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New and returning Spartans settle down in East Lansing

August 26, 2014
<p>Veterinary Science Freshman Mara Adamski and Grayling, Mich. resident Shelly Adamski move into Bailey hall during fall move in on Aug. 23, 2014. All freshmen are required to live on campus, this makes move in days quite hectic for students and parents. Jessalyn Tamez/The State News. </p>

Veterinary Science Freshman Mara Adamski and Grayling, Mich. resident Shelly Adamski move into Bailey hall during fall move in on Aug. 23, 2014. All freshmen are required to live on campus, this makes move in days quite hectic for students and parents. Jessalyn Tamez/The State News.

Photo by Jessalyn Tamez | The State News

“I’m in love with (campus), it’s amazing and it’s a great atmosphere,” Smeenge said.

After moving in for the first time, many freshmen experienced the East Lansing night life for the first time.

Molly Fischl, human development and family studies freshman, experienced her first jam-packed and sweaty fraternity party this past week.

“It was so hot and there was a lot of body heat,” Fischl said. “You couldn’t even see the floor.”

With each new year comes changes to campus, whether it be the ever-evolving student population or the new building renovations. This year, MSU has welcomed a steady student population in addition to new and improved student living spaces.

A Fresh Start

Before the school year even begins, MSU is busy preparing new students for their first year on campus.

Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of Undergraduate Studies Douglas Estry said the Academic Orientation Program, or AOP, is one of the most important components in new student development.

“Beyond simply assisting them with their courses and engaging them with the physical environment, it is an opportunity to introduce them to the traditions, mission, values and goals of the university,” Estry said in an email.

Estry also said AOP is a time for students to begin interacting with the diverse student population.

For international students, AOP begins a week before school starts on Aug. 18.

“I think international students coming to campus have the same issues as domestic students and a whole other layer and level of complexity to it... (it is) important to acknowledge that and be as supportive as we can be, since we are all part of the Spartan nation,” Director of the Office for International Students and Scholars Peter Briggs said.

For international students, adjusting to the learning curve can be tricky.

International relations sophomore John Tengatenga, who is from Malawi, Africa, first expected the university to be smaller because of his perception of colleges in his country.

“There was a huge difference first of all in the size of school,” Tengatenga said. “Things seem more efficient, the professors are easy to access and so are (teaching assistants) and tutors.”

Besides getting used to the U.S. education system, Tengatenga was also introduced to new people and cultures.

“This school is full of international students and domestic students and I am able to learn their cultures while exchanging my ideas,” he said.

After orientation programs for new and international students have concluded, move-in takes campus by storm. Residence Education and Hospitality Services, or REHS, oversees the move-in process and takes an “all hands on deck” approach, REHS Director Kathy Collins said.

“Staff will be working, in addition to thousands of volunteers, faculty and staff from across campus and from the local community,” Collins said.

Alumni came back to campus to help with moving in nearly 7,000 new students on Sunday, Collins added.

“We want people to have that day be their favorite day on campus,” Collins said.

New Student Spaces

With the start of a new school year comes a slew of renovated residence and dining halls ready for student use.

During the summer, REHS was busy renovating multiple halls across campus including Landon and Butterfield Hall, with ongoing renovations in Akers Hall.

Butterfield has been completely renovated with a new lobby, study spaces, room furniture, bathrooms.

Collins said Butterfield Hall concludes the renovations of all Brody Complex Neighborhood buildings.

Landon Hall was also renovated this summer and was given new lounges, a new front desk area, furniture and bathrooms. Collins said that a unique addition to Landon is the new music practice rooms.

The renovation of Landon also adds a new dining hall to North Neighborhood, she said.

Heritage Commons, the newest cafeteria on campus, will serve as the culinary focal point for the west side of North Neighborhood after the closure of Yakeley’s dining hall.

Although the renovations in Akers won’t be completed until January 2015, Collins said the staff worked to renovate the student lounges this summer. Once Akers is completed, one new dining hall will have been added to every neighborhood, Collins said.

Assistant Director of Residential Dining for Culinary Services Matt McKune said dining halls will now offer take-out 7 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday. Students can get take-out as part of their Combo-X-Change once a day.

The Crossroads Food Court in the International Center will also see the addition of UP Pizzeria, which will offer salads, pasta, calzones, and of course, pizza.

Growing Colleges

In addition to preparing for bigger and better student living and dining areas, multiple MSU colleges have been preparing for a larger influx of students.

Senior Associate Director in the Office of Admissions Mike Cook said in a previous interview his office predicts the incoming freshman class to be slightly smaller than last year’s 7,850, with an estimated 7,800 freshman starting this fall.

Despite this trend, both the College of Engineering and the Honors College reported a larger incoming freshman class than last year.

For the College of Engineering, the growing class size is a continuing trend from last year.

Patrick Walton, a professor in the college and Director of the first-year engineering student program CoRe, said nearly 18 percent of the total incoming freshman class, which is about 1,400 students, will join the College of Engineering this fall.

Walton said the college doubled the amount of sections available for first-year student classes already, but more professors are needed to expand further. Since hiring a new professor can take more than a year, Walton said the larger class sizes are a temporary fix.

Walton said he is not surprised by the steady growth in engineering students.

“What often happens in times of bad economies is students gravitate to majors with strong employment, majors that are easy to employ and make a good salary,” he said.

The Honors College will also see a slight jump in student enrollment, with about 600 students — the largest in history — compared to last fall’s 529. While class sizes in honors sections were not much of an issue, finding residential college living options for a larger student population was.

Honors College Dean Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore said she believes the growth reflects a strengthening of MSU’s academic reputation.

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