- of the event’s performers DJ SacThe tradition was brought to the region by Spanish conquistadors. ramento Knoxx said. ebrating Día de los Muertos. Día de los Muertos recognizes For Ramos, Día de los Muertos is “I didn’t grow up practicing Día the death as a natural part of the de los Muertos, but when I grew up a reminder that death is just anothhuman experience, the same as and started hearing about it from er part of life. birth, childhood and growing up “It’s reflective of the different my friends, then I started to ask to be a contributing member of questions of my grandma,” Ramos relationship that we have with society. Two of the most common symbols associated with the said. “As I got older I started doing death than a lot of people, viewholiday are skeletons and skulls. ing our loved ones who have passed things with my friends.” BY JOSH BENDER
JOSH.BENDER@STATENEWS.COM
Sports
Ryan Squanda Sports editor sports@statenews.com @thesnews_sports
Sports broadcasting icon George Blaha reflects on lengthy career MSU playby-play announcer George Blaha callling the MSU football game against Indiana on Oct. 24 at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Hoosiers, 2723. PHOTO:
BY RYAN KRYSKA RKRYSKA@STATENEWS.COM
During the golden age of the 1950’s, it was Ray Charles’ soul music which dominated the radio. But Saturdays were reserved solely for college football. And somewhere in this golden age, sports broadcasting icon George Blaha found a soulful voice of his own. For the better part of the last four decades, that voice has come to represent years of Spartan football history — and just as many years of Detroit Pistons history. But in all the years of uttering “Touchdown, MSU” or “Count that baby and a foul” it never gets old for Blaha, and there’s nothing else he’d rather be doing. “I always wanted to be a broadcaster in a city that had hardworking, blue collar people and I am very, very fortunate to be a broadcaster in the Detroit area and in the state of Michigan because we have those kinds of people here,” Blaha said. LOVE WHAT YOU DO In 2002, Blaha was named an honorary alumnus of MSU. The honor was Blaha’s third alumnus achievement, as he received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA from the University of Michigan. His father, Vernon, was a doctor and stressed the importance of higher education, so Blaha attended prestigious schools. However, his dream of becoming a play-by-play broadcaster was always his number one priority. “One thing you don’t want is somebody unhappy at their work,” Blaha said. “You can’t very well be successful that way. “I think it was Vin Scully, in my opinion the greatest play-byplay announcers of my lifetime, who said ‘broadcasting is a great example of the old adage that says, find something that you love to do and if you can do that at your profession then you will never have to work a day in your life.’”
“It really doesn’t feel like work to me. ... If I didn’t find it interesting and did not truly enjoy it then I might realize how labor intensive it is, but it really has all been a labor of love.” George Blaha, MSU football play-by-play announcer
Blaha said his decision to attend U-M came down to a “coin flip” by his family. “Notre Dame, on the other hand, was a very conscious decision,” he said, adding that it stemmed from his mother being raised Irish Catholic and her father loving the Irish. But before the Fighting Irish or the Wolverines, Blaha unknowingly started where he would finish. In 1953, Blaha was in attendance when a school by the name of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science played its first football game as a member of the Big Ten at the University of Iowa.
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“Of course, I had no idea what a watershed moment that would be for me career-wise, but I knew that it was a big game and my dad was very kind to take me to the game,” Blaha said. MSU won the game, 21-7, and would go on to win the Rose Bowl that year. Since that day, Blaha has watched more than 400 MSU football games and the number of Pistons games he has broadcasted is upward of 3,000. “And it really doesn’t feel like work to me, although there is a lot of preparation that goes into every broadcast,” Blaha said. “If I didn’t find it interesting and did not truly enjoy it then I might realize how labor intensive it is, but it really has all been a labor of love.” STORIED CAREER The Spartan brand has been engraved into Blaha’s legacy, and along the way, the players he has watched have grown to be some of his best friends. Among them is 1979 NCAA National Champion and former MSU basketball star Greg Kelser, who today broadcasts alongside Blaha as the Pistons’ color commentator. “It’s always exciting to have the opportunity to sit down and call a game, number one, but then to know that I am doing it with a person who has been at this for so long, yet I have not been able to. ... I don’t think anyone could ever say they have seen a diminishing of his passion,” Kelser said. But of all the games the duo has broadcasted together, Kelser highlighted an off-the-tape night, which takes Blaha’s story full circle; back to the radio.
September 26, 1953 Blaha attends first ever Big Ten game MSU football participates in. The Spartans defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 21-7.
1945
March 29, 1945 George Blaha was born in Detroit, MI.
1953
Becomes radio and television playby-play voice of Detroit Pistons. 1966
Blaha earns bachelor’s degree in economics from Notre Dame.
1976
“George and I both are great, and when I say great, you can capitalize all five letters — we have a great appreciation for the genius that is Ray Charles,” Kelser said. “And I remember one time George had tickets to a Ray Charles performance and knowing that not only myself was a great Ray Charles fan, but my mother as well, so George called me up and he invited my mother and myself and my brother and his friend. The four of us joined George for a great evening of music from Ray Charles. It was awesome.” Ray Charles could not see, but the man could hear, and it is telling that Blaha’s career has been much of the same for his radio listeners. “When you see adults with children come up to you and say they’ve been listening to you since they were a kid, you realize you’ve been doing it a long, long time,” Blaha said. “And that is just a blessing to be able to do something you love as long as I have.” When Blaha’s career is all said and done, he will be able to look back on a life filled with exhilaration. But when people ask him how much longer he is going to broadcast, he has never been able to cut himself short. “People ask me that all the time and I think ‘well, as long as you’re not thinking about retiring, I guess it’s not time to retire,’” Blaha said. “I feel the same as I did, you know, 25 years ago and right now I’m going at a breakneck pace because I have Pistons games and Spartan football games and I suppose when this breakneck pace starts to get to me a little bit then those kind of thoughts might get to me, but right now I have no thoughts of retiring.”
Gains fame in the Detroit area for calling the Detroit Pistons “Bad Boys” days. throughout the 1980s 1978
1980’S
Elected into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
2002
2008
Becomes honorary alumnus of MSU.
Becomes voice of MSU football.
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RELIGIOUS GUIDE Sports Look for this directory in the paper every Thursday and online at: www.statenews.com/religious Ascension Lutheran Church 2780 Haslett Rd., E. Lansing Between Hagadorn & Park Lake Rds. (517) 337-9703 Sunday Worship: 10am Adult Bible Study: 9am ascensioneastlansing.org Chabad House of MSU Your Jewish home, away from home 540 Elizabeth St. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 214-0525 chabadmsu.com Friday evenings: 20 minutes after sunset followed by Shabbat dinner Saturday: 11am, Torah reading at 12pm
Lansing Church of God in Christ 5304 Wise Rd., Lansing, MI 48911 http://lansingcogic.org/ Worship hours Sunday: 10:30am, 5:00pm Monday Family Prayer: 6:00pm
Little Flock Christian Fellowship A Non-DenominationalEvagelical Church MSU Alumni Chapel (Basement Hall) Sunday Worship Service: 10am-12 Noon. Fellowship Lunch after the service Weekly Bibly Studies & Students’ Meetings. Eastminster Presbyterian Church littleflock.msu@gmail.com 1315 Abbot Rd, East Lansing, www.littleflock.org MI, 48823 (517) 337-0893 Martin Luther Chapel www.eastminsterchurch.org 444 Abbot Rd. Sunday School for All Ages: East Lansing, MI 48823 9:30am (517) 332-0778 Sunday Worship: 10:30am martinlutherchapel.org UKirk Presbyterian Campus Sunday: 9:30am & 7:00pm Ministry Wednesday Worship: 9pm www.ukirkmsu.org Mini-bus pick-up on campus (Fall/Spring) Faith Fellowship Baptist Church Peoples Church 1001 Dakin St. 200 W. Grand River Ave. Lansing, MI 48912 East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 853-9897 (517) 332-6074 Sunday Morning Worship: 11am www.peoples-evolution.org Wednesday Prayer and Bible Sunday Worship: 8:30am, Study: 6:30pm 9:30am Van service available to Tuesday: Love Life: 7-9pm church Wednesday: Dinner at Campus Bible Study: 5:30pm, Journey at 6:30 Thursday at 7:30pm in Chemistry Bldg. River Terrace Church www.ffbc.us 1509 River Terrace Dr. East Lansing, MI 48823 First Baptist Church of (517) 351-9059 Okemos www.riverterrace.org 4684 Marsh Rd. Service times: 9 & 11:15am Okemos, MI 48864 (517) 349-2830 St. John Catholic Church www.fbcokemos.org/worship and Student Center Sunday worship: 10:45am 327 M.A.C. Ave. Greater Lansing Church East Lansing, MI 48823 of Christ (517) 337-9778 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. stjohnmsu.org East Lansing, MI Sunday: 8am, 10am, Noon, (Meeting at the University 5pm, 7pm Christian Church building) Monday, Wednesday, (517) 898-3600 Friday: 12:15pm Students welcome! Tuesday & Thursday: 9:15pm Sunday Worship: 8:45am Sunday Bible class: 10am Wednesday: 7pm - praise and The Pentecostals of East Lansing worship 16262 Chandler Rd. Students please feel free to East Lansing, MI 48823 call for rides (517) 337-7635 http://www.greaterlansingwww.pentecostalel.org coc.org Like us on Facebook! Hillel Jewish Student Center Sunday worship: 11am Thursday Bible study: 7pm 360 Charles St., E. Lansing Thursday young adult group: (517) 332-1916 8:30pm Friday Night Wednesday campus Bible Services: 6pm, Dinner: 7pm study: 8pm at MSU library September - April
The Islamic Society of Greater Lansing 940 S. Harrison Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823 For prayer times visit www.lansingislam.com/ Trinity Church 3355 Dunckel Rd. Lansing, MI 48911 (517) 272-3820 Saturday: 6pm Sunday: 9:15am, 11am trinitywired.com
Conner George glad to be part of MSU family
Unity Spiritual Renaissance 230 S. Holmes St. Lansing, MI 48912 (517) 484-2360 or (517) 505-1261 Sunday: 10:30am Wednesday: 6:30pm meditation University Baptist Church 4608 South Hagadorn Rd East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-4144 www.ubcel.org 10 AM Worship Service 11:15 Coffee Hour 11:30 Sunday School University Christian Church 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-5193 universitychristianwired.com Sunday: 11:15 am Sunday Bible Study: 10:15 am University Lutheran Church (ELCA) One Community: Lutheran/ Episcopal Campus Ministry 1020 South Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-2559 www.facebook.com/onecommunitymsu Sunday Worship 9:30am 7pm Wed Student-Led Worship @MSU Alumni Chapel University United Methodist Church MSU Wesley 1120 S. Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-7030 universitychurchhome.org msuwesley.org Sunday: 10:30am 9:00am Garden Service in the summer TGIT: 8:00pm Thursdays Sept. - April WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 580-3744 www.msu.edu/~weisluth 6:00pm Saturday
Religious Organizations: Don’t be left out of the Religious Directory! Call 517-432-3000 today to speak with an Account Executive
Freshman guard Conner George waits to speak to media during men’s basketball media day on Oct. 27 at Breslin Center. PHOTO: SUNDEEP DHANJAL BY NATHANIEL BOTT NBOTT@STATENEWS.COM
Conner George, as students from Okemos might know, was one of the best high school basketball players to have ever suited up for Okemos High School. He averaged 23 points per game to go along with 10.6 rebounds per game his senior year, and received multiple Division II and Division III scholarships. However, George, being the son of MSU head volleyball coach Cathy George, always knew he would wind up wearing green and white. And that dream came true when he committed to MSU during the spring of 2015. “I’ve grown up around here, watched all the MSU basketball games and it’s always been a dream of mine,” Conner George said. “I always wanted to come here and play, and when I got the opportunity I knew I had to do it. It’s too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
“He was so eager to get in athletics. Conner loves to win. Everything is about winning and in every sport he figures out how to score.” Cathy George, MSU head volleyball coach
Being a newcomer and a walk-on, becoming acclimated to a college basketball team seems like quite the challenge. Luckily for Conner George, Izzo’s past helps his situation a great deal. “I’m very partial to walk-ons, I picked that up from my playing days,” Izzo said. “My walk-ons got it made as good as anybody here. All the people at the bottom of the rung, because that’s where I was, I am appreciative of those people.” With George’s mother, Cathy George, being the head coach of MSU volleyball for the 11th season, Conner George has always felt as if he was part of the MSU family. He said being a part of the team makes it even more special because of the help his teammates give him, but the team and himself remain focused on one goal. “The players are really pushing me, pushing all the freshmen,” Conner George said. “Everyone’s 10
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behind everyone to get better. We have one goal in mind, and that’s national championship. To achieve that goal, everyone has to contribute and work as hard as they can.” The competitiveness and winning attitude is not something Conner George recently picked up. His older brother, TJ, was an athlete too, and with his mother Cathy George coaching a Division I volleyball program, it came with the family name. “Throughout his life, as he was a little guy, he had to be towed around to all the ball games in every sport that TJ competed in and was always kind of miffed that he wasn’t in those games,” Cathy George said. “He was so eager to get in athletics. Conner loves to win, everything about it is winning, and in every sport he figures out how to score.” Conner George may not be an integral part of the team on the court this season, but off the court, he looks to make even more improvements and contribute in every way possible. “I’m going to redshirt the freshman year, gain some strength and get some skills better, work on some stuff,” Conner George said. “In practice, I got to do a really good job of scouting the other teams, being on the scout team, knowing their plays. Getting the first string and second string ready for games.” Izzo characterized Conner George as a “specialist” and said he can shoot the ball as well as anyone on the team. Conner George stands at 6-foot3, and has been taller than everyone his age for a long time now, Cathy George said. “He was a big baby,” Cathy George said. “He was called ‘Big Baby George’ because he was bigger than all the kids his age. He was a head taller than everybody. Big hands, big feet, big everything.” Conner George will look to contribute in the upcoming seasons for MSU, hoping to join other walk-ons who have enjoyed success at MSU, such as his teammates Colby Wollenman and Kenny Goins. With Izzo at the helm, it was a no-brainer for Conner George to be a Spartan. “Our whole family respects Tom (Izzo) a great deal,” Cathy George said. “We like his tough-nose kind of coaching, and Conner understand the way that he coaches and appreciates his level of success and his winning ways. I know that’s what attracted him to go to Michigan State.” T H U R S DAY, N OV E M B E R 5 , 2 01 5
Sports
Five things to know before MSU plays Nebraska BY MATTHEW ARGILLANDER MARGILLANDER@STATENEWS.COM
The No. 7-ranked Spartans (8-0 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) will be looking to improve their standing in the College Football Playoff rankings against Nebraska (3-6 overall, 1-4 Big Ten). Here are five things to know before MSU takes on the Cornhuskers:
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ALL-TIME RECORD
Nebraska leads the all-time series against MSU, 7-2. However, the series is split at 2-2 since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten. The amount of times MSU is on a two Nebraska and MSU will have played game winning streak each other when against Nebraska. The the two square Spartans, coming off off on Saturday. of a bye week in 2013, defeated the Cornhuskers 41-28 for their first win in the series and last year MSU jumped out to a 27-3 lead before having to hold off a late Nebraska rally for a final score of 27-22. HUSKERS TO WATCH
Junior wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp is having a great season despite Nebraska’s record. Westerkamp has the sixth most receiving yards in the Big Ten with 658, he is tied for third in the conference with five receiving touchdowns and he has the fourth most receptions with 49. “Westerkamp is a guy that’s been playing quite
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a while, an expert player, gamer,” head coach Mark Dantonio said. “You certainly have to know where number one (Westerkamp) is at. There is no question.” CLOSE CALLS
Football is a game of inches and no team understands that more than Nebraska right now. The Cornhuskers’ first five losses were by a total of 13 points. “We’ve watched film on them and they’re a great team,” senior defensive lineman Joel Heath said. “We’ve been there at some point. Michigan State has been there ... where we lost close games, we know how they feel. We know how it feels to be a great team and wanting to be able to prove we’re better than what the record shows.” Nebraska has lost four games in the final 10 seconds or overtime. BYU beat the Cornhuskers on a Hail Mary during the final play of the game, Miami defeated them with a walk-off field goal in overtime, Illinois scored a game winning touchdown with 10 seconds left and Wisconsin hit a game winning field goal with four seconds left. BIG RED MACHINE
Long before Dantonio became MSU’s head coach he served as a defensive backs coach at Kansas (1991-94) — a time when Nebraska and Kansas were conference opponents in the Big 12. The Cornhuskers won all four meetings between the two while Dantonio was with the Jayhawks. Dantonio even joked that his wife used to call Nebraska the “big red machine” because of their ability to recruit. “Great challenge and opportunity waiting for
Then-junior defensive end Shilique Calhoun stiff arms Nebraska wide receiver De’Mornay Pierson-El after recovering a Nebraska fumble on Oct. 4, 2014, at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Huskers, 27-22. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO
us at Nebraska. Tremendous tradition there. Went there numerous times. I guess four times when I was between being at Kansas,” Dantonio said. “Obviously those meetings weren’t too good, but I have a great respect for what they do and what their fans bring and how they do it at the University of Nebraska.”
RECORD WATCH
Senior quarterback Connor Cook, who extends his wins record with every victory, could break another monumental school record this weekend. Cook, who has 64 career passing touchdowns, is two away from tying and three away from breaking Kirk Cousins record of 66.
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Features
Meagan Beck Features editor features@statenews.com @sn_features
New transportation trend rolls into campus Universally laughed at for its silly appearance and comedic history, the Segway has rarely been able to shake off the stigma associated with it. Now a new variation of the two-wheel transport hopes to change that. Sometimes referred to as a “hoverboard,” an Oxboard (named after a Dutch company that produces them), or a smart two-wheel self-balancing scooter, these devices have begun to show up around MSU’s campus to mixed reception. “They’re a lot of fun to just hop on and ride around,” journalism senior Cameron Billes said. “It feels like you’re floating in the air I guess, in a way, but they’re very expensive. For me personally, I don’t think it’s worth the investment of $500 or $550 or however much you can get them for.” While expensive, there are ways to acquire a hoverboard without busting your wallet. Direct ordering through China can save several hundred dollars. That’s how nursing freshman Kevin Ingram acquired his. “I just went on Amazon and then I would search for the lowest price and then I see where the shipper was, and then it said it was from
China so I knew it was the good one, so I had to get that one,” Ingram said. Why all the trouble if buses and bikes are still viable means of getting around? Ingram said it’s a matter of preference. “Sometimes it can be convenient, but sometimes it’s easier just to take a bike or a bus,” he said. “It depends. If you want to go far you might as well just take a bike or a bus, but somewhere close you can take the Segway.” Aside from using it inside Akers Hall, Ingram said he will ride his hoverboard to a class at Hubbard Hall, since it’s a decent distance away from Ingram and his hoverboard can achieve a top speed of 20 MPH. Though he hasn’t personally encountered police while on his hoverboard, the device’s hybrid design between a motorized vehicle and balance board presents a tricky problem for law enforcement. Lt. Randy Holton, the coordinator of the Michigan State Police Department’s Community Team Policing Program, has found the subject of hoverboards a very recent and ongoing conundrum for MSU’s campus officers. “We’re aware of them at this point, just looking into what category they fall under as a motorized vehicle,” Holton said. Because of this uncertainty of what catego-
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BY IAN WENDROW IWENDROW@STATENEWS.COM
THE STATE N E WS
Business freshman Abdullah Alhalabi rides his hoverboard to class on Oct. 30 at the intersection of West Shaw Lane and Chestnut Road. PHOTO: SUNDEEP DHANJAL
ry of transportation hoverboards are, the MSU police force has not issued any specific ordinances for them yet, though Holton did mention that he would be conducting further research to settle the issue. “The issue is, do they fall under the defini-
tion of a motor vehicle or fall under a Segway?” Holton said. “If it’s a Segway you can ride them on the sidewalk no problem, but if they’re a motor vehicle, like a moped, then you can’t ride them because they’re not equipped for the road and motor vehicles can’t be on sidewalks.”