New MSU Broad Museum exhibit focuses on food justice, agriculture in Michigan
By Ria Gupta rgupta@statenews.com
A new exhibition at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum focuses on food justice and its wideranging implications in Michigan. Looking at the history and impact of agriculture in the state, the collection explores “questions of food knowledge, production, scarcity, and consumption,” according to the museum website.
“Farmland: Food, Justice, and Sovereignty,” which opened Jan. 18, was co-curated by former associate curator Teresa Fankhänel and assistant curator Dalina A. Perdomo Álvarez. Curators at the museum wanted to make the ongoing conversation about food justice more relevant, “punchier” and tie it into MSU’s history, Perdomo Álvarez said.
“The history is complicated,” Perdomo Álvarez said. “Some people are indigenous to this land. Some people have a history of several generations living here, but they immigrated from elsewhere. Some, like myself, migrated here a few years ago.”
Regardless of museum visitors’ relationship to the land, Perdomo Álvarez hopes they walk away “understanding that there’s that diversity of connections, but ultimately we’re all responsible (for) the land, and the land is what feeds us.”
“We should be educated on those topics and also have a respect for the land, even if the experiences are different,” Perdomo Álvarez said.
The exhibit is split into sections
on farmworkers and existing food knowledge before leading into labor rights and overconsumption, and then centering Michigan.
As part of the museum’s research process for the exhibit, workers assigned to the project visited local farms in 2023 to learn more about farmworker communities.
The result of those conversations is shown throughout the collection.
One of the frst paintings showcased in the exhibition is “Michigan Pasture with Cows,” painted by German immigrant Mathias Joseph Alten in 1914. A plaque next to it confronts the serenity of the painting, teasing the idea that farm work is relaxing and the “growing nostalgia for past lifestyles and landscapes.” That detail was inspired by the researchers’ conversations with farmworkers.
“I kind of poke fun a little bit because whenever I talk to farmers, farmworkers, they would complain about the cattle,” Perdomo Álvarez said. “Many had gotten rid of the cattle from their farm because it was just so diffcult to maintain, especially for dairy.”
The table centerpiece of the exhibit was put together by Fankhänel, an architecture historian who specializes in exhibition design. The table is a mix between a farmhouse table and an artist’s design table. On top is a collection of barns from the MSU Museum’s collection, selected with the intention to showcase the “different purposes” a barn can have.
“Some of them are for storage, some of them are for hay feeding, some are more multipurpose,” Perdomo Álvarez said.
Multiple pieces also come from Turkish artists Cansu Curgen and Avşar Gürpınar, part of the Ambiguous Standards Institute. The institute seeks to draw attention to single-use items when it comes to food and other things deemed necessary, like egg cups or outlets designated by country.
“The common point in each (piece) is that there are either ambiguous or vague, unclear standards,” Gürpınar said. “In the case of ambiguous standards of food, we are looking at bird eggs and we look at how a specifc egg is classifed as being edible or not. What are the standards?”
This idea of standards is prominent throughout the museum’s exhibit, determining what is “greed versus need,” as Perdomo Álvarez puts it.
The end of the exhibition is marked by another table, this time for dining. Surrounding it is a series of photographs that depict many of the farms that researchers visited early on in the curatorial process. The table itself lists different resources in the MSU and Greater Lansing area to learn more about food justice and consumption.
The museum is also hosting panels to help educate the local community throughout its duration. The list of events can be viewed here.
The exhibit will remain open until July 27.
on
As the governor’s looming intervention drags on, those atop MSU say they’re content to put the board’s tussling behind them.
PAGE 6-7
Student Book Store stops renting books as online textbooks grow in popularity
The Student Book Store on E. Grand River Avenue will no longer be renting books to students — a symptom of a changing industry and online academic landscape.
PAGE 8
Students endured below freezing temperatures to honor those killed in Gaza during the IsraelHamas war, in light of the recent ceasefire. The Rock was painted to read “NO JUSTICE NO PEACE.”
PAGE 10-11
Artists Cansu Cürgen and Avsar Gürpınar stand in front of their piece, Ambiguous Standards Institute, at the Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum on Jan. 23, 2025. The artist duo, originally from Turkey, were scouted by Michigan State for this exhibition. Photo by Maya Kolton.
Photo by Maya Kolton.
Photo by Maya Kolton.
Photo by Maya Kolton.
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Michigan State freshman wrestler Clayton Jones takes down Indiana freshman wrestler Aidan Torres at Jenison Field House on Jan. 24, 2025. Photo by Kaiden Ellis.
MSU POSTPONES ‘FUTURE OF DEI POLICY’ PANEL DAYS AFTER TRUMP SIGNED ANTI-DEI ORDER
By Owen McCarthy omccarthy@statenews.com
Michigan State University postponed an event on Thursday centering on “DEI policy at MSU” just days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion policies in federal government agencies that is expected to have a chilling effect on DEI at other institutions. The webinar event was titled “The Future of DEI Policy at MSU” and was set to feature Vice President and Chief Diversity Offcer Jabbar Bennett, Associate Vice President for Federal Relations Sarah Walter and Director of Federal Relations Jacob Courville, according to a promotional email circulated among MSU faculty and administrators Wednesday, and obtained by The State News. The event was scheduled for almost a week later, Tuesday, Jan. 28.
“President Trump has started his term by signing a series of sweeping Executive Orders,” the invite said. “These EOs signal the administration’s priorities and have implications for many American institutions, including higher education.”
The invite asked people to “join” the MSU administrators as they “demystify policy and process especially as it relates to DEI.”
On Thursday, the event’s organizers, who work for the non-partisan campus committee MSUVote, sent an email to all who had signed up for the webinar announcing it had been postponed.
“Based on recent developments the webinar has been postponed,” said the email, which was obtained by The State News. “We will notify you when a new date has been selected.”
It continued that “more information about Executive Orders (EOs) can be found here,” followed by a link to a White House website with a list of Trump’s early-term executive actions, which includes one that ended DEI policies in federal government agencies.
MSUVote Co-Director Suchitra Webster, in an email to The State News, suggested the event was postponed so that panelists would have longer to familiarize themselves with the relevant executive order.
“As information and announcements, including Executive Orders, were being issued quite rapidly from the federal level, it was a challenge to fully examine each issuance and accurately explain all of the details for our audience,” Webster said. “Furthermore, there was tremendous interest in the program.”
“It would have been a disservice to registrants to not fully articulate what was occurring. We look forward to announcing
a rescheduled date soon, and to showcase other programs around democratic civic engagement.”
Though several executive orders signed by Trump could impact higher education, one specifcally targeting DEI policies in the federal government appears to be most closely related to the subject matter of MSU’s postponed event. That executive order mandated the “termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”
Though some observers have said the executive order is unlikely to affect universities in the immediate sense, some conservatives, who largely oppose DEI, have claimed it’s a positive sign for what’s to come.
“Tomorrow morning, the general counsels for every major corporation and university are going to be reading President Trump’s executive orders on DEI and fguring out how they can avoid getting ruined by federal civil rights lawyers,” wrote conservative journalist and activist Christopher Rufo in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Huge changes imminent.”
MSU’s postponement of the event would appear to prove Rufo, a vocal opponent of
DEI, correct that the executive order will impact public universities. The postponement also seems to lend credence to fears among proponents of DEI policies in universities that the executive order, despite not specifcally targeting universities, could have a chilling effect on them.
MSU’s postponement of the event serves as an early example of the ways in which Trump’s vision for higher education — which has included dissolving the federal Department of Education — might come into tension with MSU’s institutional aims.
Administrators are apparently aware of that chasm, with MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz telling The State News last week he was assembling “tiger teams” to prepare for possible education policy changes made by Trump’s administration. “Tiger teams” is a military term for groups of experts from different backgrounds who collaborate to address a specifc problem.
In an interview with The State News Wednesday, board Chair Kelly Tebay said “who knows what decisions (Trump’s) going to make, but I fully support higher education, that’s why I’m a board member here.”
“If it comes to it, we’ll certainly advocate for funding, and the importance of higher education for our country,” she said.
MSU Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Jabbar R. Bennett, speaks at the Sargam event on April 7, 2024. Photo by Alexis Schmidt.
EVERY POINT COUNTS: MSU HOCKEY FIGHTS FOR BACK-TO-BACK REGULAR SEASON TITLES
By Madilynn Warden mwarden@statenews.com
For the frst time since the 1972-73 season, Michigan State hockey completed its most successful series against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, fnishing 2-0-2 and securing 10 of 12 possible points.
In the fnal game of the season series, the Spartans and Gophers traded quick responses, entering the shootout tied at three. Junior forwards Daniel Russell and Isaac Howard secured the extra point for Michigan State in the shootout.
“It’s not about tuning out the outside noise, it’s just about getting better.”
yesterday on a couple rush plays where they could just execute and all of a sudden it’s in the back of the net, so great job to all the guys for staying very detailed.”
After the blowout win over the top-five Gophers, MSU anticipated a tighter battle in night two. Despite the balanced play, head coach Adam Nightingale and Basgall called it their best weekend and top 120 minutes of hockey this season.
“There’s still stuff to clean up, but again I’m looking at who we’re playing, the time of year it is, this is what you want,” Nightingale said. “I do think our guys, our group has been really consistent and that just doesn’t happen. They’ve got to make a decision to have the right mindset of, it’s not about rankings, it’s not about tuning out the outside noise, it’s just about getting better.”
In sudden-death overtime, Minnesota dominated puck possession, limiting MSU’s
want to have possession in overtime,” Basgall said. “You don’t want to get too aggressive on them. If we get angry at it or take a bad step they end up in the back of the net, so I think we did a good job staying composed for when they were holding the puck.”
What was seen from the Golden Gophers for five of six periods of game play on the weekend was the ability to respond, tying the game after going down one, but as Minnesota would tie, Michigan State would answer, giving them a nudge at a lead through the entirety of the weekend.
“I thought we did a good job staying with it,” Nightingale said. “...I want to make sure our guys have the mindset that is, we’ve got to focus on things we can control and early in the shift we can get a puck out and it doesn’t lead to that and our guys understand that.”
For MSU, every point in the remainder of the season is crucial as they aim to clinch back-toback Big Ten regular season titles, secure a frstround bye in the conference tournament and maintain home-ice advantage. With the crowd advantage, the team knows how big of a role this can play in the setting of a big game.
While the regular season series may be over between the two, there is still a chance for a tournament matchup between the top contenders.
“It’s defnitely possible, (Minnesota) has got a great team over there so we’d like to see them again and we will make sure to give them our best again,” senior forward Tanner Kelly said.
MSU will head away to Columbus to face the Ohio State Buckeyes at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, and at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, for its next set of games.
WHITMER’S MSU BOARD DECISION
LOOMS WHILE LEADERS WANT TO MOVE ON
Photo illustration by Morgan Strüss. Photos by Brianna Schmidt and State News file.
By Alex Walters and Owen McCarthy awalters@statenews.com
Nearly a year after Michigan State University’s board requested her intervention, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is still weighing the removal of two controversial trustees. She’s awaiting advice from her attorney general, who’s being forced to reckon with her own thorny history with the embattled board.
But as their looming intervention drags on, those atop the university say they’re content to put the tussling behind them.
It’s unclear when Whitmer might make a decision, with a spokesperson telling The State News the “request is still under review.” In any case, those at MSU most directly affected by the infghting that spurred her involvement — and one person who, in fact, voted for it — don’t appear to be pushing for any specifc outcome.
“The governor can make the decision she wants to make, but we have work to do,” said new Board Chair Kelly Tebay, echoing similar sentiments expressed by MSU’s president.
At a special meeting in March, the board voted for a set of disciplinary actions against Trustee Dennis Denno and then-Chair Rema Vassar, shortly after an outside investigation detailed their widespread misconduct, including an effort to encourage students to embarrass the interim president and regular interference in the university’s legal affairs.
The board’s disciplinary actions against the embattled Vassar and Denno included censuring them — which amounts to a symbolic expression of disapproval that has no longterm bearing on the trustees’ standing — and stripping them of committee assignments until the end of the year.
Now, Vassar and Denno have regained their committee assignments, which Tebay said means their standing as full board members has been restored.
But the board’s other disciplinary action during that March meeting could prove to be, by contrast, quite consequential: The board voted to refer Vassar and Denno to Whitmer for potential removal, an unprecedented move that sparked campus debate.
The seeming indifference among MSU leaders about Whitmer’s decision marks a shift in the dynamic of campus politics.
The board is exiting a year of palpable tension and public fghting, marked by leaks to the media, outside investigations, and emotionallycharged board meetings. Now, they seem to be entering a period of ostensible unity, showing unique discipline amid divestment demands and exchanging sappy speeches about outgoing members, even among those who were once at odds.
Regardless, as Whitmer’s decision still looms, it remains to be seen whether the shift from MSU leadership to a more unifed front could be for naught.
LEADERS WAFFLE ON REMOVAL, BUT SAY IT’S TIME TO ‘MOVE FORWARD’
Much of the board’s previous conficts have centered around its relationship with MSU’s recent series of short-lived presidents.
Samuel Stanley, the university’s frst offcial
president following a string of interims amid the Larry Nassar scandal, quit in fall 2022. In a teary-eyed video sent to the campus, he said he had lost confdence in the board.
Teresa Woodruff, the interim president who took over after Stanley, declined to seek the position full time. The independent investigation into Vassar and Denno’s conduct found the trustees had undermined and attempted to usurp her, encouraging student activists to “crucify” her and holding a series of meetings behind her back.
Kevin Guskiewicz, who started as president last year just as Vassar and Denno were sanctioned, told The State News that he’s had a different relationship with the board.
Guskiewicz declined to say explicitly if he supports or opposes Vassar and Denno’s removal, but did describe a healthy collaboration with the current board, saying “it’s my hope that I will continue to work effectively with each of these eight trustees.”
“I’m not gonna say one way or another,” he said of the decision to remove members.
That relationship represents a sort of deliverance for Guskiewicz, who told the board as a fnalist that he would only take the presidency if they stopped interfering in the administration. Upon his appointment, the board signed formal commitments pledging to do just that.
Guskiewicz said new trustees Mike Balow and Rebecca Bahar-Cook signed similar pledges last month during their onboarding.
He also said he was impressed by the trustees’ questions during that training, saying they sought advice on the rules of governance “so they don’t fnd themselves in a predicament.”
Asked if Whitmer or Nessel have asked him what he wants done with the board, Guskiewicz said he hasn’t heard from them.
Tebay, the board’s new chair, seems similarly unconcerned with the governor’s pending decision.
In an interview with The State News Wednesday, Tebay said now that the trustees sanctions are lifted, they’re on equal standing with the rest of the board.
“They have to move forward now,” said Tebay, who in March voted to support their removal.
Referencing last year’s public infghting on the board, she continued, “it was a pretty awful time for all of us, I think, and I think now is the time that we want to move forward.”
“The governor can make the decision she wants to make, but we have to work to do.”
Tebay skirted a question on whether she supports removal of the trustees, reiterating that she “respects the governor” and wants to “move forward.” Asked if there are lasting interpersonal tensions among trustees resulting from last year’s infghting, Tebay said those are inherent in any work setting, but that the board’s working relationships are suffciently professional.
Vassar and Denno, for their part, did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The State News.
GOV. AWAITS ADVICE FROM AG, WHO WRESTLES QUESTIONS OF HER OWN
Whitmer is the only person empowered to remove a trustee. But, she’s tapped Attorney
Whitmer and Nessel’s offces both declined to answer questions from The State News; And, the actual work is subject to attorney-client privilege, shielding it from public records requests.
But, some heavily-redacted emails between Nessel’s staff shed some light on the deliberations. The trove of communications were obtained by The State News through a public records request, which Nessel’s offce took eight months to fulfll.
The emails show that her staff has actually done two reviews of the situation: one evaluating their options prior to Whitmer’s reaching out, as well as the current review the governor sought.
In early March, days after Vassar and Denno were sanctioned, some of Nessel’s staffers met to discuss the issue. They started drafting a memo called “AG and removal proceedings.”
Her offce declined to release the document itself, citing attorney work-doctrine privilege, but emails about the memo say it “frames the potential options to consider.”
During one round of edits, Deputy Attorney General Joseph Potchen asked colleagues to review a passage and “provide thoughts on the need for setting up any necessary wall if the Governor refers this matter to our offce.”
Attached to those email exchanges are a series of Michigan State Bar rules about whether a lawyer can take a case where they may also be a witness, as well as other confict-of-interest rules for prosecutors and county attorneys.
Nessel has a years-long, and often hostile, relationship with MSU’s board — including one spat cited in the sanctions and censure.
Her offce fought with the university for years over the board’s refusal to release thousands of privileged documents relating to the university’s handling of disgraced ex-MSU doctor Larry Nassar. After a whirlwind reversal shattered hopes that the board would comply in spring
“The governor can make the decision she wants to, but we have work to do.”
Kelly Tebay Board of Trustees Chair
2023, Nessel publicly criticized Vassar, then the board’s chair. “I don’t understand the game playing when these are people’s lives that we’re talking about,” Nessel said of Vassar’s politicking. That then became one of the criticisms leveled against Vassar, with the independent investigation fnding that Vassar broke board rules by negotiating with Nessel’s staff behind the rest of the board’s back and under false pretenses, leading to the public scuffe. It’s unclear what Nessel’s offce concluded in its discussion of ethical walls and review of confict of interest rules. A spokesperson declined to answer questions from The State News, and many of the emails in question are heavily redacted or were withheld altogether. Nessel did take up Whitmer’s case weeks later, when the governor’s legal counsel reached out to her staff with a “referral” of the removal issue. Attached to the redacted request was a copy of the independent investigation, Vassar’s response to it, and the results of a faculty poll showing overwhelming support for removal.
It’s been nine months since the governor asked Nessel for that review, and it’s unclear what has been done or when the work will be complete. Whitmer’s offce declined to answer questions about it, saying only that the “request is still under review.”
Also seeking Nessel’s involvement was Detroit state senator Sylvia Santana, who requested that her offce issue an opinion on the constitutionality of the sought removal. In a letter to Nessel, she argued it would disenfranchise marginalized voters to remove Vassar, a Black woman.
Nessel’s offce ultimately turned down that request, saying in a letter that “an Attorney General opinion on the questions you raise would not be binding on the Board. Therefore, issuing an opinion would have no practical impact.”
MSU WOMEN’S TENNIS
SECURES COMMANDING
VICTORY
By Luke Joseph ljoseph@statenews.com
OVER WEST VIRGINIA
After opening the season with losses to Gonzaga and Washington State, Michigan State University women’s tennis rebounded with backto-back wins, defeating Xavier 4-3 and West Virginia 6-1. The Spartans now sit at 2-2 after an impressive victory against the Mountaineers.
“I know this team is capable of a lot, and we are just getting a little bit sharper, and a little bit more disciplined,” head coach Kim Bruno said.
In doubles play, Michigan State won two of the three matches, with the third match left unfnished as juniors Matilde
Morais and redshirt sophomore Hanna Tsitavets led 4-3.
Junior Issey Purser and redshirt sophomore Oriana Parkins-Godwin defeated their opponents 6-1, while senior Liisa Vehvilainen and freshman Ellie Blackford secured a 6-4 victory.
In singles competition, Michigan State excelled, winning fve of the six matches.
Vehvilainen won her match 6-2, 6-2, while Tsitavets earned a commanding 6-0, 6-2 victory. Both players showcased dominance, limiting their opponents to no more than two points.
“I felt like I played a good match on Friday, but at the end of the day she fgured out how to beat me that day,” Morais said. “I was just happy that we won overall, so I’m just trying to focus on that coming into the match. I try to focus on the positives of my loss and bring that to the next match.”
Michigan State, now 2-2, will have a week of rest before aiming to extend its winning streak against Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan on Feb. 2 at the MSU Tennis Center.
Freshman Amara Brahmbhatt and Morais also delivered strong performances against their opponents. Brahmbhatt secured her match with a 6-0, 6-3 victory, while Morais rebounded with a 6-1, 6-2 win against West Virginia.
STUDENT BOOK STORE STOPS RENTING BOOKS
AS ONLINE TEXTBOOKS GROW IN POPULARITY
By Hannah Locke hlocke@statenews.com
The Student Book Store on E. Grand River Avenue has been a staple for students searching for textbooks since 1960. Recently, however, the store decided to no longer rent books out to students.
“Our whole premise behind rentals is that, you know, the books will be used for classes here, again, at MSU,” said SBS owner Greg Ballein. “The problem is that the book lists keep changing and changing and changing, and we’re not seeing that type of changeover, especially in core textbooks.”
Ballein also noted changes in the industry that have made hardcover textbooks less and less popular.
“Our book list has shrunken dramatically of actual hard copies of books that (the university) uses for classes anymore,” Ballein said. “Almost every introductory-level class that has a high enrollment is using access codes and … hard copies are kind of disappearing.”
Even students who are seeking out hard copies rarely come in person to buy them anymore, Ballein said. With all of these changes, SBS is facing the consequences.
“There’s just fewer and fewer books to sell and fewer and fewer customers every year,”
Ballein said. “Everybody wants to shop online and have it delivered to their door. You’d be amazed at the number of orders that I do through my website, that I literally ship across the street to campus.”
The Spartan Bookstore, MSU’s on-campus bookstore in the International Center, has also seen this shift toward online materials, but manager Italo Rodriguez said there is still a demand for physical copies.
“I think here it goes both ways,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of people like digital, but a lot of people hate digital. It is like a love or hate situation with the digital book.”
Criminal justice and humanities pre-law junior Lacy Newman said she still prefers to purchase the hard copies of her books if she can.
“My senior year of high school, it was starting to turn into that our textbooks were on our laptops at school, and I just couldn’t focus that way,” Newman said. “I always like to feel the paper … I like to mark when the next chapter is so I can see, oh, I have this many pages left. It’s just a really big personal preference.”
In her classes and among friends, Newman has noticed the shift toward online materials. Overall, she said, everyone is going to go for the option that costs less, and that usually is the online version.
“Typically you can fnd a free link of the textbook, and it’s a PDF of the textbook, and there you go,” she said. “You don’t have to pay for anything, so fair enough.”
Through the Spartan Bookstore website, students have the option for either a physical book or digital copy.
“We have (books) on the website and in store, we always try to, because the digital version is always cheaper than the physical version,” Rodriguez said. “So you always offer the student the cheapest option, and then they choose which way they want to go.”
MSU redshirt sophomore Oriana ParkinsGodwin serves during the doubles match at MSU Tennis Center on Jan. 26, 2025.
Photo by Fatih Gorkem Imamoglu.
The Student Book Store on Grand River Avenue on Jan. 22, 2025. The Student Book Store is no longer renting out textbooks to students. Photo by Shakyra Mabone.
TRUMP’S WITHDRAWAL FROM PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT SPARKS CONCERN
By Reiel Ghiglia rghiglia@statenews.com
On his frst day in offce, President Donald Trump’s administration announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. It is the largest international climate agreement, a treaty between approximately 190 countries committing to reducing carbon emissions and limiting global temperature increases to 2 degrees Celsius, according to the United Nations. This is Trump’s second time
withdrawing from the agreement, the first time being during his term in 2016. It will make the U.S. one of four countries to be excluded from the agreement.
“(The Paris Climate Agreement is) the most ambitious international agreement to date to curb emissions and to prevent catastrophic global warming,” Michigan State University James Madison College professor and expert in environmental justice Daniel B. Ahlquist said.
Despite its ambitious intentions, Ahlquist said the Paris Agreement still falls short of what is needed in terms
of both its targets and mechanisms for holding governments accountable.
“Nearly all of the governments that signed the Paris Agreement are falling short of their pledge of emissions reductions,” Ahquist said.
Whether or not the U.S. is involved, Ahlquist said we need a stronger and more binding agreement. However, he claims that is unlikely, especially with the U.S.’s withdrawal.
Despite its shortcomings, Ahlquist said the Paris Climate Agreement is the best we’ve got. He said key climate tipping points -- thresholds that, if exceeded, would lead to great changes and major shifts in the Earth’s climate as identifed by the International Panel on Climate Change -- are approaching.
“We cannot afford to be going backwards,” Ahlquist said.
Trump’s withdrawal from the climate agreement could have affects on the entire country, including Michigan. According to Ahlquist, specifc effects of climate in Michigan could be more radical and unseasonal weather, hotter summers, stronger storms, more severe droughts and foods, changing ranges of pests and disease vectors and many more effects.
“Like every other place, Michigan
is experiencing the effects of climate change,” Ahlquist said. “As climate change accelerates and the U.S. goes backwards, we will feel greater effects in Michigan not just for four years, but for the rest of our lives and beyond.”
MSU students are also concerned about Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the possible impact it could have on the environment.
“We cannot afford to be going backwards.”
Daniel B. Ahlquist
Professor and expert in environmental justice
“It’s very concerning,” environmental studies and sustainability and zoology junior Julia Preservati said. “Especially with comments (Trump’s) made about continuing with fossil fuel exploitation.”
In addition to withdrawing from the agreement, Trump has shut down the White House’s website on the National Climate Task Force.
The U.S. government’s desire to extract minerals and fossil fuels and do other activities that can increase greenhouse gasses and ozone layer depletion also worries Preservati.
Food and agriculture economics graduate student Shirel Ponnudurai shared similar concerns, while also expressing some optimism for the future, and the importance of any move in the positive direction.
“I have hope that things will, at least on a global scale, push for the better,” Ponnudurai said. “A little bit is better than nothing in my opinion, so I hope that eventually, there will be some good.”
While federal government actions may spark concern for climate change, Preservati believes it’s important to be aware of what changes can be made at local, state and individual levels.
“At this point, we can’t necessarily depend on governmental actions, so (change) needs to happen at the local level,” Preservati said. “It’s everything from reducing energy usage, reducing single-use plastic, coming together in community for work and holding each other accountable, and making everyday choices that help create a more sustainable life.”
Photo illustration by Zachary Balcoff. Photos by Alexis Schmidt and State News file.
State News file photo.
MSU STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE REMEMBER LIVES LOST AMID CEASEFIRE
Anish Topiwala atopiwala@statenews.com
Students endured below freezing temperatures Thursday night to honor those killed in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war, in light of the recent ceasefre.
This ceasefre, which went into effect last Sunday, comes after over a year of continuous confict. During the 42-day ceasefre, Hamas will exchange 33 Israeli hostages, living and dead, for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
This truce acts as the frst since November 2023, when similar hostage exchanges took place. Following this ceasefre, both sides plan to negotiate an end to the war.
The Palestinian community at Michigan State University gathered to celebrate this temporary period of peace and reaffrm the Palestinian struggle for justice.
Over cups of hot chocolate, they painted
The Rock with an image of the Palestinian fag and words over it that read “NO JUSTICE NO PEACE.”
Students for Justice in Palestine President Nasim Barghouti said he wanted to use this opportunity to remind people that what’s happening in Palestine is still an ongoing occupation, regardless of the ceasefre.
“It’s temporary,” Barghouti said. “It does not mean the occupation is over. It does not mean Israel will not continue violence towards the people of Gaza, and towards the people of Palestine.”
Barghouti stressed that Palestinians have the right to freedom and self-determination.
“There’s lots of talk about peace, but we need to remind everyone that there is no peace without justice for the Palestinian people and for the Palestinian cause,” he said.
Mechanical engineering sophomore
Ahmed Hasan said violence is still occurring, even after the ceasefre occurred. He said he wants to remind people that the casualty rates could be higher than reported.
The Gaza Ministry of Health relies on data from Gaza’s public and private hospitals to count casualties.
“And there’s not many hospitals left at Gaza,” Hasan said.
For Hasan, who was in Palestine a few months before Oct. 7, 2023, this is a very personal confict, he said.
“As a Palestinian, this is extremely important to me,” he said. “It’s important for us as an organization to be essentially educating and teaching more people about what’s going on.”
Philosophy freshman Omar Ansari said he believes that the ceasefre doesn’t necessitate
the end of violence, as raids into Jenin by Israel have only led to more Palestinian casualties.
“It’s very important to understand that although there may be a ‘ceasefre’ under conditions of occupation, there can never truly be a sense of being able to be free from violence, free to thrive and live out your life peacefully,” Ansari said.
Ansari wants to put divestment back on the table with MSU, arguing that the university’s investments into Israel and weapons manufacturers confict with the university’s neutrality and investments policy.
“It’s important to remember all the Palestinian lives lost since Oct. 7, but not only since Oct. 7, but since the decades of occupation,” he said. “Regardless of weather conditions, we are still here to mobilize. We’re still here to show solidarity and support onto the movement for Palestinian Liberation.”
Marketing junior Sarah Nabeel spray paints the words “NO JUSTICE NO PEACE” across The Rock on Farm Lane on Jan. 23, 2025. In light of the recent IsraelHamas ceasefire, Students for Justice in Palestine members painted the Palestinian flag in remembrance of those lost in conflict. Photo by Rachel Lewis.
“There’s lots of talk about peace, but we need to remind everyone that there is no peace without justice for the Palestinian people and for the Palestinian cause.”
Nasim Barghouti Students for Justice in
Palestine President
President of Student for Justice in Palestine (SJP), pre-med junior Nasim Barghouti, addresses club members and other students who came in support before painting The Rock on Farm Lane on Jan. 23, 2025. Photo by Rachel Lewis.
Members of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) club discuss what message to write on The Rock on Farm Lane on Jan. 23, 2025. Photo by Rachel Lewis.
COLUMN: SPARTAN ATHLETICS REIGNITES SUCCESS AND UNITES FANDOM
Kaspar Haehnle khaehnle@statenews.com
Fan·dom — The state or condition of being a fan of someone or something.
Though it may seem simple, the word is one of the pillars of Michigan State University. Without Spartan fandom, there is no MSU. The shared experience of rooting for a team and celebrating something greater than our individual selves is what unites the community.
To fully understand this, we need the context of such fandom and the effects that it brings. Many of you — the readers — likely have unique stories about how you became loyal to the green and white. For me, it was this:
I entered the Breslin Center with tickets gifted to me by my uncle following my ninth birthday — tickets to watch the so-called Spartan men’s basketball team take on some smaller school that I have no business remembering. At the time, I could not have cared less about anything related to MSU, but after witnessing the graces of Gary Harris and Denzel Valentine in a resounding yet predictable victory, I was hooked.
Following that victory, I solemnly swore my fandom allegiance to the Spartans of MSU and never looked back. There was a gritty football team led by Mark Dantonio. A championship chasing men’s basketball team. A consistent Suzy Merchant women’s basketball team. A dominant gymnastics program. Even MSU hockey had its moments- rare, but memorable. It was an era when fans across the world proudly bled green and white, and I was fully onboard.
So, when I arrived in East Lansing to attend this fne and pristine university in hopes to pursue a higher education — and of course, witness Spartan athletic greatness — I was disappointed.
the Frozen Four, but perhaps bringing home MSU’s frst national championship since 2007
This dream is the hope of countless MSU students and alumni. For English junior Kate Jeffery, spending Friday nights at Munn Ice Arena has become a tradition as she watches this dream take shape.
“It’s an exhilarating environment, and watching them thrive has been so amazing,” Jeffery said. “Having hockey really brings out this sort of school spirit, and I just love the crowd and the players. It’s been so great.”
My take? MSU hockey is destined to bring home some hardware this season. Jeffery agrees, noting that the Spartans have a legitimate shot at raising a national championship banner by season’s end.
So how about the other bright spot that shined (some) light upon MSU athletics last year? Well, for MSU women’s basketball, it seems that they’re here to stay. Displaying a 17-3 record and a soon to be No. 21 ranking, this team doesn’t get enough credit.
For starters, women’s basketball is no longer a background sport. It’s tough, competitive and fun to watch, and Spartan fans are starting to take notice. With every win comes even more captivation, proving that the dominance this team continues to produce is something special.
ranking, all successes, even that sought after national championship, seem within close grasps of the Spartans’ reach, kicking off Izzo’s race for number two.
Of course, I am not the only one dreaming of a national championship. When I sat down and spoke with Assistant Athletic Director for Business Development and NIL strategy, Darien Harris about MSU athletics’ recent success, he emphasized that this team has a chance to go all the way — as long as they focus on one game at a time.
“Any team that has Tom Izzo at the helm has a chance, he’s a legend for a reason and a Hall of Famer for a reason,” Harris said. “Their defensive tenacity, their ability to play through adversity, and the leadership that we’ve seen come through with multiple guys on the team, that’s what gives you an opportunity to win any game against anybody.”
It’s not just these three sports that are doing well. If that were the case, the green light for this column wouldn’t have been given. Women’s gymnastics is also performing well this season. Sitting high at the No. 4 spot in the nation with a 5-1 record-one of the wins resulting from a match against No. 20 rival University of Michigan- the gymnastics team is a ferce competitor.
My frst year spelled the opposite of what I once witnessed as a boy. It was marked by loss, embarrassment, and a noticeable lack of fandom. It was the year of the Mel Tucker scandal, an overhyped but underperforming men’s basketball team, a rebuilding women’s basketball program, and another disappointing season for Spartan baseball.
But hey, at least we had hockey. Even that seemed to be quickly written off after a 5-2 loss to Michigan in the NCAA tournament, disfguring any good feelings one may have possessed for that season.
So naturally upon returning to MSU for my second year, the hope, thrill and excitement that Spartan sports once brought was nonexistent.
The phrases “national championships,” “Final Fours,” and “conference titles” felt like distant relics of a forgotten past — as did winning seasons.
Just as the pillar of Spartan fandom seemed to be painfully crashing down alongside the rest of the athletic department, the resurgence of MSU sports emerged from the sorry depths of Loserville.
It all started with hockey. Of course, we all knew that this would be a given. Head coach Adam Nightingale and company had turned the team around like someone fipping an abandoned house. With a preseason ranking of No. 4, the only thing that could stop them was themselves.
As we know, that collapse did not come promptly. At the time of publication, MSU sits comfortably at the No. 2 spot in the NCAA polls, hoisting a 20-3-3 record. With this success comes the buzz of Munn Ice Area and the Munsters inside, screaming their way to victory after victory. Last year’s 5-2 seasonending loss, which dashed Frozen Four hopes, now feels like a nightmare that never occurred. In its place is the dream of not only reaching
It’s like how Nightingale turned the hockey team around, except this story is written by second year head coach Robyn Fralick. She has hauled MSU women’s basketball out of murky waters, turning the program into one of the best in the country. Just a mere two years ago they were 16-14, now the team is on pace to be a top fve seed in the NCAA tournament. The question isn’t whether they’ll make the tournament—it’s how far they can go.
“I think there’s that sense of pride across Spartan nation,” Harris said. “We have 500,000-plus living alumni across the world that represent green and white and are proud of these programs.”
Darien Harris Assistant Athletic Director for Business Developement and NIL Strategy
The same question applies to head coach Tom Izzo and his men’s basketball team. With last year’s embarrassing falloff (ranked No. 4 in the preseason only to fnish the season unranked) Izzo and company have returned with a fery vengeance. The team has beat down every other Big Ten team that has stepped in their path thus far. This is the best they’ve looked since the Winston days, and a familiar feeling of victory has returned to the Breslin Center.
Is this another year of upsets, or is this team the real deal? Could it be another Sweet 16? How about The Elite Eight? Maybe the Final Four? With a 17-2 record and a No. 8
Then there’s men’s tennis, which continues to shine under head coach Harry Jadun. So far in their young season, the Spartans are off to a 4-0 start, including a win over No. 7 Kentucky, and they currently hold the No. 17 ranking. Lastly, there’s women’s golf. According to the preseason rankings that dropped earlier in the week, the Spartans sit at No. 21. Their season will kick off in a few days. While they may not have teed off yet, the expectations are high, with hopes to match the winning culture of the fve sports above.
Six teams ranked. It’s impressive, and it should not be overshadowed. Such success shows that MSU is not a one-trick pony. Instead, it proves that Michigan State University is an everything school. And remember, it’s not just the popular sports succeeding, it’s also the less-funded programs, bringing a much-needed diversity to the MSU athletic department.
This should mean something, and to me and many other students at MSU, it does. The culture around campus has suddenly shifted back into a winning one, and if this keeps up, other sports can feed off of it. With each win that a singular sport gathers, a distinguishable air of recognition and camaraderie is created, meaning better results. In essence, Spartan fandom can once again relish what it means to win.
“I think there’s that sense of pride across Spartan nation,” Harris said. “We have 500,000-plus living alumni across the world that represent green and white and are proud of these programs. And to see it happen across multiple sports is exciting as well. You have men’s sports, and you have women’s sports, and it seems like everybody’s moving on the same path.”
Michigan State’s rise in athletics is a testament to Spartan fandom — a collective spirit that turns victories into milestones and unites a community that thrives together.
An student fan celebrates an MSU goal in a game against Ohio State at Munn Ice Arena on Nov. 8, 2024. Photo by Michael Roggenbaum.
