The Current Spring Issue 2019-2020

SPRING 2020

BRICK BY BRICK: FIGHTING FOR A MULTICULTURAL CENTER Prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO CHANGE MAJORS AS A JUNIOR The personal story of a failed interior design student

221 W. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48933 Phone: 517.203.0123 Fax: 517.203.3334 Publisher Tiffany Dowling VP Media Planning & Buying Jennifer Hodges Account Managers Megan Fleming Liz Reno-Hayes Zack Krieger Editor Mary Gajda Art Director Mark Warner Graphic Designer Aspen Smit Web Manager Kyle Dowling Writers Anna Carnes, Demitri Kanellopoulos, Grace Rau, Leah Wright, Gabrielle White, Mark Ostermeyer, Tessa Hunt, Sophie Schmidt Editors Olivia Dalby, Katherine Stark, Emily Hobrla, Sydney Naseef, Kristina Osterman, Bridget Bartos, Rockila Young, Molly Harmon, Heather Haely, Silvia Hoxha Social Media Sydney Naseef, Bridget Bartos, Tessa Hunt Digital Content Manager Molly Harmon, Rockila Young, Mark Ostermeyer Layout Team Olivia Dalby, Heather Haely, Sophie Schmidt Marketing Team Katherine Stark, Silvia Hoxha, Demitri Kanellopoulos, Kristina Osterman, Anna Carnes, Gabrielle White

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

By Kristina Osterman Dear reader, Thank you for picking up our magazine and deciding to give it a try. No matter where this magazine ended up and how it got into your hands, it’s an honor to know that you’ve picked it up at all. Hopefully you will not only enjoy your time with it, but also learn a few new things.

Now, this is the second edition of the magazine. We’ve already worked to re-brand ourselves and made a clear vision for what our future will look like. Our journey throughout editing, writing and designing has been a long and tough one, but nonetheless, an extremely fulfilling experience. We hope to pass on a version of The Current that other students will be excited to work on for years to come. Throughout the semester our main goal was to make a magazine that we could all be proud of; I think we did just that. I cannot believe how far we’ve all come since class started in August. All of us have grown as writers, editors, researchers, journalists and individuals.

The Current is a magazine that demands attention. It wants to bring awareness to social issues that are a little less readily discussed. Inside these pages, you will find the passion of all of our writers. I hope that you will feel that passion when you read through the pages.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Kristina Kristina Osterman is a senior pursuing a double major in professional writing and communication. She wants to eventually become a fantasy and realistic fiction author, but is currently aspiring to work in public relations. When she’s not focusing on her career, you can find her dancing, knitting, embroidering or reading. She is a member of Orchesis Dance Company, an intern at the CREATE for STEM Institute, and a Peer Assistant at the Engagement Centers here at MSU.

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Give us a call at 517.203.0123 or email at kelly@m3group.biz The Current is published seasonally by M3 Group, Lansing, MI. All rights reserved. © 2019 M3 Group No part of this magazine may be reproduced whole or in part without the express consent of the publisher.

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CON TEN TS

Reclaim MSU: Changing Culture on Campus Creating a safe and inclusive campus

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The Future of Print Media Technology can benefit traditional publishing more than it can harm it

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The Humanization of Online Education Learning in a digital age

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What it’s Like to Change Majors as a Junior The personal story of a failed interior design student

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Toxic Masculinity in Sports The culture where strength is valued over emotions

Brick by Brick: Fighting for a Multicultural Center Prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion

Starting the Conversation A look at religion’s role in student life

The Reality of Grammar: A Classist Collection of Rules Grammar as language and social inequality

How Misdemeanors Affect Students A minor criminal record now creates lifelong barriers THECURRENTMSU.COM 03

RECLAIM MSU: CHANGING CULTURE ON CAMPUS

By Tessa Hunt

The words “Michigan State University” likely bring to mind past news headlines involving the school. From sexual assault to acts of racism on campus, MSU has received much criticism in the last couple years due to the poor communication from the Board of Trustees and administration. As time passed, it seemed nothing was being done and things were being swept under the rug. Students were frustrated, humiliated and generally under the impression they were being ignored.

Once students had enough, Reclaim MSU was launched with a meaningful purpose and drive.

all instances of discrimination, violence and harassment in the MSU community enabled by administrative neglect.”

According to their website, Reclaim MSU is an alliance of students, faculty, staff and alumni demanding a culture of transparency and accountability, committed to creating a safe and inclusive campus. Reclaim MSU has a mission of “organizing against

Anna Pegler-Gordon is a faculty member at James Madison College and Reclaim member who provided information about the nonregistered student organization. According to Pegler-Gordon, “Reclaim MSU was initially started around February 2018 shortly after

04 SPRING 2020

Reclaim MSU has been featured in many local publications ranging from the Lansing State Journal to The State News, all of which cover issues that are affecting students for the most part. Reclaim MSU continues to stick to their mission of exposing the Board of Trustees and the administration of MSU, while also shining light on the issues that universities neglect to acknowledge and ultimately cover up to save their school’s image.

Lou Anna Simon had stepped away from her president of the university position amid the Larry Nassar accusations.” Following that moment, she remembers “a large group of people had formed ranging from faculty, staff, graduate students and administrative, all of whom weren’t sure what to do but all felt something had to change.”

Pegler-Gordon goes on to say that her immediate hopes for Reclaim MSU are simple. “Waiving privilege on the documents that the attorney general needs to see to have a full accounting in the investigation on Larry Nassar, to which they have all agreed and recognized even more so with the resignation of Nancy Schlichting, but are being stonewalled because clearly not everyone had felt the same.”

In September of 2019, Reclaim MSU started an open letter to the Board of Trustees. The letter called for the board to

and administration refuse to acknowledge and resolve. We are living in a time when our generation is able to speak volumes louder than those in charge and change is undoubtedly in MSU’s future, regardless of who stands in the way.

To get involved with Reclaim MSU, PeglerGordon suggests sending an email to reclaimmsu@gmail.com or simply going on to any social media platform to reach out. “We meet in response to events that are happening to push the various initiatives that we’re working on, whether up front or behind the scenes, public or anonymous, we are always looking for those who want to be included”.

The most up-to-date info about Reclaim MSU’s activities is generally on their Twitter feed @ReclaimMSU.

release information about the Larry Nassar investigation, after the university received a $4.5 million fine from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). With the resignation of Provost Youatt, MSU then announced that the independent investigation was halted and they would instead rely on the OCR findings.

As of October, Reclaim MSU was still waiting for a response from the Board of Trustees on their policy proposal, which was endorsed

by MSU’s Faculty Senate on April 17, 2018.

The Constitutional Changes Proposal is a two-part policy proposal to amend the Board of Trustees’ bylaws and Michigan State University’s constitution. In short, the proposal suggests that Article VIII § 5 of the state’s constitution be amended to create four additional positions on the controlling boards for each institution governed by section 5

(University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University).

Furthermore, Article VIII § 5 should be amended to limit terms for members of controlling boards to four years and limit each member to serving two terms. PeglerGordon feels strongly about this, saying, “We absolutely believe that in the immediate term, students and faculty should be involved in the decisions the Board of Trustees are making, even if it means they won’t have the same voting rights, but they would be able to vote alongside board members to voice their own position and further voting would continue after all sides were presented.”

Tessa Hunt is a transfer student and currently a senior studying professional writing with a focus in editing and publishing and has a double minor in English and journalism.

She has previously written for the Odyssey for Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University. She hopes to work in editorial or publishing after graduating. In the free time she does have she enjoys shopping, eating Ramen noodles and collecting Funko Pops. Follow her on Instagram @tessaahunt.

Michigan State University has undeniably gained an undesirable reputation, but the school is also proving that its own student body, alongside select faculty and staff, will continue to address what the Board of Trustees THECURRENTMSU.COM 05

THE FUTURE OF PRINT MEDIA

By Mark Ostermeyer

The reality: print media is not nearly as popular as it was in past years. Ever since Amazon debuted the Kindle in November 2007, technology has begun to rapidly dominate the publishing industry. The development of faster, sleeker devices such as the Kindle Fire, Surface Pro 6 and the iPhone X have made physical books and newspapers seem like a thing of the past.

In the age of technology, people can communicate instantly and interact with news stories and books online, hassle-free. With social media - authors, publishers and readers can engage in conversation and form literary communities. Picking up a book or magazine does not guarantee any sort of enlightening interaction with other people.

So, print media may not be as efficient as e-readers and digital articles, but it still exists—and for good reason. Major publishers such as Penguin Random House and The New York Times show no sign of permanently closing their doors. Such authors as J. K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins still manage to sell tens of millions of copies of their books.

Thus, print media does have a place in the world. The trick is for writers, readers and publishers to work with technology, not fear or resist it.

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In the same way publishers and writers adapt to the needs and interests of their audience, they also need to adapt to the rise of technology. Companies such as Google and Microsoft will continue to create devices and programs that make writing and communicating easier. There’s no arguing that technology is here to stay.

As long as publishers and editors make a space for technology, they have nothing to worry about. According to a 2016 Pew Research survey, 28% of Americans read an e-book within that year. With such a large portion of the United States population turning to digital media, publishers, writers and editors all need to use technology to properly engage their audience. In the most basic sense, a newspaper that is publishing both print and digital content will see increased financial success.

Kate Fedewa, a professor with Michigan State University’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures, recognizes how publications need to mind the market.

“There’s no way, even for places like The New York Times … not to recognize that having podcasts and a website and all of this other

digital stuff only enhances their cultural capital as a newspaper,” Fedewa said.

Leading publications already have the resources and the following to withstand decreased print sales. They also have the business sense to tap into the potential of marketing digital copies of newspapers and books. Since so many people in the U.S. and other countries purchase products and services online, publishers must cater to consumer trends. In fact, major publishers will impress their customers by making every effort to meet audience needs. News organizations offering a variety of digital products is one way they can stay relevant to their readers.

With a few clicks of the mouse or a fingerswipe on the iPhone, an interested reader can purchase the Basic Subscription to The New York Times. Students can even purchase their own subscriptions on their website for a discounted rate of $4 a month. Such student discounts show that they are appealing to the full range of their audience.

According to a 2018 Pew Research survey, around 96% of adults in the U.S. said that they access their news on the Internet.

Based on those numbers alone, major news publications knowingly need to have a

Technology can benefit traditional publishing more than it can harm it

strong digital presence. The NYT can indeed “enhance their cultural capital” by making online subscriptions accessible. It’s the smartest move for publishing groups to lean into the popularity of the web.

While technology certainly presents a path for news and book publishers to grow their business, print media still has a place in the world. Though it is true that, in the last decade, Borders bookstores have gone out of business and The State News, a local news publication, has transitioned from publishing a print issue every day to once a week, print books and newspapers still exist. People are still flipping pages in real-time. Thus, Kindles and computers have not caused physical books to disappear completely.

Books have stuck around for so long in part because of the nostalgia they create and their use as a kind of historical record. Fedewa spoke to the way people have a stronger connection to physical media than that of the same story in a digital form.

“When we have physical objects in front of us, we value their content in a different way than we do online,” Fedewa said.

From that long-anticipated copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to cherished editions of childhood favorites, people form an emotional connection to books. Maybe the reader strongly identifies with the main character. Or maybe a loved one gave them a book that really spoke to their relationship.

Either way, people tend to develop a tie to a book that they can actually see and touch.

Reading an e-book or an article from the Wall Street Journal website creates some distance between the user and content they are consuming. Digital media feels cold and removed in a way that print media does not.

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More crucial than the emotional aspect of print media is its value in marking historical events. Owning a newspaper clipping about 9/11, the Chilean mining accident or the 2018 Winter Olympics allows the reader to feel more a part of history. Print media, then, carries the weight of the historical event and offers the reader a way into that event.

Madison O’Connor, current editor in chief of The State News, discussed how print media makes people feel more connected to the world around them.

“When something big happens and when something historical happens, you’re not going to take a screenshot of your phone,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor’s words show how much more meaningful people tend to consider print media. Though technology offers platforms where writers, editors and readers can connect and form communities, many people still view instant messaging and photos as superficial.

At the end of the day, taking a mere screenshot of an article about a historic event downplays how people feel about the moments that have, and will, define the current era. Readers going out and actually buying stories that act as mementos of history is the far more natural response to living through events that make people feel proud, excited or even terrified.

The emotional value of print books and newspapers proves that they still have a place in the technological age. In fact, the future of print media lies with the products that threatened to put traditional publications out of business. To truly become successful, a publishing house or news organization needs to let their digital and print media inform each

other. Since readers eat up books by authors like George R. R. Martin, publishing houses will continue to publish books that do well on the market.

Publishing houses and news outlets will also find benefits in letting their print and digital media, as O’Connor called it, cross-promote one another. According to O’Connor, it would be helpful if news organizations were, “making it clear that there are two products, two ways you can consume this news.”

Maybe cross-promotion looks like the NYT hyping up a recent print issue on their social media. A publishing house could crosspromote by including that author’s social media links on the inside cover copy of a new book. Either way, companies that deal with print media will successfully navigate the technological age when they let the web work for them and not against them.

It’s obvious that print media is not as dominant as at one point in time.. Computers, Kindles and social media have made their mark on the world and ushered in a new age of communication and efficiency. Though some people might view print media as outdated, technology has actually created a space for writers and publishers to expand the reach and value of their print products.

When companies use digital tools to their advantage, they can do more with print than previously thought possible.

Mark Ostermeyer is a junior studying professional writing and English with a concentration in creative writing. When he isn’t in class, you can find him copy editing articles for The State News. Some of his favorite authors include Tom Clancy, David Baldacci and Barbara Kingsolver. In addition, he loves watching and nerding out about shows like Blindspot, The Blacklist, Survivor and Game of Thrones.

STARTING THE CONVERSATION

By Leah Wright

everything that happened in their lives, it was difficult to connect on because everything was always left so open-ended to me. I was left to decide what I wanted to believe and stand by. It led me to wonder, as people grew up and began to make their own decisions, how they chose to continue this part of their lives.

Regardless of how people were raised, college is a time of self-discovery and making independent decisions. It involves deciding what to study, what campus organizations to get involved with and with whom to make friends. For many, religion is also an integral part of college life, and deciding whether to continue or abandon it is a big decision during this time.

Even though it plays a large role in so many lives, religion is something that isn’t a part of casual conversation. Growing up not religious, with family from both Jewish and Catholic faiths, the conversation around religion was always interesting to me. My peers would go to school specifically for religious faith and talk about a “greater plan.”

While I loved listening to their reasoning for 10 SPRING 2020

Some students find a connection through religious student groups. Senior Ilene Gould said she has grown up practicing Judaism: attending Hebrew school, celebrating high holy days, and having a Bat Mitzvah at 13.

At Michigan State University, she frequently visits the Chabad House and participates in Shabbat, the seventh day of rest in Jewish culture, typically celebrated with a candle lighting before sunset.

“Growing up, I think I [practiced] more because my parents wanted me to, but it wasn’t like I hated going,” Gould said. “It wasn’t always my favorite thing to do, but I liked it. The more I got into college, the more I wanted to find what Judaism could mean to me and my life, and how I could embrace it as an individual.”

A not-for-profit educational organization called Taglit-Birthright Israel, or simply Birthright, sponsors free ten-day trips to Israel for young adults of Jewish heritage, typically ages 18-32. The Birthright trip is meant to inspire young Jewish people to strengthen their Jewish identity and create connections

and communities across the globe. On a last-minute decision, Gould said she decided to travel to Israel last summer with The MSU Hillel, a Jewish community center on campus, and described it as one of the best experiences of her life.

“I could talk for hours about everything Birthright did for me and how it completely changed my view on Judaism and the world,” Gould said. “I just felt an immediate connection to the Jewish community and the culture. I remember when we first got to Israel, and it was probably hour 33 of travel, and we were driving from the airport to the North.

It was golden hour and the sun was setting over the mountains, and the whole thing was literally glowing gold. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and that’s when

religious work like preaching or teaching.

Sophomore Sami Stern is a member of Riverview, which holds services at 11:30 a.m. on Sundays on the second floor of the Union.

I knew that I was meant to be here.”

While many different religions exist on college campuses, and there’s almost no way we could acknowledge them all, Gould said sometimes there are more things they have in common than ways they differ.

“With Christianity and Judaism—they come from the same roots,” Gould said. “Of course they branched off a little bit and changed along the way, but they came from the same ideals and principles in the beginning.”

While MSU has a lot of on-campus ministries, Riverview Church is one of MSU’s only on-campus churches. Christian churches are regarded as a gathering of believers, while ministries can be more centered around

“I grew up in the church, and I love the community I’ve found through Riverview” Stern said. “I always went to church with my family, but now I’ve developed more of a personal faith and it’s become much more of a lifestyle. Part of it is just finding my own answers—I never questioned anything before.

I can’t rely on other people’s faith to find my own, so I’ve just been searching for my own explanations rather than having blind faith. It’s definitely okay to believe something different than what you’ve been raised as, or even something different than you expect yourself to believe.”

Although there are many benefits that come from a religious community, nothing is ever perfect, and Stern said she always has doubts and questions.

“There are things that seem unexplainable, like tragedy,” Stern said. “But what I’ve learned is that it’s okay to ask questions and have doubts, and I think I find more comfort in what I believe than I do questions.”

For almost everyone, college is a chance to explore the possibilities of involvement independently. In fact, there are many who didn’t grow up religious but are interested,

and even some who look to practice a different religion than the one they were raised in. With all of the different resources and groups on campus, a university is a great place to explore religious options.

“I think it’s really important to hear a lot of different perspectives,” Gould said. “Even if you’re exploring different religions, do your research and know what you are getting into.

You really have to figure out what morals you want to stand by.”

Whether or not it’s talked about often, religion is a big part of life for much of the population.

Starting the conversation with an open mind and the intention of listening isn’t as difficult as it often seems. For some, religion is a community with a sense of home—a vitally important aspect in the lives of young people.

For others, it’s a way to find meaning in life.

“One of the biggest questions college-aged students ask is ‘what is the purpose of my life?’” Stern said. “I think that when you find something you solidly believe in, whether it’s religion or not, you find purpose inside it.”

Leah Wright is a senior studying professional writing and English with a concentration in creative writing. She is pursuing a career in editing and publishing, but hopes to eventually become a published novelist.

When she isn’t in class, she can most likely be found on the field with the Spartan Marching Band Color Guard, or rehearsing with an independent winter guard that competes around the country.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 11

“As a teacher, the students have to know that you’re there.

Let them know you’re human, and understand that your students are human, as well.”

Dr. Jessica Knott

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THE HUMANIZATION OF ONLINE EDUCATION

By Leah Wright

It’s an undeniable fact that we live in a digital age. Information that was historically shared in print or in person is consistently being transitioned to the online world: news, photos, conversations and even education.

In the world of higher education, it’s almost impossible to imagine moving through college without a personal computer. For students who don’t have access to their own computer, most universities have designated computer labs or desktops that are available. Students in today’s universities have online videos to watch, papers to turn in digitally and many prefer to take notes on their laptops. Despite the growing presence of technology inside the classroom, there is a demand for entire classes, or even entire degree programs, to be offered completely online.

Education is something that has historically been taught face-to-face, and the introduction to this new way of learning raises a lot of questions—specifically about the effectiveness of online higher education. Technology is present in the classroom, but does it have a place as the classroom?

Dr. Jessica Knott is a researcher at The Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology, a center that facilitates ideas between students, faculty, staff and stakeholders to create new ways to learn and teach. As the head of LX research and professional development at The Hub, she studies online, hybrid/blended and face-to-face classroom experiences.

Knott has been both an online student and course designer for 12 years. She finished her master’s degree online and graduated in 2008.

“If I was going to develop online courses for a career, I needed to see what works and what doesn’t,” Knott said.

There’s a framework called the Community of Inquiry, a concept first introduced by philosophers C.S. Peirce and John Dewey. It speaks to the nature of knowledge formation and inquiry and involves three spheres of presence, which Knott argues are essential in an online course. First is social presence: the feeling that there are other people taking the class with you, and that there is a real instructor. Then, teaching presence: being aware that there is a teacher available. The last is cognitive presence: making sure the THECURRENTMSU.COM 13

classes, but there’s other ways to meet people with similar interests, like joining clubs or going to study sessions.”

One of the largest arguments against online classes is the idea that there are some things that can only be taught face-to-face. There’s an improvisational and unplanned aspect of in-person learning that is difficult to recreate in an online space. Acknowledging that this aspect of education is vital, Knott said that it’s hard to tell if students are “missing something” by taking courses online.

content is provided in ways that make sense and are clear.

courses, and sometimes she doesn’t have a choice whether to take the course in-person.

“Presence is the most important,” Knott said.

“As a teacher, the students have to know that you’re there. Let them know you’re human, and understand that your students are human, as well.”

“I really like the fact that I can complete my classes on my own schedule,” Green said. “With one of my in-person classes, I sometimes wish there was a recording of [the professor’s] lecture so I could go back and listen to it when I’m studying, so that’s something I really like about online classes.

But I definitely feel like I’m losing the ability to ask questions and get clarifications. I would either have to email, and then the professor might not necessarily get back to me right away, or I’d have to go to their office hours which might not work in your schedule. If I were in class, I could go up to a professor or TA afterward and talk.”

One of the main things Knott does in her job is teach faculty how to teach online. She said she draws mainly from her time as a master’s student and focuses on the design of each course.

“There are no right answers in online education,” Knott said, “but you have to give your students an idea of what they can expect from you as an instructor, as well as an idea of what it takes to be successful in an online course.”

As much as an online course can be designed for the students, the students have to be willing to work with the new platform as well.

Senior chemistry major Abby Green has taken multiple classes required for her degree online, and said she has mixed feelings of both appreciation and frustration with online 14 SPRING 2020

Green said as she has moved through her degree over the past few years, she’s had classes which often consist of familiar faces and people she’s befriended due to similar interests.

“For my online classes, I take them and study for them by myself which works for some people and doesn’t for others,” Green said. “I’m grateful to have met people in my

“I think every time we make a choice, we miss out on something else,” Knott said. “Whether that’s an online design choice or choosing not to go to class today—we give something up when we make choices. For some people, there might not need to be a lot of interaction.

But I say that, and I can already see 700 ways I was incorrect in saying that. It really comes down to the design of the course and what works for the individual student.”

Even in the physical classroom, technology is used every day. Professors often lecture using PowerPoints and projectors, and students take notes on digital devices. It’s getting harder and harder to draw the line between technology’s place in education and the outside world.

“Technology in the classroom can be extremely important for access,” Knott said.

“The student who is a single parent and missed a lecture and isn’t able to take the courses online, they’re very well served with lecture capture and being able to review things. Students who learn a little slower are able to stay on track using technologies. It’s just a different approach to the experience.

Understanding what the needs of the classroom are and how to meet them in the best way for that particular space—that’s how

technology works in the classroom, whether it be in-person or not.”

Regardless of the argument over the success of online versus face-to-face education, it is impossible to deny the fact that offering college-level courses online makes higher education much more accessible to a diverse number of students.

“We’re seeing the education workforce and the education attendance demographics change,” Knott said. “We’re seeing more people go back to school, we’re seeing veterans in numbers we haven’t necessarily seen before, working parents, people who work the night shift and need a way to take their courses in a time frame that works in their schedule. Online is flexible; you need a computer and internet access. I’m not saying it’s easy, but I’m drawing from data that shows the demographics are changing.”

Michelle Pacansky-Brock is a professor at a community college in California and centers her teaching around the humanization of online education. She believes “humanized learning leverages the potential of digital technologies to bridge physical distances, connect people, foster relationships and build community.” Above all else, Pacansky-Brock is a teacher, but like Knott, she also plays a big role in the design of online classes and stresses the importance of the peoplecentered online learning.

“Humanization of education overall is so important,” Knott said. “I humanize my courses by letting [students and faculty] know ‘here’s what we’re going to accomplish, but how we get there, we’ll figure out amongst ourselves.’ We have to look at, as humans, what are our needs? What are our students’ needs? There are videos and classes and articles that are all about humanizing online

“There are no right answers in online Connection with peers, whether it be a education, but you professor or classmates, is emphasized throughout the classroom, but it doesn’t have have to give your to be limited to a room with a chalkboard, desks and chairs. Both Pacansky-Brock and students an idea Knott dedicate their research and teachings to creating a more student-centered type of what they can of learning, because it’s been proven to be a game-changer in terms of student expect from you engagement and success. as an instructor, “Connecting with people in an online class could really be the difference between as well as an idea understanding the material or just passing and getting by for a lot of people,” Green said. “If of what it takes to the professor reaches out to you and says, “I see you’re struggling, what can I do to help?” be successful in an then I would have a motivation to learn. But if they just give me modules and deadlines, it’s online course.” hard to motivate myself.” education, and I think it’s important for students to get involved as well, so they know what to ask for when taking online courses.”

For many, taking online courses seems to be a matter of preference and personal choice, but it continues to open up doors to how far higher education can reach.

“Some people really take to online, and it works for them,” Knott said. “Some people really take to face-to-face and are able to make that work. It’s driven by need or preference—and preference is a privileged word. But there’s no denying the online world offers opportunity for exploration and learning in an accessible way.”

Leah Wright is a senior studying professional writing and English with a concentration in creative writing. She is pursuing a career in editing and publishing, but hopes to eventually become a published novelist.

When she isn’t in class, she can most likely be found on the field with the Spartan Marching Band Color Guard, or rehearsing with an independent winter guard that competes around the country.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 15

I was rejected because interior design wasn’t really what I wanted and I wasn’t putting my all into that work, and that’s okay—even if it’s hard to swallow.

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WHAT IT’S LIKE TO CHANGE MAJORS AS A JUNIOR

By Grace Rau

Two years ago as a freshman, I was double majoring in interior design and professional writing (because somehow, there wasn’t a minor available for either program). My plan was to keep the professional writing major for as long as it suited me and drop it once I had taken all the classes I was interested in, creating an unofficial minor for myself.

Since professional writing and interior design are in different colleges, there were extra requirements that came with professional writing (like two years of a language), and that would likely mean an extra year for me— which I wasn’t interested in. Interior design was my primary major, and it didn’t play very nicely with professional writing in terms of scheduling or workload.

The thing is, majoring in interior design isn’t a guarantee; one can’t just declare a major in it. After completing their freshman and sophomore years, students who study interior design at MSU put together a final portfolio of (mostly) studio class projects and, if their GPA is high enough in their interior design classes, apply to the upper division of the major.

Acceptance into the upper division of the interior design major is permission to continue in the major throughout the remainder of a student’s college career. Those who aren’t

accepted are cut from the interior design program altogether and find a different major or transfer schools. Students are only allowed to apply once.

For two years, interior design consumed my life. I bought expensive drafting supplies, learned new software and tried not to think about the fact that, at the end of sophomore year, only 20 of us would be accepted into the program and graduate with a degree in interior design. There were about 27 of us when I went through the program, and while that number fluctuates year to year, only 20 are accepted each spring. I didn’t really understand why that was when I was first applying to MSU, but I later discovered that it was to turn out an employable number of designers to the workforce.

Freshman year was smooth sailing; most of my interior design classes were theory with a bit of hand drafting and practical application toward the end of my second semester. Theory covered things such as space planning, color usage, and the elements and principles of design. Hand drafting entails drawing up floor plans, which show a view of a room or space from above, and elevations, which are views of the walls in a space.

The start of sophomore year was great: I was taking studio classes and learning new software to create and design original spaces digitally. At the same time, I was really enjoying my professional writing classes.

I felt like I was finally getting to apply the things I was learning in both majors. I even did an extra honors project in one of my classes, where I designed my dream house in AutoCAD, one of the programs I was learning at the time.

That fall, I went to the interior design open house to visit with professors and see a project of mine that was on display from one of my spring finals freshman year. I ran into a professor I had during my freshman year.

We chatted, and she asked me if I planned on staying in the program and applying to the upper division. I told her I did, and she told me how great that was and how lucky the program would be to have me. I was ecstatic; I had done very well in her class and I knew she was an impressive woman, so her encouragement meant a lot to me. I told my mom about it the next time I called her and thought back on it when I was feeling unsure; it gave me a huge boost of confidence in regards to my admission to the upper division.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 17

It became harder to feel inspired or excited. I was more focused on finally being done with a project than with how it turned out.

Later that semester, I checked in with an interior design advisor to make sure I was on track to apply to the upper division. She told me I was doing well, taking all the required classes, and that with my grades, I should be a shoo-in. I was relieved. Though I’d been with the program for almost two years at this point, I still felt an air of mystery surrounding program requirements and admissions, not to mention the haunting self-doubt I felt every time I turned in a project. I was constantly comparing myself to other members of the program.

Spring semester started out great, just like the fall had. I was taking fascinating design classes again, and my writing courses were exactly what I was hoping for. I was, however, ridiculously busy. I felt like I spent every waking moment on interior design. I would sit in my dorm’s study area and draft for hours every night. I was doing well in my 18 SPRING 2020

writing classes, though—and looking back I have no idea how. I spent minutes on those classes compared to the hours of labor I put into design. Even within interior design, I felt like I had to choose between classes, and I was constantly prioritizing my hand drafting class over my software and technology class.

At some point in the semester, I started to feel seriously burned out. It became harder to feel inspired or excited. I was more focused on finally being done with a project than with how it turned out, which was a serious problem, as my hand drafting class was made up of three projects that counted for 90% of my final grade.

After class presentations in my hand drafting class one day, our professor left the room for a minute, and one of my classmates asked how many of us were up all night. I think all but one or two hands went up. That was

normal. I would spend hours and hours a week on a project, only to stay up ridiculously late the night before it was due to finish it.

I’m not sure when I started to seriously doubt whether I would be admitted to the upper division. I mean, the entirety of the time I spent in the program I wasn’t sure, but at some point during that second semester sophomore year, dread settled in my mind. Toward the end, I hated my projects. I genuinely didn’t know if I thought they were bad or if I was just losing my perspective from stress and anticipation. I had done well on my first two projects in my hand drafting class, but I was still terrified I wasn’t good enough. In such a competitive atmosphere, all I could do was compare myself to everyone else in the program.

Finally, the end of the semester came. I presented and turned in my final project for my hand drafting class, despising it. I

had been up nearly all night finishing it and had woken up early to put on some finishing touches, but nothing was coming together. I was too burned out to care much about the neatness of the boards or that we weren’t supposed to use scissors to cut out images. I finished it, and I was relieved—and terrified.

That was nothing compared to my final for my technology class, though. We had been learning the software we would use for our final in the weeks leading up to that project, which seriously stressed me out; I need a lot of time to feel really comfortable with a new software. For our final exam, we were to design a rental vacation home in Google SketchUp (a digital drafting software), touch up images of the space in Photoshop, create a video walkthrough of the home, and make a booklet of our design process and photos of the space we designed.

The night before that project was due, I parked myself in the library and got to work.

I was going back and forth between my laptop, where I had a free trial version of Google SketchUp installed, and a library computer equipped with Photoshop. Roughly five hours into my work, my free trial expired.

I started to panic, but I packed up all my stuff and headed over to Human Ecology, where our technology class was held. Our classroom had computers with all the software needed to complete the project.

When I got there, the lab was completely full. My classmates were every bit as busy as I was, which I probably should have seen coming, and I ended up waiting several hours to be able to use a computer. I tried to get things done in the meantime, but there wasn’t much I could do without a computer. So, as all college students do in a bind, I called my mom for some moral support and a vent session.

I felt frantic and sick, and I distinctly remember saying “I don’t want to live through this” while on the phone with her. I didn’t mean that I wanted to die, but that I wanted to black out while I was finishing the project and not regain consciousness until I was completely done. I had been plenty stressed by interior design projects before, but none of them compared to the dread this one inspired in me.

I don’t remember what time I finished that night. It was probably 4 or 5 a.m., and I was one of the first people to leave the lab.

Somehow, I still wasn’t done. I still had to go to the library the next day to print and finish the booklet, but that was easy compared to the night before. I printed and bound the booklet, presented and finished the class. It wasn’t perfect, but I was proud of my final product.

Then it was time to get my portfolio together.

I don’t remember the timeline exactly, but around finals week, I gathered the required projects along with some easels and a tablecloth and displayed them on a drafting table in a Human Ecology classroom. Shortly after move out, my classmates and I returned to collect our projects and go back home to wait for our final results. Sometime in midMay, just as projected, I received an email.

I always said I would sob when I got my results for interior design, in or out of the program, just so glad that I would finally know. Instead, when I opened the email, I felt numb. I remember I was sitting on the couch when I saw the message from the department.

I clicked the link to my confidential student messages, heart racing.

I hadn’t been accepted.

I felt the strangest combination of shame and relief. I wasn’t upset that I wouldn’t be continuing in the program, but I was so

embarrassed that I wasn’t good enough. I deleted the email and decided to move on. I emailed my professional writing advisor and told him I wanted to declare it my primary major and started building myself a new schedule.

I texted my mom as soon as I got the email, but telling my friends and the rest of my family was a bit more difficult. The last thing I wanted was pity. I don’t think I could have handled telling everyone at once. I didn’t even personally tell my extended family—my mom quietly got word around and told everyone that I was rejected and not to ask me about it.

It sounds cold, but I have a huge family, and I couldn’t handle an outpouring of “I’m sorry” and “You’ll get it next time.” It would only make me feel worse.

That didn’t shield me from everyone, of course. One of my cousins asked me at my great-grandmother’s birthday party if I was accepted. Friends’ mothers would ask me if I had heard back while I was picking up my sister from school. I smiled politely and told them the truth, but it was humiliating. I don’t blame them at all, but I was having a hard enough time getting it out of my head; I didn’t need others continually bringing it up.

I truly harbor no resentment toward anyone in the interior design program, though sometimes I wish I could talk to the professor who told me how lucky the program would be to have me, and tell her how horrible it was to be built up with false hope. In such an unpredictable, high-stakes situation, I’d argue it’s extremely inappropriate to say such things to a student.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 19

I still struggle with feeling inadequate, even though I think I’m much happier as a professional writing major. Looking back, I don’t think interior design was for me. I was so unmotivated and miserable toward the end of sophomore year. As much as I wanted to be admitted—mostly for bragging rights at the end—I’m not sure I would have accepted an invitation to the upper division. I wasn’t looking forward to a potential future in the interior design program when I really thought about it. I now think I was rejected because interior design wasn’t really what I wanted and I wasn’t putting my all into that work, and that’s okay—even if it’s hard to swallow.

My life is completely different now as a professional writing major. Even if I do still duck out of the way if I see someone from the interior design program at Meijer, I’m in a really good place: I have downtime, I haven’t hated anything I’ve turned in this year, I’m learning to be a writing tutor to apply to work at the writing center, and I’m gaining editing and writing experience.

It’s still scary for me to think about my future, but I don’t dread it anymore.

Instead of feeling intimidated and overwhelmed about my abilities, I’m worrying about the job market like an adult.

Grace Rau is a junior studying professional writing with a focus in editing and publishing.

In her free time, she enjoys windowshopping on Etsy, attending UAB’s craft nights, and binge-watching Criminal Minds with her roommate (Hi, Carrie!). Some of her more scholarly pursuits include joining the Red Cedar Review and studying as a member of MSU’s Honors College.

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MSUFCU MEMBERS CAN NOW SEND FUNDS TO EACH OTHER INSTANTLY– AND FOR FREE

By Deidre Davis, MSUFCU Chief Marketing Officer

MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) recently unveiled its newest exclusive member service: Member2Member (M2M) transfers.

M2M is free, easy to use, transfers money instantly and is secure.

Based on member feedback and requests, M2M was developed to provide convenience and additional account control for MSUFCU members. Other mobile payment services, such as PayPal, Venmo and Cash App, allow users to send funds to other individuals, but these apps can take up to three business days to process a transaction and may include fees. M2M allows Credit Union members to immediately access funds sent to them once they’ve accepted the transfer — at no additional cost.

In September 2019, M2M was rolled out to MSUFCU membership. As of October 17, 2019, 9,170 members have enrolled and performed 21,856 transactions.

The introduction M2M has been highly anticipated by MSUFCU membership and offers a free and convenient way to send funds to friends and family, within the Credit Union’s digital landscape. With the addition of optional digital greeting cards, members can congratulate their loved ones or wish someone a happy birthday with the click of a button.

Union’s Mobile app, this section imports the user’s contact list upon the member’s acknowledgement and approval. This makes it easy and fast to select the member to send money to. M2M is part of the Credit Union’s MoveMoney feature, a secure and free way to send money, make loan payments, pay bills and transfer money within MSUFCU and external accounts. For more information, visit msufcu.org/m2m.

MSUFCU members are identified within the M2M transfer system by their phone numbers and/or email addresses. In the Credit THECURRENTMSU.COM 21

People who study language are becoming increasingly aware of the flaws in the way that society views grammar.

THE REALITY OF GRAMMAR: A CLASSIST COLLECTION OF RULES

By Gabrielle White

Recently, the idea that there is one correct way to speak “proper” grammar has experienced a resurgence, thanks to the policing of grammar used on social media, texting and written communication. People make Twitter memes and jokes and even bully other people online who do not write using “proper” grammar at all times. As a consequence, it is popular to believe that every person who speaks English must abide by a complicated set of rules. However, these rules and their enforcement are inherently tied to social inequality.

Education inequalities affect all areas of low-income students’ education. Looking at public school districts specifically, The Atlantic journalist Alana Semuels explains that “education is paid for with the amount of money available in a district, which doesn’t necessarily equal the amount of money required to adequately teach students,” meaning that the property taxes collected in the area will determine the amount of money and funding the schools in that district get. This equates to the quality of teaching, materials used and resources available to students.

It is also stated by Semuels that schools in “high-poverty areas have…lower home values and collect less taxes,” which will then cause the children attending a

school in a wealthy school district to have a better teaching of grammar or access to more materials to improve their grammar (books, online activities or other readings) than those of a high-poverty area school district. Education inequality is the reason that proper grammar discriminates against the lower class. The students in high-poverty school districts that never had an emphasis on learning proper grammar will potentially struggle drastically in the future with higher education, jobs or every day written communication simply because they did not attend a school in a wealthy school district.

While still examining grammar in education systems, there is also a divide in opinions on how or if to teach grammar. These divides are such that, according to Martha Kolln in “The story of English grammar in United States schools,” “We have yet to achieve equitable funding within our inner city school systems.

We have failed to demand accountability in the over-funded school systems. Students aren’t being allowed to use their own home language. Students are getting away with using their own home language. We give too much attention to grammar. We don’t give enough.”

Without a national consensus on how schools should teach grammar, it’s difficult to expect

all students to be proficient in the same rules.

It is important to re-evaluate the grammarteaching strategies used. Michelle Navarre Cleary, a journalist for The Atlantic, states that traditional way of “diagramming sentences and memorizing parts of speech” are not effective ways to teach students. In fact, Cleary claims that it is most useful to simply let students learn grammar from reading and writing. Cleary poses the thought that “once students get ideas they care about onto the page, they are ready for instruction— including grammar instruction—that will help communicate those ideas.” An additional problem to these divided opinions on how to teach grammar is that some teachers in the education field are uneducated themselves in the rules of “proper” grammar, making it harder for their students to learn the rules in the classroom. According to Martha Kolln, “many teacher-training programs certify secondary English teachers without the students having had a single course in modern grammar. And it’s certainly possible that these new teachers had little or no grammar instruction in their own middle-school and high-school experiences.” If most educators do not have a strong background in grammar themselves, they can’t expect their students to succeed in a world obsessed with policing how people write in higher education, jobs and even daily life.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 23

While considering English grammar education in the United States, it is also extremely important to consider English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. ESL learners face many challenges when learning the rules of “proper English grammar” yet are expected to perform at the same level of native English speakers without incorporating their home languages or dialects. The idea that there is a “standard” way to speak itself suggests that any other dialect or rhetoric within the English language is lesser by some degree than what the current society has deemed “standard.” It is important for schools to take into consideration the cultural divides and challenges that learning an entire new language creates. Some of these challenges, according to teacher and blogger Jacob Ado Ama, include unqualified teachers, a limited learning environment and over-use of their native language in the classroom. Policing

grammar for non-native English speakers is another way that grammar is used to discriminate against less privileged groups.

Another relevant topic surrounding grammar is its presence on social media. Some argue that social media is ruining the younger generations’ grammar and writing ability.

Linguist Ammon Shea claims in his book, Bad English, “language isn’t fixed—and that inventiveness and playfulness, whether in the form of combining words, or using emoticons...should be celebrated rather than stifled.” Grammar is constantly changing in response to technology through social media character limitations or informality. Linguist David Crystal supports this theory. He argues that “the traditional rules have been adapted as users explore the graphic opportunities offered by the new medium.” For example, commas and full-stops have been omitted for convenience and extra use of exclamation points, question marks or commas are used to add emotional value. Some people on Facebook comments or Twitter threads will completely disregard any of the intelligent thoughts or opinions that people share due to their automatic judgment of a minor grammar mistake. This leads to prejudice and basing someone’s grammar only on the 200 or so characters they used to create a response, not a formal essay. An adaption or shift in grammar in order to accommodate the medium which is used is important to consider before correcting someone’s way of speech.

It is also important to understand that grammar is not always so black and white– there’s a lot of gray, especially considering modern-day rhetoric. According to the rules of grammar, “they/them” are plural pronouns and only “he/she” should be used when addressing a singular person. However, some people today do not conform to the gender binary of “he/she” and prefer to use the

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pronouns “they/them” to refer to themselves.

By only allowing the he/she pronouns to refer to individual people, the identity of a large group of people can be erased, much like some dialects of English that are not considered “proper” are erased. Recently, the American Psychological Association, or APA, Style Guide has added the singular “they” to the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Chelsea Lee, contributor to the APA blog, includes insight on why the singular “they” was added and when to use it: “(a) when referring to a generic person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant to the context and (b) when referring to a specific, known person who uses “they” as their pronoun.” This is proof that grammar is evolving, and steps are being taken to change the formal rules in order to reflect modern day. People who are not behind the new changes are behind the times and enforcing social inequalities.

Not everyone agrees with strict attitudes about grammar, though. People who study language are becoming increasingly aware of the flaws in the way that society views grammar. Elena Schafer is a senior at Michigan State University studying English and Spanish. She has worked in the Writing Center for the past two years and works with students of all backgrounds, experiences and grade levels on various writing projects.

Her experience has taught her to challenge traditional views of grammar. “The idea that there is proper and improper grammar reinforces gatekeeping practices in English language. There is no such thing as being adjacent to or far from proper English– grammar is just an infrastructure in a system of classism.”

Most of her experience in tutoring involved students of all backgrounds coming in and asking the same question: “Can you check

my grammar?” Based on the struggles of students in the Writing Center, both Native English speakers and ESL students, she feels that “academia often participates actively in this gatekeeping. It is important to consciously deconstruct this when interacting with students of all backgrounds.” This regulation and constant anxiety of using the correct grammar affects how people write. Students might get so caught up in using the right words or phrases that it prevents them from writing anything at all.

The grammar used today in the English language creates classist divides throughout the United States. The social inequality of education is a causation of this problem and has multiple solutions to fix it. Grammar police on social media platforms who expect full command of grammar at all times should consider this before attacking someone for using the wrong form of “their/there/they’re.”

And if someone is recently learning English as a second language, no exceptions are given on not using proper grammar. People

should look to letting go of the idea that grammar is a set of confinements but more as a set of guidelines.

Gabrielle White is a senior English and professional writing student minoring in women and gender studies. She is working on her senior thesis as well as developing a plan for outside of East Lansing.

Currently, that plan includes a career path in editing and publishing, as well as the possibility of grad school. Her favorite things to do are listening to her carefully curated Spotify playlists, reading Slyvia Plath, watching her favorite Youtubers and daydreaming about London and New York City. To see her obsess over these topics more follow her on instagram @ggwhite98.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 25

TOXIC MASCULINITY IN SPORTS

By Demitri Kanellopoulos

Toxic masculinity is a concept referring to the standards that society places on men, dictating how they act, behave and feel.

These unfortunate societal norms compel men to hide their true, vulnerable selves. They can use this mask to earn respect by displaying toughness and violence. Boys are taught from a young age that to become a man, they must show authority instead of kindness. Boys are coached by parents and role models that they must follow these strict rules to avoid being called “weak” or “gay.” Adolescents can learn about toxic masculinity in all avenues of life, particularly through one of the most prominent areas for youth: sports.

Sports teach children positive attributes like teamwork and sportsmanship, but there are often drawbacks to these benefits. Hockey players are allowed to drop their gloves to fight, and football players are praised for hitting hard and hurting opponents. To 26 SPRING 2020

show strength or skill in a sport, athletes often intimidate their rivals by showboating or getting in the faces of the opponents. In sports, players are acclaimed when insulting others, and this behavior is not healthy. It is important for youth to feel a push for sportsmanship instead of harming one another.

However, this is not only a problem with young men. Older athletes are repeatedly charged with domestic violence crimes.

According to a three-year study conducted by the National Coalition Against Violent Athletes, athletes are responsible for 35% of domestic assaults and 20% of sexual violence on college campuses while only accounting for 3% of the population. Proven in the numbers, athletes are not only a danger to each other but their peers as well. To make matters worse, this kind of criminal activity creates a toxic image for the kids who look up to athletes. Boys shouldn’t mimic such

behavior, but when their idols do it, why wouldn’t they?

Athletes are habitually forced to bottle up their emotions to keep up the masculine ideal.

In the locker room, one cannot show pain or weakness. The only players to get respect are the toughest and scariest competitors. In a team setting, winning is put before all else.

For example, Steinberg, a Forbes sportswriter, wrote in his 2009 article on dehydration about a 21-year-old that showed up late to his first college basketball practice where he then spent hours at a painstaking weightlifting session. After not being given a proper break and being disciplined for showing up late, he was forced to run an extra four miles. He fulfilled his punishment then collapsed and died days later. This example is one of many that show how the resistance of showing discomfort to teammates and coaches does more harm than good.

Another study focusing on masculinity coordinated by the Journal of American College Health discovered that college men are burdened with the pressure to satisfy gender roles and to be as virile as possible.

This study states that men are put through gender strain. Gender strain is the emotional battle between a man’s true self and society’s ideal male image. According to the study, sports have an exponential effect on this relationship. It makes the tug-of-war between masculine ideals and identity worse because masculinity is put on a pedestal in sports culture. For an athlete, it is very hard to find the balance between who you are and who you are supposed to be. This causes extreme stress to sports competitors worldwide.

Toxic masculinity is a growing threat to society that is bringing pain and death to athletes and those around them. Men who are forced

to keep their emotions quiet are proven to be more likely to act out against others. The NBA has now been actively fighting against toxic masculinity since 2017 by incorporating harsher consequences for domestic violence.

Coaches and players are beginning to speak out on this issue for the advancement of sports as a whole and to demolish toxic masculinity within it. To fight the brute mentality of most athletes, former NFL player and coach Joe Ehrmann started InSideOut. This organization has a goal to change sports culture into something that encourages sports as a “human growth experience.”

and it should not be the case. It should not be a cultural norm. In a time when sexism and racism have been so widely exposed, it is essential that we all confront toxic masculinity and put a stop to it.

Demitri Kanellopoulos is a junior studying professional writing with a minor in public relations. He has hopes to soon become a self-published author and eventually pursue a career in editing and publishing.

When he’s not studying or writing, which he does shockingly often, you might find him hanging out with his cat, watching football or playing soccer. You can find him @dkanellopoulos on Instagram.

The right steps are being taken to rid sports of its toxic culture, but there are still underlying issues that need to be addressed. Violence committed by men in sports needs to be acknowledged as a problem in our society as a whole. Accepting such violence is one way in which toxic masculinity overall is accepted, THECURRENTMSU.COM 27

BRICK BY BRICK: FIGHTING FOR A MULTICULTURAL CENTER

By Sophie Schmidt

Michigan State University students are fighting for a free-standing multicultural center on campus, and they have been doing so for over 40 years.

Multicultural buildings on college campuses or even the idea of them are not a new concept in the United States. Historically, these centers were part of the demands made during students’ rights movements that sprung up in the 1960s and 1970s. They followed the continual push by students to get their administrations to recognize and make definitive stances toward their claims of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The reasoning behind multicultural centers and buildings is based on the need for students to have spaces to freely celebrate their own cultures and feel safe doing so, especially in traditionally white institutions. Creating this safe space allows students of marginalized communities the opportunity to come together and build relationships with people who identify with their community and culture.

Additionally, students who identify with the marjoritized can come to learn and listen from students of minoritized communities in a non-judgemental learning environment. These spaces are where coalition-building starts,

and this is how communities collaborate on things from advocacy to events.

Harvard University is one of the many schools where students are still fighting for a multicultural center. Harvard student Salma Abdelrahman, leader of the Multicultural Center Coalition, said in a 2018 interview with The Harvard Crimson, “The importance of a physical space is paramount in this discussion because it’s a space that people can go to feel that they’re not operating in a building that was built by people that don’t look like them, for people that don’t look like them, with the names of people that don’t look like them branded on the front of the building.”

Following student activism, colleges and universities approached this issue in different ways. Due to the diligence and organization of black students, many of the buildings started as spaces for black students, and sometimes they evolved into centers that incorporated and served more than one cultural community.

Brown and Princeton Universities opened multicultural centers on their campuses in the 70s, both named the Third World Center. Yale University created separate, free-standing

buildings for different cultural groups at various times, including the Afro-Americal Cultural Center in 1969 and La Casa Cultural in 1974. Ivy League institutions aren’t the only ones to respond to the demands of their students. Ball State University, Stanford University, Humboldt State University, University of Nebraska - Lincoln and the University of Michigan are some of the many universities and colleges that have their own free-standing buildings for students of marginalized communities. Recently, the University of Michigan opened its brand new Trotter Multicultural Center, which originally started as the Trotter House.

Despite the continual fight and raising of voices from students across the nation for these spaces, many universities still do not have free-standing buildings dedicated to this purpose. Among these universities is Michigan State University.

Currently, Michigan State University has 19 separate cultural rooms in various residence hall buildings across campus for students of marginalized communities. Like many other centers, Michigan State began implementing cultural rooms in residence halls in response THECURRENTMSU.COM 29

to the growing student needs and demands in the 1960s.

encouragement from, and make additions to with their own impressions of the culture.”

According to the Culturas de las Razas Unidas (CRU), the umbrella organization that serves Latinx students, the initial push for a multicultural center at MSU began with black students because they “needed something to identify with at the university that would not be transient. They needed something that all black students, both then and those of the future, would be able to look at, draw

After protests, sit-ins and other student-led demonstrations that included students of color across campus, each residence hall on MSU’s campus was then equipped with a caucus room for Black students with the first one implemented in Shaw Hall in 1969.

Additional rooms have since been added for other groups serving students of marginalized backgrounds. CRU and the Asian Pacific American Student Organization (APASO)

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have rooms in South Neighborhood, and the North American Indigenous Student Organization (NAISO) and Black Students’ Alliance (BSA) are located in Hubbard Hall.

BSA, CRU, APASO and NAISO have several affiliates, which are Registered Student Organizations that serve specific niches within each larger group. For example, an affiliate of APASO is the Chinese Student Coalition (CSC). As an affiliate, CSC receives financial support from APASO, and their members participate in community events

that APASO and other affiliates put on.

The umbrella organizations act as the voice of students to the university as a whole as part of the Council of Racial and Ethnic Students (CORES). The Council of Progressive Students (COPS) was formed much later, and, similar to CORES, consists of other organizations that support students of marginalized students such as The Alliance of Queer and Ally Students (Alliance).

Despite the rooms for each group, these spaces still weren’t big enough to fit all the people who were part of them, and students continued to advocate for a freestanding building for everyone. In 1999, Michigan State’s Mosaic: The Multicultural Unity Center opened its doors in the Student Union. According to the Mosaic’s website, this occurred “after many years of collective advocacy by the Council of Racial Ethnic Students (CORES). CORES successfully convinced the MSU administration that a Multicultural Center was necessary and critical to the implementation of one of MSU’s guiding principles: ‘Advance Diversity Within Community.’”

While the Mosaic Center, at its core, is supposed to be a space for CORES and COPS groups to come together, it is often hard for them to do so because it’s shared with other MSU-affiliated organizations.

“It is being used often by MRule and ICA for MRule and ICA purposes, which is fine, but the CORES and COPS groups can’t really utilize it to the capacity it was meant to serve them with because it’s so small in size for all of those groups,” said Sarah McConville, a former member of CRU and current coVice President of Students for a Multicultural Building. “The capacity in the Union at the Mosaic Center, I found out, was around 70 or 80 [people], somewhere in that range… If

you think about it, for the Latinx student org, 100 people show up, which mind you, we are one of the smallest of the marginalized groups next to the Native American students, so for us to have 100 people, the Black community has more than that. For us to do collaborative

building that can enact change on an even larger scale. These groups must remain vigilant and stay united to raise their voices together, so the administration cannot divide them.

events in a space with a capacity of 70 or 80 people, it’s just not feasible.”

“It is extremely important to document all of the progress in your movement and constantly be in communication with people who fought a similar fight before you. Take advice from those older than you and analyze their strategies, so it’s not as if you’re starting from scratch. Additionally, especially at universities because people graduate and leave, to continue the progress of the movement even after people leave it. You need to bring in people who are younger than you into the movement, so they can replace the head leaders,” advised McConville on advocacy work.

Michigan State’s caucus rooms across campus remain as the main gathering place for individual CORES and COPS groups.

They are scattered and not always in a central location on campus to all students. This makes it hard for students to cross ethnic and racial divides in a physical sense, so a lot of coalition building is inhibited because of the lack of a shared space.

“We’re all spread out across campus, which makes it very hard for our organizations to be able to meet up and do collaborative work, especially when our meetings have conflicting times and everything. It makes it more difficult than it should be. On top of that, the groups are trying to teach about our organizations [and communities to others], and it makes people kind of have to choose which marginalized community they want to learn about, and we don’t think that it should have to be a choice between what group they want to learn about when it would be so much easier if we were all placed inside a building so that we could collaborate more, we could coordinate meetings together,” McConville continued.

Coalition building remains one of the biggest and most important aspects of students’ rights advocacy, and it can be one of the greatest obstacles. It seems as though MSU administration is allowing only for a certain amount of inclusion on its campus, and it certainly doesn’t want too much coalition

It is of utmost importance to document the work being done to break ground on a multicultural center that would foster the very coalition-building that is taking place right now.

To get more involved in this fight, students are encouraged to join Students for a Multicultural Building. McConville noted, “Definitely contact me. Even if you don’t want to be directly involved, just keeping tabs on social media [is really important]. We just solidified our e-board, so we will have more consistent information coming out.”

Students for a Multicultural Building can be found on Twitter and Facebook @msumcb.

Sophie Schmidt is a senior studying professional Writing with a minor in Asian Pacific American Studies. She hopes to work as an acquisitions editor in a publishing house, but might also end up writing your BuzzFeed quizzes. When she’s not in class, Sophie can be found curled up with her cat with her nose stuck in a book.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 31

HOW MISDEMEANORS AFFECT STUDENTS

By Anna Carnes

Students at Michigan State University are often greeted with the same message on their computer monitors when enrolling in classes for the semester. The public service announcement is from FERPA regarding the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA).

It reads, “Federal law provides that a student who has been convicted of an offense under any federal or state law involving the possession or sale of a controlled substance during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving financial aid shall not be eligible to receive any federal or institutional grant, loan or work assistance during the period beginning on the date of such conviction and ending after the interval specified in the following table.”

The table spells out the details, explaining how long the ineligibility period is for each offense. For example, the first offense for the possession of a controlled substance is one year of ineligibility. However, by the third offense, the student is indefinitely ineligible to receive financial aid. At the bottom of the warning, it states that a student may be able to resume eligibility if they complete a drug 32 SPRING 2020

rehabilitation program and successfully pass two unannounced drug tests.

With a message that appears so frequently, it’s natural for students to begin to wonder how often these offenses occur to make it relevant and necessary. Also, if that’s the punishment for the possession or sale of drugs, what are the consequences for alcohol?

Unlike other colleges, MSU is not a “dry” campus. This means that while the student policy states that students must follow federal and state laws regarding practices with substances, alcohol is not banned on campus so long as the user is 21 years or older.

Violations of the policies are adjudicated through the MSU student judicial process, and punishment may include probation, suspension or enforced attendance at educational programs. However, alcoholrelated convictions—including being a minor in possession of alcohol (MIP) or driving under the influence (DUI)—do not affect financial aid. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) strictly asks students about drug convictions.

Even a minor criminal record now creates lifelong barriers.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 33

Crimes can be sorted into three main categories: citations, misdemeanors and felonies. Citations tend to be less serious, for mistakes including noise complaints and speeding tickets. Misdemeanors in Michigan are slightly worse, a category including crimes such as driving under the influence and possession of small amounts of illegal drugs. The most serious, felonies, are reserved for acts including robbery, rape and murder.

How crimes may affect an individual’s acceptance into and success in a university depends heavily on the category the crime fits into. Typically, for college applicants with misdemeanor charges, they will face additional barriers compared to students with no criminal background. This may include having to pay for a background check, loan restrictions or additional paperwork.

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Other charges that may affect an individual’s eligibility for student loans include being actively incarcerated or being on probation or parole. If you are incarcerated in a federal or state institution you can’t get a Federal Pell Grant or federal student loans but you can get a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) or a Federal Work Study (FWS). The likelihood of receiving grants of any kind while incarcerated is low, however, considering that priority would be given to all other students first. Once you’re released, most of these limitations will be removed as long as the crime was not drug or sexual offense related.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, more than 60% of colleges consider applicants’ criminal histories in admissions decisions, but less than half have formal policies set into place on how

to do so. Colleges that ask for disciplinary records typically do so on the application.

For example, the Common Application asks questions regarding convictions for felonies or misdemeanors as well as previous academic or behavioral misconduct. Universities are typically most concerned with crimes having to do with violence, alcohol, drugs and sex.

One college, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, has several administrators who evaluate students’ criminal backgrounds.

During their admissions season, they have a Campus Safety and Investigations committee with representatives from the police department and counseling center, which meets to complete criminal background checks. In 2010 the university asked around 10% of its applicants to order criminal background checks. About half complied and paid $20 each to a private company who sent the results back to the university.

The college cleared admission for 92% of the applicants who complied, but denied admission to all those who did not.

Another university, Florida A&M, has an interim placement counselor who speaks to students about their prospects for getting well-paid, security-related jobs in the federal government. Internship director Jacqueline Perkins comments that she must always confront the elephant in the room with students: have they been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor?

While misdemeanor charges can seem minor at first, usually categorized by a fine or minimal jail time, Perkins says that this data can live in government records forever, undermining otherwise qualified candidates. Perkins also argues that students are being graduated with a false sense of security that their criminal backgrounds will not follow them out of their college years, which is often not accurate. Common

misdemeanors in college range from public drunkenness to possession of small amounts of marijuana to getting into a minor fight—all which can eliminate job prospects postgraduation. While the majority of private employers question job applicants about their backgrounds, the most common fields to turn down individuals with criminal records include those in the FBI, Secret Service, IRS and United States Marshals Service, as well as jobs that deal with children or money.

Another regulation put into place at MSU is Medical Amnesty. The Michigan Liquor Control Code was amended in 2012 to make some exceptions to laws for the minimum drinking age for the purpose of protecting the public’s health. Medical Amnesty exempts a minor in the purchase, consumption or possession of alcohol if they voluntarily present themselves to a health facility for treatment, accompany another individual

who presents themselves for treatment or initiates contact with an officer or medical professional for the purpose of obtaining medical assistance. This regulation is especially important on a college campus, where students may otherwise be too afraid to call the police in the situation of an alcohol overdose for fear of the potential consequences. This alleviates the fear of being cited with an MIP or other legal ramifications.

However, students who obtain medical assistance for abuse of alcohol are placed on academic probation and must attend substance abuse counseling sessions. Being on academic probation means that a student must ensure that their GPA stays above a 2.0 to avoid a hold being placed on their registration. Probation can also affect students’ acceptance into study away and study abroad programs at the university.

According to Diverse Education, “there

is little comprehensive national data on misdemeanors or their impact on collegebound or enrolled students or graduates seeking employment.” The only consistent theme found in the information is that minorities are arrested for misdemeanor charges far more frequently than nonminorities. A 2007 study by the National Center for Juvenile Justice, the agency that analyzes government judicial data for the nation’s juvenile courts, found Blacks were three times more likely than Whites to be arrested on disorderly conduct charges and 2.9 times more likely than Whites to be arrested on charges of curfew and loitering law violations. Beyond those numbers, data on the subject is said to be surprisingly scarce.

The article notes that question number 23 on the FAFSA application, “has the applicant has been convicted of a drug crime while receiving federal student aid,” may scare many otherwise good students away from applying. This could also be true in students seeking internships or jobs within the government or private companies.

Nashville Attorney Robert L. Smith worries that young minorities do not take misdemeanor charges as seriously as they should, especially in college climates. He fears that employers in states such as Tennessee, where labor laws allow employers to hire and fire “at will” with no explanation, may use minor crimes like misdemeanor offenses as a decoy reason for refusing to hire a person because of race or economic class. His advice to convicted students is to not take their charges lightly.

Often times youth or students do not have the financial means to hire a lawyer and end up representing themselves in court, usually pleading guilty to the charge.

In an article published by The Atlantic, Lottie Joiner and National Journal investigate how families pay the never-ending price of THECURRENTMSU.COM 35

and graduate high school, let alone pursue a secondary education.

a criminal record. According to the article, nearly half of all American children have at least one parent with a criminal background.

This can create barriers to jobs, housing and education, ultimately affecting not only the parent, but the entire family. Carmel Martin from the Center for American Progress states that many with criminal records were only convicted of misdemeanors, but as a result of federal and state policies, “even a minor criminal record now creates lifelong barriers to nearly all the basic building blocks of economic security—employment, housing, education, job training and building good credit.”

Without the financial means or federal aid to assist them, this system can make it nearly impossible for individuals with criminal records to pursue higher education, especially those who already have the economic burden of children. Parents who lack a high 36 SPRING 2020

school or college diploma are then unable to find adequate-paying jobs to support their families, limiting their earning potential and impacting the family income. As a result, children whose parents have a lesser educational background are more likely to experience poverty.

Criminal records can also affect housing.

In the report from CAP, it was found that four out of five landlords check for criminal backgrounds in tenants and many public housing authorities will evict or deny housing to an individual or to an entire household if an arrest has been made, even if they were not convicted. Children faced with housing instability are then disadvantaged compared to their peers, undergoing the stresses of constantly moving. If kids cannot perform well academically in elementary and middle school, they will be less likely to move on

One in every three Americans has a criminal background of some sort. Due to America’s stance on mass incarceration, those citizens face wide economic implications, often making it difficult for them to move forward with their lives and be productive members of society. It is harder for these people to find jobs, as nine out of 10 employers use background checks. Because of this, more than 60% of formerly incarcerated individuals remain unemployed one year after being released and those who do find jobs receive 40% less pay than those without a record.

Also noted is the amount of debt which these individuals face following incarceration. A study by Ella Baker Center for Human Rights found that 85% of returning citizens face criminal justice debts. These include fees for a public defender and GPS ankle bracelets, among others. Coming out of incarceration directly into debt further disadvantages those with criminal backgrounds by making it even tougher for them to get back on their feet.

The question that remains is, is it fair to use criminal records in college applications?

According to a study by the Center for Community Alternatives, no link has been established between having a criminal record and posing a risk to campus safety.

Compared to the general community, crime rates on college campuses, especially of a violent nature, are low. Knowing that information as well as how prevalent criminal records are for Americans, it’s not difficult to see where critics may be skeptical of the system.

Anna Carnes is a senior studying professional writing with a concentration in editing and publishing and minoring in Spanish. Following college, she hopes to pursue a career that integrates both fields of study, potentially writing grants for a nonprofit. Outside of class she enjoys practicing underwater hockey, shopping and eating pints of Ben and Jerry’s. You can find her on Instagram @annacarnes_.

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