The State News, MLK Edition, Jan. 11, 2024 by The State News

Michigan State’s Independent Voice

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. EDITION How the MSU community celebrates his legacy today

LIF E

LIFE

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A rundown of MLK Day events on campus

How the MLK Day march helps advocate for change

Four stories you might’ve missed

Mark your calendars with a variety of events on campus commemorating and celebrating the holiday throughout the week.

Protest marches have long been a form of activism against racial segregation and exclusion. MSU’s commemorative march will take place on Jan. 15 this year.

As our much needed period of rest comes to a close and we settle back into life in East Lansing, read some MSU news to catch you up on what you missed over break.

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UURAF Tune in on Tuesday, Jan. 16 to The State News’ award-winning All Shades of Chocolate podcast. Shakyra Mabone, Jada Vasser and Anthony Brinson III will discuss the impact of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy for the Black community and their past experiences learning about it in school. Photo from Spotify.

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A RUNDOWN OF MSU MLK DAY EVENTS TO COMMEMORATE THE HOLIDAY By Hannah Holycross hholycross@statenews.com

and I just love the new twist that we put on each year,” he said. The event is free and registration is not required for attendees.

With Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaching on Monday, Jan. 15, a variety of events on campus are commemorating and celebrating the holiday throughout the week. 2024 MLK Commemorative Student Committee Co-Chairs Brandon Foster and Jakaira Lynn said that it has been their focus this year that the events organized bring equity and inclusion to the forefront of the holiday. “(Students) can take away that there are resources for them and be able to celebrate our people,” Lynn said. “We are just making it known you’re here, we’re here, and these people that did this, you can do it too.” They also made it a goal to have more collaboration with student organizations throughout the events. “Being able to branch out and work with our students helped us to get to know what people want as well,” Lynn said.

2024 MLK COMMEMORATIVE MARCH

T he annual 2024 ML K Commemorative March will be held on MLK day on Jan. 15 at 9 a.m. The march will begin at Beaumont Tower and will end across from the site of the MSU Multicultural Center.

EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK

The MSU Jazz Orchestra performs at MSU’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Jazz: Spirituals, Prayer and Protest Concert at Fairchild Theatre on Jan. 15, 2023. Photo courtesy of MSU by Derrick L. Turner.

The march is hosted by the 2024 MLK Student Committee within the 2024 MLK Commemorative Committee in collaboration with the MSU Zeta Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

The MSU Black Student Alliance as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, will also be present at the event. Foster is also a member of Alpha

Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He said he is excited to carry on the decades-long tradition of hosting the event honoring Martin Luther King Jr., an alum of his fraternity. “We just keep that tradition going

The “Stuff the Library Book Drive” and an exhibition at the MSU Museum entitled “Voices from Black Bottom, Detroit Community History,” will be honoring the holiday throughout the entire week of Jan. 14. The book drive is dedicated toward filling local school district libraries with books on topics of social justice and with characters representing diverse backgrounds. Students can participate by either donating money, directly purchasing a book from the drive’s wish list, dropping off books in person or mailing them to the MSU Worklife Office located on 479 West Circle Dr. The MSU Museum self-guided exhibition focuses on sharing the rich history and stories of the Detroit community through community voices and artifacts.

TOWARD FREEDOM FILM SERIES

The 2024 MLK Commemorative Student Committee along with the MLK Student Planning Committee will be hosting the Toward Freedom Film Series on Jan. 16 and Jan. 17. On Jan. 16, there will be a screening

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– Martin Luther King Jr.

MS U of the film “The Pact,” which follows three doctors and the numerous social justice challenges they faced along their journey of pursuing their dreams. On Jan. 17, there will be another screening, showcasing “The Banker,” a film about two of the first African American bankers in the United States and their journey of striving to gain sustained economic empowerment and to provide the opportunity for others in their community. Both screenings will feature a postfilm discussion panel. After “The Pact,” three doctors will join the conversation to share how they have helped to bridge health disparities within their own communities and after “The Banker,” there will be a discussion with members of the Greater Lansing Financial community to share strategies for economic empowerment. The screening on Jan. 16 will be held at the Kellogg Center Auditorium, and the screening on the Jan. 17 will be held at the MSU Library.

2024 MLK STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

The 2024 MLK Student Committee will be hosting the annual MLK Student Leadership Conference on Jan. 12. The conference will feature presentations, entertainment, lunch and keynote speakers: Dr. Sampson Davis, Dr. George Jenkins and Dr. Rameck Hunt. The keynote speakers plan to share how they overcame adversity and social injustice barriers to achieve their dreams of becoming doctors

as well as their experience as social justice advocates within the medical and educational communities. Registration is free for MSU students and attendees must be registered for the conference no later than Jan 11. Attendees will be provided with a MLK Student Leadership Conference packet and a conference t-shirt.

WEEKEND WELLNESS A DREAMER’S MINDSET: HEALTHY STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING WELLNESS AND BUILDING COMMUNITY EVENT

The 2024 MLK Commemorative Student Committee will host a health and wellness fair along with the “Spartan Glow and Flow” skating event on Jan. 13 from 8 p.m. to midnight at IM Sports East. The event, which is also hosted and sponsored by the Residence Hall Association, University Activities Board, Recreational Sports and Fitness and the Department of Student Development and Leadership, is dedicated toward promoting campus-wide wellness and healthy goal setting and will feature wellness activity stations along with a pop-up roller skating rink. Skates will be provided free of charge to all attendees. Attendees will also receive a free t-shirt and food will be provided.

2024 MLK HISTORICAL LANDMARK VIRTUAL STUDENT ENGAGEMENT EVENT The MLK Student Committee will be collaborating with Morehouse College

students to host a virtual viewing of historical MLK landmarks in the city of Atlanta on Jan. 13 and Jan. 19 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Students have the option to view the event via Zoom or attend in person at the Clara Bell Smith Center located on 228 W. Shaw Ln.

“You don’t have to be an expert in how to promote equity and social justice, every bit makes a difference.” BRIAN JOHNSON Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and 2024 MLK Planning Committee Co-chair

MSU Truth Seekers Campus Ministry, the event will feature a variety of faith-based performances as well as a performance from the Michigan State University Gospel Choir. A soul food tasting reception will follow immediately after the conclusion of the service. The event is free and will be hosted at the MSU Alumni Memorial Chapter located on 636 Auditorium Rd.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMUNITY UNITY DINNER

The annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Unity Dinner will take place on Jan. 16 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. The event will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and doors open at 4:30 p.m. A long with dinner and performances, the event will also feature assistant professor in the department of religious studies Dr. Blaire Morseau as a keynote speaker as well as speeches from MSU Interim President Dr. Teresa Woodruff and MSU Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. Jabbar Bennett. T he event is f ree and registration is required.

MLK CULTURAL SHOWCASE AT 2024 MLK HOLIDAY ECUMENICAL SPRINGTICIPATION SERVICE The MLK Student Committee and An Ecumenical service will be hosted on Jan. 14 from 1:30t o 3 p.m. in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Hosted by multiple student faithbased organizations, including the

the Office of Spartan Experiences will be putting on a social-justice-themed arts and cultural performance during the 2024 Springticipation event. The event is free and will be hosted at the STEM Teaching and Learning

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Facility from 6 to 9 p.m. on Jan. 18. T he t heme for t h is yea r ’s performance is courageous leadership and a commitment to civil rights, equity and social justice.

OVERVIEW

Brian Johnson, assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion and 2024 MLK Planning Committee co-chair, said the 2024 MLK Commemorative Committee has been a ‘powerful team’ this year and that he is hoping for students who attend any of the events will take away that they can advance social justice in their own ways. “You don’t have to be an expert in how to promote equity and social justice, every bit makes a difference,” Johnson said. “A lot of these activities are student-led, and so you see these students at the helm of advocating and planning these events and commemorating Dr. King. That in and of itself is special and gives others’ ideas on how they can promote and advance equity in their own ways.” Ebony Lucas, MSU Work life consultant and 2024 MLK Planning Committee co-chair said that all these events work together to promote Dr. King’s message of service and power. “We all have power, we all have the ability to promote equity, but we have to know our value,” she said. “You do that through commitment, through service, to remember it because that’s what MLK’s message was all about, helping each other.” For a comprehensive list of the events, visit inclusion.msu.edu.

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HOW STUDENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE THROUGH THE MLK DAY MARCH By Ridhima Kodali rkodali@statenews.com Since the rise of the Civil Rights Movement in 1954, protest marches have long been a form of activism in fighting to end racial segregation and exclusion. It was at the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, held in 1963, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the exalted “I Have a Dream” speech. In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Michigan State University is holding its annual commemorative march this upcoming Monday, Jan. 15. Starting at 9 a.m., the march will begin at the Beaumont Tower and conclude across the street from the site of the MSU Multicultural Center. Communications senior and member of A lpha Ph i A lpha Fraternity, Inc. Brandon Foster is one of the coordinators for the 2024 MLK Commemorative March. For Foster, who was also coordinator last year, the march “means a lot to him” because it brings diversity, equity and inclusion within MSU. “That’s something we are still striving towards,” Foster said. “We need to take those steps and this march is definitely something that commemorates those values that I aligned with. I believe that they truly symbolize the spirit of peaceful protests and civil rights activism that (Martin Luther King Jr.) stood with.” As a key figure in the Civil Rights

Community members march at MSU’s 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative March from Beaumont Tower. Photo courtesy of MSU by Derrick L. Turner.

Movement, King participated in many important marches, like the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, preaching nonviolent protest. “I think that what protests have really taught us nationally, but also globally or transnationally, is the ways that communities learn from

one another,” LeConté Dill, African American Studies associate professor and director of graduate studies, said. Dill was the keynote speaker for the university’s MLK march last year, and although she didn’t march herself, she said the event showed “solidarity of community building.”

“There’s usually marches in various communities,” Dill said. “You begin the conversation across the country or world on MLK Day. We’re commemorating this important figure that was assassinated in a timely way and in a very violent way. We are reclaiming joy.”

Dill said she believes joy and social justice are what centers the building of communities. “From what I’ve seen, (in) the pictures and the stories around the MSU marches you see the diversity, not just like ethnically diverse, but the different types of personality,” Dill said. “Seeing the annual march on campus, I am reminded wherever I am around the country, let alone world, that there are similar solidarities.” Dill noted that public presence was crucial in marches during the Civil Rights Movement. Now, protest work within marginalized communities has brought focus back to cultural rituals, she said. “With the Black Lives Matter movement, people (are) marching in the street and protesting, but you’ve seen some ritual work, like ... saging or smudging, bringing in African diasporic Black and Indigenous traditions,” Dill said. “Those different rituals are a really grand part of protests.” Foster emphasized the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. in his life and said the marches held on Jan. 15 will symbolize civil rights activism and peaceful protests. “I know we’re not perfect, but (King) made people come together because we were very segregated back then,” Foster said. “Now, we’re going to Michigan State University where there’s so many people of different races, ethnicities (and) sexualities.”

How MSU’s nearlyforgotten first Black marching band member left a legacy By Emilio Perez Ibarguen eperez@statenews.com Before the early 2000s, little was known about Everett Claudius Yates, the first Black member of the MSU marching band and orchestra. In fact, it wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to say that Yates had been virtually forgotten by history. Enrolled at MSU, then called Michigan Agricultural College, or MAC, from 1912 to 1916, Yates performed as a percussionist in the marching band, then called the cadet band, and MAC’s college orchestra. As a member of the cadet band, Yates performed at sporting events, parades and provided martial music for MAC’s military students to march to. Yates also performed in the smaller college orchestra for dances on campus and events such as the mid-winter and commencement concerts. Beyond his musical pursuits, Yates, a horticulture major, was active in the Horticultural Club as well as the New England Club which he likely joined because he lived near Boston before 6

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attending MAC. Yates also held the rank of Second Lieutenant in MAC’s Corp of Cadets. After graduating in 1916, Yates returned to Boston for a year before accepting a teaching position at the all-Black Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School, now known as Tennessee State University. MSU histor y professor Pero Dagbovie said this career trajectory, in which early African American graduates of MSU would go on to teach at all-Black colleges in the American South, was not an uncommon path for other Black graduates of predominantly white institutions, particularly in the era of Jim Crow segregation. “A frican A merican educators and scholars did not begin securing teaching positions at predominantly white colleges and universities in noticeable numbers until after the modern Civil Rights Movement,” Dagbovie said. In 1922, Yates once again returned to Boston to teach at Rice School, a local elementary school. He later received a Master of Education degree

Everett C. Yates, (front row, fourth from the left), photographed with the MAC military band. Yates was a percussionist in both the cadet band and college orchestra. Photo courtesy Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections.

Yearbook picture of Everett C. Yates from his junior year in 1915. Photo courtesy Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections

from Boston Teachers College in 1931. A man once forgotten by history Much of the information available about Yates’ life was only uncovered during research for historian Keith Widder’s 2005 book “Michigan Agricultural College: the evolution of a land-grant philosophy, 1855-1925.” In the book, Widder explains that the first African American graduate of MSU was William O. Thompson. Before Widder’s research, star football player Gideon Smith was solely recognized as the first Black man to graduate from MSU, even though Smith and Yates both graduated in 1916 and knew each other well. Widder writes that the actual first African American graduate of MSU was William O. Thompson.

In the year 2024, however, Yates’ legacy is now recognized by the university and the role he played in breaking the color barrier at MSU through music can be fully understood and appreciated. Widder wrote that Yates and others like him took advantage of the opportunities presented to them to further their education, opened the door for future Black students at MSU to follow in their footsteps and dedicated their lives to teaching Black youth during a time of extreme segregation. These efforts, Widder wrote, “pushed out the perimeters of democracy just a little farther.”

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Widder speculates that Smith’s role as an exemplary member of the football team, particularly his performance in MAC’s first victory over the University of Michigan in 1913, cemented his legacy through public attention at a level that Yates was never exposed to. Widder explains the difference between the two by writing that “playing the cathedral chimes simply did not make as lasting an impression as tackling one of Fielding Yost’s powerful running backs.” Additionally, Dagbovie pointed out that Smith, unlike Yates, remained in touch with MSU and made multiple visits to East Lansing post-graduation, further entrenching his legacy at the university.

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MSU EXPERT KINITRA BROOKS EXPLORES REPRESENTATION IN BLACK HORROR, AFROFUTURISM By Jack Wiliams jwilliams@statenews.com In 1940, the horror film “Son of Ingagi” was of its kind to feature an all Black cast. A little over 80 years later, Jordan Peele has become a leading name in Hollywood and the Black horror genre, which has become mainstream in the past decade. That change didn’t happen out of nowhere, though, and it certainly didn’t happen overnight. Michigan State University Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in Literary Studies Dr. Kinitra Brooks is seeking to fill in those gaps, all while salvaging what the genre lost along the way. Brooks’ research includes topics like Black women’s role in Black horror films throughout the decades to Afrofuturism and how conjure women show up in literature and science fiction. For a long time, especially in early cinema, Black people were viewed as monstrous or something to be afraid of, Brooks said. According to Brooks this viewpoint has changed over the years, especially in the early 1970s during the “Blaxpoitation” film movement. Although the movement can be considered controversial, Brooks said, it began to place Black actors at the center of cinema, including horror films.

“A lot of my work is the recovery project of the spiritual practices that have been lost, our spiritual practices that have been sublimated.”

Illustration by Zachary Balcoff.

Dr. Kinitra Brooks

Michigan State University Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in Literary Studies She said that in viewing Black protagonists, audiences began to see who the monster was from Black characters’ point of view, thus complicating the narrative at the time. And when it comes to the horror genre, so much of what is portrayed in mainstream cinema is meant to scare the “ideal viewer.” Brooks pointed to University of California, Berkeley professor Carol Clover’s definition of the ideal viewer as a white, middle class, heterosexual male. So when the goal is to scare that type of ideal viewer, Brooks said, it wasn’t uncommon for filmmakers to portray not only race, but also gender and queerness as monstrous. She found the result was a lack of wellrepresented Black women in horror films. This is due to the fact that when race is made to be the monster, it’s usually in conjunction with Black manhood, whereas when gender is made to be the monster, it’s made in conversation with white womanhood, she said. “(Black women) are the other of the other,” Brooks said. This discovery led her to go on a “rescue mission” for Black female characters, as well as how Black women have talked about themselves in horror. In early cinema, Black spiritual practices became a stereot y pe, resulting in the villainization of Black women. It wasn’t until later, she said, that Black women began to see those practices as a place of power and use it as a way to change their reality. A more recent example Brooks used was

Angela Bassett plays Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a movie that many are categorizing as “Afrofuturism.” Courtesy of Disney UK.

Illustration by Madison Echlin.

Beyoncé’s album “Lemonade”, the subject of a book she edited called “The Lemonade Reader.” “’Lemonade’ is sort of rediscovering the maternal and spiritual practices of her mother’s people in Western Louisiana,” Brooks said. Brooks said as storytelling advanced through the years there seemed to be a stark difference in complexity of Black female characters written by Black writers versus non-Black writers. One example can be seen in Jada Pinkett Smith’s character, Jeryline, from the film “Demon Knight,” she said. While Pinkett Smith’s character is Black, she’s written in a way where it seems like she just “happens to be Black,” and nothing much beyond that. “She stands in as a Black woman, but her Blackness isn’t really spoken about and dealt with,” Brooks said. On the other hand, Brooks used the short story “Chocolate Park” as an example of where

the characters’ experiences as Black individuals are actively talked about and included in the narrative. Dr. Brooks’ interest in the absence of Black women in horror eventually served as the basis for her book “Searching for Sycorax: Black Women’s Haunting in Contemporary Horror.” In it, she compares the effect the unseen character Sycorax from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” has on the protagonist to the similar roles that Black women have held in horror genres. “Even though she is absent, her presence is still felt because he’s obsessed with her,” Brooks said. However, it isn’t just Black horror that Brooks focuses on. Her research also engages with Afrofuturism, a genre that has recently gained more traction with the release of films like “Black Panther.” Like Black horror, Dr. Brooks said Afrofuturism began to center Black modes of thought and allowed Black people to think about their stories

outside of a white lens, which gets audiences and artists alike asking crucial questions about what their present state is, as well as what aspects of the past they want to take with them to the future. “A lot of my work is the recovery project of the spiritual practices that have been lost, our spiritual practices that have been sublimated,” she said. Dr. Brooks was also featured in the documentary “Afrofantastic: The Transformative World of Afrofuturism” — in which she spoke about the depth and complexity of Afrofuturism rather beyonbd just “Black Panther” or “Black people in space.” “Black folks’ futures and futurism within Black communities is something that we all need to participate in,” Brooks said in the documentary. “We all have skin in the game.”

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FOUR MSU STORIES YOU MISSED OVER BREAK

The Spartan Statue stands tall despite the winter snow on Jan. 25, 2023. Photo by Jonah Brown.

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By Owen McCarthy omccarthy@statenews.com The holiday break is an excellent opportunity to unwind and unplug from the real world. But as our much needed period of rest comes to a close and we settle back into life in East Lansing, here are four pieces of MSU news to catch you up on what you missed over break.

INVESTIGATION OF SOURCE OF BRENDA TRACY LEAK COMES UP EMPTY, BUT ONE TRUSTEE DIDN’T COOPERATE

An investigation could not determine who at the university may have leaked the identity of Brenda Tracy, the rape survivor and advocate who accused then-football coach Mel Tucker of sexual harassment. But one trustee refused to comply with the investigators. Trustee Dennis Denno, who investigators believe “has information relevant to the leak investigation” was the only trustee who declined repeated requests for an interview and did not provide his cell phone for investigators to review. Denno has not responded to multiple requests for comment. A report of the investigation, conducted by law firm Jones Day, was released by MSU on Dec. 29. The report comes over three months after the investigation was first ordered by MSU on Sept. 12 after Tracy released a statement one day prior that said an outside party had leaked her identity. This leak, Tracy said, forced her to come forward prior to the completion of the Office of Institutional Equity investigation into Tucker’s alleged harassment. However, a State News report later revealed that Tracy’s lawyer, Karen Truszkowski, had initially sent a different statement to the Board

of Trustees. The draft statement said “someone associated with the MSU Board of Trustees” disclosed Tracy’s identity to an outside party who then shared it with local media. The investigation focused on one particular trustee, “Trustee X,” who Truszkowski told Quinn “may have been involved in a chain of communications that led to the disclosure of Tracy’s name to the media.” According to the report, Truszkowski based this claim on her conversations with an unidentified local journalist. However, the investigation did not find that Trustee X was involved in any chain of communication that leaked Tracy’s identity to the media. To the contrary, the investigation “uncovered evidence tending to refute that allegation.” The investigation involved 59 interviews of 52 witnesses, including seven of the eight trustees. No one in MSU’s administration declined to be interviewed for the investigation. Jones Day interviewed 36 MSU employees and attempted to interview 20 members of the media, most of whom refused. Jones Day also investigated who at MSU may have leaked Truszkowski’s draft statement to The State News. While the firm could not determine the source of the leak, it concluded that it is “more likely than not” that one of the 12 recipients of the email, all of whom were associated with MSU, provided the draft statement to The State News. “Our investigation was constrained due to a number of factors, including journalists’ reluctance to reveal their sources, various individuals who refused to fully participate in our investigation, and a general lack of relevant documentary evidence,” the report said.

N EWS TENURE STREAM FACULTY UNION REQUESTS FORMAL RECOGNITION

The majority of tenure stream faculty at Michigan State University want to unionize, following the launch of the Union of Tenure Stream Faculty’s campaign in November, in hopes of giving professors more power in administrative decision making. NiCole Buchanan, a member of the organizing committee for UTSF, said that “well over 54%” of tenure stream faculty at MSU have signed authorization cards indicating they want to join the union. MSU’s non-tenure track faculty and many of MSU’s non-academic staffers are already unionized, but research focused, tenure-track professors are not. While cards are still being signed, Buchanan anticipates they’ve received “far beyond” the majority approval needed for MSU to recognize them as a collective bargaining group. UTSF requested that recognition from the Board of Trustees on Tuesday and asked for a response by Jan. 10. “We are hoping and we are expecting that they will, on their own, voluntarily recognize our union,” Buchanan said. MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant said “the university plans to work with the tenure faculty on a mutual card check process per the Board of Trustees resolution approved in Dec. 2021 and following the state Public Employment Relations Act.” UTSF also filed a petition seeking recognition from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, or MERC, a state government organization that resolves labor-related issues and can formally recognize unions. Filing with MERC serves multiple purposes. For one, Buchanan said MERC will be there

“as a failsafe” in case MSU’s Board of Trustees stalls or fails to recognize the union. Additionally, the commission would verify how many tenure stream faculty members signed the authorization cards in their recognition process, which Buchanan said is convenient as both UTSF and MSU require a third party to verify their counts. Faculty workloads and compensation are among the common themes that arose among UTSF’s conversations with faculty, Buchanan said. “Do we have equitable working conditions for all of the faculty on campus so that we can offer high quality instruction and commitment to our students (without being) overworked and overwhelmed?” Buchanan said. But Buchanan said the overarching goal of the unionization effort is to give tenure stream faculty a louder voice in administrative discussions. “We want a say in some of the decisions that are impacting ourselves and other students,” Buchanan said.

STRONG OVERALL PERFORMANCE PROPELS MSU MEN’S BASKETBALL TO VICTORY OVER INDIANA STATE

In the MSU men’s basketball team’s final competition of 2023, they took on the Indiana State Sycamores for just the second time in school history. Again, the Spartans won by a margin of more than 10 points. The first matchup was the 1979 National Championship, which saw two NBA legends go head-to-head: Larry Bird for the Sycamores and Magic Johnson for the Spartans. The Spartans, who started the month of December with two straight losses to Wisconsin and Nebraska —both Big Ten opponents — have since turned it around with five straight wins. The

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87-75 home victory over Indiana State increased that winning streak to four straight. While non-conference matchups in the month of December are typically less intense than those at the beginning of the season, Indiana State was not to be taken as a joke. The Sycamores were 11-1 and in the nation’s top five in three-point coming into the Dec. 30 matchup. Head coach Tom Izzo commended his team’s defensive performance and ability to quell Indiana State’s center Robbie Avila, who has contributed largely to Indiana State’s offensive success so far this season. Despite heading into the matchup averaging 16.5 points per game, Avila was held to only five points, while also logging four fouls. “That kid (Avila) is just like the center from Denver (Nikola Jokić),” Izzo said. “I mean, he’s really, really good. We actually did a decent job, so I was pleased that we bounced back. I really was.” Another bright side was Michigan State’s upperclassmen offensive production. Michigan State had four veteran players in double-digits on Saturday afternoon: graduate student guard Tyson Walker scored 22, graduate student forward Malik Hall with 18, senior guard A.J. Hoggard with 17 and junior guard Jaden Akins scored 13. On top of the high-scoring vets, senior center Mady Sissoko came up with 12 big rebounds for the green and white. Although Michigan State maintained the lead for most of the first half, a three-point shooting hot streak at the start of the second half propelled the Sycamores to a five-point lead. This has happened to this MSU team before, and the response — or the lack thereof — has cost some tight games. In a post game press conference, Izzo said he was pleased with the way the team responded, as well as the coaching staff’s ability

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to make some needed adjustments. “We respond, we came back. We’re down again, came back,” Izzo said. “And I’ll tell you, I thought our defense was pretty good at some of those shots too. The team was not easy to cover, and you’ve never seen them, and that’s the problem when you never see a team. My staff did a hell of a job, and they deserve a lot of credit too. And the team does because there are different coverages; we had to change some coverages — that is not your normal team.”

MSU MEN’S BASKETBALL TROUNCES PENN STATE

The MSU men’s basketball team’s first matchup of the new year saw them dominate the Penn State Nittany Lions for both teams’ third Big Ten matchup of the season. Heading into the game, Michigan State had yet to defeat a conference opponent, falling to No. 21 Wisconsin and Nebraska consecutively to start the month of December. Graduate student forward Malik Hall started out with the hot hand for the Spartans, hitting a mid-range fadeaway to open the scoring, before logging nine of the Spartans’ first 14 points. About six minutes in, coach Tom Izzo opted to run a bigger lineup, subbing in freshman center Coen Carr and freshman forward Xavier Booker. Although Booker got a couple of points on the board, Penn State started slowly closing in on Michigan State’s young lineup. After a few minutes, Izzo subbed back in his experienced veteran guards and the Spartans regained firm control of the game. Graduate student guard and MSU star player Tyson Walker was fairly quiet to start the game, logging only four points in the opening minutes, but back-to-back threes from Walker put him firmly in the double digits and enthralled the home crowd. The Spartans offense was strong throughout, shooting 64.5% from the field and 62.5% from three-point range. The green and white headed into the locker room with a 25-point lead. A dicey range of five turnovers in five minutes at the midpoint of the second half by the Spartans and a small scoring run by the Nittany Lions was far from enough to make the competition interesting. With the lead firmly in hand, Malik Hall went to the bench as the clock wound down after a stellar performance that included a career-high 24 points for the Spartans veteran. Reporters Amalia Medina, Theo Scheer and Bella Johnson contributed to the contents of this article.

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‘HEALING AT OUR PACE’: MSU STUDENTS PROTEST REOPENING OF BERKEY HALL

By Owen McCarthy omccarthy@statenews.com Students gathered outside the Hannah Administration Building on Monday to protest the reopening of Berkey Hall, one of the sites of the February mass shooting that killed three and injured five at Michigan State University. Monday, Jan. 8 marked the first day classes have been held in the building since the shooting, which occurred nearly one year ago. “Our time. Our place. Healing at our pace,” chanted the crowd of students. Journalism sophomore Cassidy Howard, who organized the protest, had a class in Berkey this morning. She said if given the option, she would “drop it in an absolute heartbeat.” Howard said she sees the reopening of Berkey as negligent of students still recovering from the trauma of the shooting. However, she said, providing online options for classes being held in the hall would be a good compromise so students aren’t forced to enter Berkey if they don’t want to. “It’s helpful to have those options when you’re in a setting where classrooms make you anxious,” Howard said. The Associated Students of MSU, or ASMSU, have also pushed for hybrid and online options dating back to November. That proposal, however, has

Students and faculty make their way out of Berkey Hall on the first day of classes of the spring semester at MSU on Jan. 8, 2024. This is the first day Berkey Hall has been opened for students since the mass shooting on Feb. 13, 2023. Photo by Audrey Richardson.

been denied by the school. MSU spokesperson Mark Bullion confirmed Monday that the university will not be implementing any hybrid options for classes held in Berkey.

Howard said she has personally dealt with anxiety while in the classroom as a result of trauma brought on by the shooting. “I was in a classroom at the

Communication Arts and Sciences Building and had a complete breakdown trying to figure out what would break the window in front of me if somebody were to come in through

the door,” she said. International relations sophomore Lyra Opalikhin said she was concerned about the lack of accommodations for students who have to attend classes in Berkey. “The conditions that they’re opening the building under, I think, are not conducive to students being able to learn,” Opalikhin said. “There are barely any options given to students who have classes in that building and don’t want to go.” Opalikhin said the university has the capability to implement asynchronous options, citing the university’s reliance on that modality during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Support dogs and counseling services, it’s not enough,” Opalikhin said. “It needs to be more to ensure that, you know, all students’ needs are catered to.” Some students called decorations currently adorning the inside of Berkey Hall distasteful, including one taped to the entrance that depicts a whale smiling with the caption, “whalecome back.” Public policy freshman Nina Blum said the decorations were “elementarylevel” and “thoughtless.” Mechanical engineering sophomore Lucas Trainor said he suspects the university’s motives in reopening Berkey were largely financial. “You’re paying taxes on an unopened

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S PORTS building and a building that’s not being used,” Trainor said. “It’s too expensive to keep the building closed.” According to the university, the decision to reopen Berkey Hall was spurred by a large majority of community members who said they wanted the building open. “Following thoughtful conversations last spring involv ing students, faculty, staff and trauma experts, the overwhelming majority expressed a desire to reopen Berkey Hall using a phased approach,” the university said in a statement to The State News on Dec. 15. “We know the healing process is not linear and that each person will heal at their own pace and in their own way.” Social relations and policy junior Saylor Reinders is a part of Students Demand Action MSU, an organization working to end gun violence. During the Board of Trustees meeting on Dec. 15, Reinders presented the results of a survey she conducted to gauge students’ feelings about Berkey Hall reopening. The survey found that 97.6% of respondents said they were not consulted by the university about the reopening, she said. Of the 592 respondents to the survey, Reinders said, 77.2% said they did not think Berkey should reopen for classes for the spring semester, 10.1% said they were not sure and 4.7% said it should reopen for classes. Social relations and policy junior Rani Asava said she was protesting to provide “moral support” for those who don’t feel comfortable going into Berkey. “When it comes to grief, I understand

how hard it is to ask for what you need,” Asava said. “And how easy it is to be invalidated.” Asava said she believes the university has a duty to respond to students’ demands. “The administration shouldn’t be thinking when we make demands about how we can cope with this grief, that it’s us working against them,” Asava said. “It’s us asking for help because they claim they have our best interests … we should be looked at as though we’re students and not burdens.”

Former MSU football coach Mark Dantonio to be inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

Mark Dantonio during a game against University of Washington at Spartan Stadium on Sept. 16, 2023. Photo by Donte Smith.

By Thomas Cobb tcobb@statenews.com

Room 114 in Berkey Hall covered on the first day of classes of the Spring Semester on Jan. 8, 2024. Photo by Audrey Richardson.

Mark Dantonio, the all-time winningest coach in Michigan State football history, will be inducted into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2024, the foundation announced Monday. In 13 storied seasons as MSU’s football head coach from 2007-2019, Dantonio’s teams had a 114-57 record

with three Big Ten championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015, a Rose Bowl victory in 2014, a Cotton Bowl win in 2015 and an appearance in the 2015 College Football Playoff. In addition to his record for most wins as MSU football coach, Dantonio won more Big Ten Championships (three) and bowl games (six) than any other coach in school history. He also ranks first with 12 bowl appearances. A two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Dantonio led MSU to Top 25

finishes seven times, tying Spartan legend Duffy Daugherty for the most in program history. “I felt ver y humbled a nd overwhelmed by the significance of the moment. When I became a head coach, we wanted to build things that would last and have a positive impact on each individual,” Dantonio said in a statement released by the program. “There are so many people involved in this honor. I want to thank my family; my staff and their families and everyone that was a part of this program; the administration; Spartan fans; and most importantly the players. I feel extremely blessed to be included in this 2024 prestigious group.” After retiring in Feb. 2020, Dantonio made a return to MSU’s program this past season, serving as an advisor to interim head coach Harlon Barnett following the suspension and eventual firing of former head coach Mel Tucker. Dantonio will be officially inducted at the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame’s 66th Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

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