SEMESTER IN REVIEW SPRING 2023

By Hannah Woerhle hwoerhle@statenews.com

Vassar Elected Chair Of Board Of Trustees

Trustee Rema Vassar became the first Black woman to serve as chair in a 5-3 vote on Jan. 11. Board bylaws mandate the vice chair must come from a party other than that of the chair. Dan Kelly, the lone Republican, was reappointed by unanimous vote.

Female Swimmers Reach Settlement With Msu

Members of the now-dissolved women’s swim and dive team settled their lawsuit against MSU, agreeing to end the case in exchange for further review and revision of Title IX policies by the university’s athletic department.

‘NEPO BABIES’ SPARK DEBATE

The internet began to question the ethics of ‘nepotism babies’ — a term used to describe the children of already successful parents — and whether or not they deserve their success. Students weighed in on how this influences the entertainment industry and some actors took to social media to express their distaste for the term.

FIRST ROE V. WADE DAY SINCE ITS OVERTURNING

Jan. 22 marked the 50th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. This year was the first since Americans lost federal abortion protections. Despite Michigan passing

Proposal 3, some students said they wouldn’t be celebrating this year because many states do not have a protected right to a safe abortion.

City Of East Lansing Addresses School Safety

East Lansing Mayor Ron Bacon hosted a listening session in which he addressed questions and concerns about safety in EL public schools on Jan. 28. Emphasis was placed on students feeling uncomfortable in the bathrooms due to the presence of illegal substances and fights breaking out.

False Reports Of Shootings Reported At Okemos High School

Meridian Township Police said multiple area police and fire agencies responded to reports of shots fired at Okemos High School on Feb. 7. Similar calls were made to high schools in Portage, Huron High School and Saginaw. All police departments confirmed there were no shots fired.

Slotkin Announces Run For Senate

Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin announced the morning of Feb. 27 she would be running for the open U.S. Senate seat in 2024 following Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s retirement.

First-year head coach Adam Nightingale and MSU beat Notre Dame to advance to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, the first time in history MSU had won a game and series in the tournament. It was an important series win for the program where fans and players felt great pride within.

Suzy Merchant Steps Down

After spending 16 years as head coach of the MSU women’s basketball team, Suzy Merchant announced she would be stepping down on March 13. In a statement, Merchant said the decision was made due to health reasons. Merchant got into a car accident on Jan. 28 due to an undisclosed medical incident.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY AS A BAR WORKER

While many students rush to bars in the early hours of St. Patty’s Day to get a head start on celebrations, employees of these establishments are on the other side of the bar. Workers shared their thoughts on working during the holiday and the fun — and sometimes gross — parts of their jobs.

MSU MEN’S BASKETBALL KNOCKED OUT IN SWEET 16

After a season that was given low expectations ahead of their first appearance on the court, the Spartans defied skepticism by making it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Although Kansas State ultimately won, the Spartans were still proud of the season they had.

PRO-LIFE ADVOCATES FROM LOCAL CHURCH SPEAK OUT

St. John Church and Student Center works with a national program titled “Walking with Moms in Need” to increase the church’s outreach to pregnant and parenting women facing trouble. Members of the church were against Proposal 3 and are using this program to further their mission despite its passing.

Msu Hosts Hippo Campus

MSU HIRES NEW WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH

Robyn Fralick was hired to take the place of long-time leader Suzy Merchant as the new head coach of the women’s basketball team. The Okemos-born coach leaves her position as head coach at Bowling Green University after finishing last season 31-7.

Board Releases Gupta Report

A $1.6 million outside investigation by the MSU Board of Trustees found that the debated removal of former business school dean Sanjay Gupta a disproportionate punishment was out of line with university policies. This comes after his failure to report sexual misconduct at an April 2022 business college event.

The investigation concluded the action taken against him appears “disproportionate” with his conduct as the recommended punishment for mandatory reporting failure at MSU is additional training. Woodruff said, however, there is a “higher bar” for deans than what’s in university policy.

Historic Gymnastics Season Ends In Pittsburgh

Msu

In the annual spring concert organized by the UAB, ImpactFM and ASMSU, Hippo Campus performed at the Breslin Center on March 28.

After a historic season, the MSU gymnastics team did not advance to the NCAA National Championship. Similar to last year, MSU finished the regional final in third place, just behind two of the top teams in the country.

Msu Union Reopens

Two months after the tragic events of Feb. 13, the MSU Union reopened on April 3. Staff members said it was nice to have more people back in the building, while students said the building is different than it was before.

Several changes have been made such as the addition of a reflection room on the third floor for people to visit where thousands of messages from schools and communities across the country show their support and love for MSU.

WHITMER REPEALS STATE’S 1931 ABORTION BAN

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a series of bills April 5 repealing Michigan’s 1931 ban on abortions, crossing off another key promise by Michigan Democrats from the 2022 campaign trail.

APRIL STORMS FLOOD MSU CAMPUS rose to right beneath the banks, flooding the surrounding nature and dampening campus in its wake.

The National Weather Service issued a thunderstorm warning and tornado watch that closed several lots and campus infrastructure.

CIVIL RIGHTS VP, TITLE IX COORDINATOR CANDIDATES ANNOUNCED

Chandra Bhatnagar and Laura Rugless were announced as the two finalists for MSU VP of the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Coordinator. Both candidates currently serve in similar roles at UCLA and Cornell University, respectively.