The State - A Podcast from The State News + Impact 89FM

ASMSU SAFE RIDE BACK ON CAMPUS: ASMSU announces that their late night free transportation Safe Ride is coming back to campus. Safe Ride was suspended for the fall semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning with new regulations Safe Ride requires a health and safety questionnaire along with limiting passengers to one occupant per ride. Safe Ride will now operate from 6 p.m. through 12 a.m, seven days a week. To be able to gain access to the service, students will have to register for Safe Ride with ASMSU through their website or by giving a call to the ASMSU office.

EAST LANSING EATERY JOINT REOPENS WITH IMPROVEMENTS: Look out restaurant lovers of East Lansing, a new addition to the downtown area has opened. For Crêpe Sake is now back in action after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The eatery opened in 2014 and was located in downtown Lansing. There was a goal by owners to have two locations be available, but due to businesses shutting down they narrowed down to just one. For Crêpe Sake serves savory and sweet crêpes, coffee and Belgian waffles. Their new location will also have a new aesthetic that's improved from their old location.

MSU SENSE-ABILITY ENSEMBLE CREATING A MUSICAL FOR NEURODIVERSE AUDIENCES: MSU's Sense-Ability Ensemble is creating a production geared toward neurodiverse students. For those students often it is hard to watch a show or assembly in auditoriums among their other classmates due to the lights, loud noises and movement sometimes causing a sensory overload. The team will create a adaption of the children book's called, "What If Wilhelmina" by Joseph Belisle. The playwright and lyricist Dionne O'Dell will be working with Belisle to create the musical. In spring 2022, MSU students will join on the production team to rehearse and start performing on tour for elementary schools.

Script writer: Chandra Flemming

The State is produced by The State News and Impact 89FM.

MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. joins Task Force on Higher Education and Opportunity: Michigan State University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr will serve alongside 37 college and university leaders across the country on the Task Force on Higher Education and Opportunity. Stanley stated in an MSUToday release that he is "honored to be a part of such a dedicated group of higher education leaders focused on improving outcomes for our students and communities". According to the release, the group's goals surround preparing vulnerable students and graduates for success despite living through the worst recession in 50 years, partnering with local communities in an inclusive recovery, and reimagining how quality and accessible higher education is delivered.

MSU receives over $1 million in donations on Give Green Day: On Tuesday, March 16th, Michigan State raised over $1 million dollars as a part of Give Green Day, a 24-hour fundraising event to enhance the experience of current and future MSU students in programs across the university. The two programs that received the most support on Give Green Day were MSU athletics reaching a total of $257,765 and MSU alumni club scholarships with a total of $210,650. Both reaching over 1,000 donations each. The project receiving the most donations was the The James Madison College Emergency Scholarship Fund reaching $34,074. 25 out of the 31 programs on the Give Green website met their donation goal on Give Green Day, showing widespread support from MSU alumni for all programs at MSU.

Detroit saxophonist brings MSUFCU Jazz Artist in Residence Program to finale: After a week of workshops and webinars, students from the jazz department will be experiencing the final performance of the MSUFCU Jazz Artist in Residence program with alto saxophonist Charles McPherson. The week of webinars and workshops included Q&A sessions, saxophone workshops, and improvisation classes for students and faculty. In previous years, the guest artist toured around the state, performing at different schools. Despite the activities being held online, teachers are trying to make events and online learning worthwhile. The final virtual performance will be open to the public and will take place on Friday, March 19th at 8 p.m.

Script writer: Kelly Winters

The State is produced by The State News and Impact 89FM.

ASMSU proposed bill advocates for MSU to transition from fossil fuels to renewables: Last Thursday, ASMSU held several committee meetings discussing bills that will be voted on in the upcoming General Assembly meeting. After the three committees, Finance, Academic and Policy, all of which discussed their own agendas. The Policy Committee discussed 18 proposed bills, one of which being Bill 57-89 Divest from Fossil Fuels. Bill 57-89 is the first step towards Bill 57-45, which committed ASMSU to declare a climate emergency and advocated that the University do the same. Bill 57-45 was approved by the ASMSU General Assembly in December of last year. Bill 57-89 will advocate for Michigan State University to step away from the use of fossil fuels. The MSU Energy Transition Plan and the MSU Energy Transition Steering Committee (ETSC) proposed that the university transition to 100% renewable energy.

UK coronavirus variant detected at Michigan State University: Via email, President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. stated that Michigan State University confirmed the presence of the B.1.1.7. coronavirus variant in East Lansing on Tuesday. It is important to note that viruses are always mutating and this can often lead to new variants of COVID-19. The B.1.1.7. strain of coronavirus, which originated in the United Kingdom, has been called more contagious and more likely to cause severe symptoms in early studies, according to Stanley's announcement. There are 616 active cases of the U.K. variant in Michigan, ahttps://impact89fm.org/96765/news/the-state-3-17-21/ccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Petition asks to let summer graduates walk at spring commencements: In early March Michigan State University announced that Summer 2021 graduates would not be able to participate in the upcoming spring graduation ceremony, despite historically being able to, due to COVID limitations. Since MSU announced this after the deadline to register for classes for the Spring 2021 semester, many students were outraged due to the fact that they were no longer able to adjust their schedule and add their summer classes to their spring semester, making them eligible for the Spring ceremony. This sparked a petition to allow Summer graduates to walk in the Spring 2021 ceremony. As of March 15th, the petition has gained over 1,400 signatures.

Script writer: Kelly Winters

The State is produced by The State News and Impact 89FM.

ASMSU PASSES BILL IN FAVOR OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION PETITION: Positive news for the College of Education, ASMSU recently passed Bill 57-69. In their general assembly meeting it was in favor of the petition that rejects the idea of a 5th year internship for students in the teaching program. The petition was created on February 12th and had over 670 signatures. Students express that the program is unrealistic financially and damaging to their mental health. Recently students also sat down with President Stanley to discuss their concerns as well who agrees to look more into the program. With the new support of ASMSU students hope that a change will be made.

MSU WELLNESS DAYS WERE NOT EFFECTIVE ACCORDING TO STATE NEWS POLL: The State News ran an Instagram poll that asked if students felt the two wellness days MSU gave on March 2nd and 3rd were effective. The data showed that 141 students said no and only 29 said yes. Students said that they felt the days they were off all they could focus on still was school. One student expressed that her days were filled with stress and anxiety because she had to study for a test. Psychology sophomore Tamara Siblani said "I think it would have been more efficient to give the students time to really focus on their well-being rather than just give them two short days." The majority of students could agree that they would have preferred more time off to really get a chance to relax.

POLICE RESPONDED TO 7 FIRES AFTER MSU WIN: After MSU received their victory against Michigan, MSU fans and students took the streets to celebrate. The known apartment complex Cedar Village did their annual thing of burning couches after the big win. Shortly in the midst of their burning, police showed up. According to the East Lansing Police Department, there were seven small fires reported, but no arrests were made. Students were seen in photos and videos not wearing masks and in big crowds. All of which does not go with Ingham County's latest emergency order restrictions.

Script writer: Chandra Fleming

The State is produced by The State News and Impact 89FM.

MORE IN PERSON CLASSES TO BE OFFERED COME FALL SEMESTER 2021: Good news Spartans! Fall semester 2021 might look a lot different for students with 75% of classes being held in person. Some classes will be a hybrid format while some will be online especially ones that would typically be in a large lecture. First year students will have the opportunity to live on campus and others will be able to as well if there is room. Fans can also expect to be able to be back in the stands if guidelines and procedures follow through.

NEW BROAD ART MUSEUM EXHIBIT: Need an art trip? Well the Broad Art Museum has a new exhibit that opened up on Feb. 20th called "24/7: Art + Labor Around the Clock." The exhibit's focus is on society, modern art and the never ending work cycle between the two. People with interest will be able to go view the exhibit until Aug. 22nd, the exhibit is located in the lower level of the museum. With over 30 pieces being featured, the majority medium presented is photography.

TWO WORDS LED TO MSU GAINING A LEAD AGAINST UMICH IN SUNDAY'S GAME: Two words helped lead MSU to beating in-state rival Michigan this past Sunday with the score being 70-64. "Shoot it," Coach Izzo screamed from the bench inside of the Breslin at guard Joshua Langford. The player didn't have possession of the ball yet, but once he did he made the choice to remember his coach's screams from steps away. Langford said, "I practice that shot so much by myself, and I've seen myself hit those kinds of shots before." Langford said not only was coach Izzo yelling shoot it, but his teammates were too. What a great win for the Spartans!

Script writer: Chandra Fleming

The State is produced by The State News and Impact 89FM.