Friday, March 29, 2024

Gabrielle Russon

Recent Articles

NEWS

Students share methods of earning 4.0s

Everything was ready for her 21st birthday. Balloons covered Amanda Gorman's apartment, streamers hung from her bedroom door and martini glasses lined the table. But the Spanish senior had other things on her mind — in less than 24 hours was her test to become a certified Spanish teacher. It was a dilemma for Gorman, who will graduate this semester with a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average and who recently won an award from the MSU Board of Trustees for her grades. "I was trying to wait up till midnight for my birthday, but of course I was studying like crazy," she said. Her friends didn't buy her excuse to skip the celebration. "Your 21st birthday only comes around once in a lifetime," they told her.

NEWS

Memories of Morrill

In Morrill Hall, where history associate Professor Anne Meyering spends most of the day preparing her lectures, there lies a history more than a century old. The 107-year-old building where Meyering works wasn't always used for professors' offices and for the history and English departments. It once was the home of 120 women — the first place on campus built for them to live. "Before that, women could attend Michigan State and could take courses, but there was no housing for them," Meyering said. And the words Morrill Hall weren't always written above the door. At the turn of the 20th century, MSU students knew it as the Women's Building, cheekily nicknamed "the coop" because it housed only women. While the historic building's past is certain — retold in black-and-white photographs or documented in history books — its future is not so clear. By 2020, Morrill Hall is slated for possible demolition because the wooden beams and pillars holding up the building are lik Achilles' heel," said Jeff Kacos, director of campus planning and administration. "We expect the decision to be made to remove it," Kacos said.

NEWS

Student takes flight in Grand Ledge

Even after flying for two years, Cristy Devos still feels excited as she takes off at Grand Air Aviation in Grand Ledge. Now, with the airport less than 30 minutes away, the criminal justice junior often rents an airplane and cruises at 7,000 feet. "You can see everything — cars from the highway, houses," Devos said.

NEWS

A test of endurance

An all-you-can-eat pasta buffet was where Lindsey Polinko realized her hidden talent. Her high school cross country coach — a man who outweighed her by nearly 160 pounds — challenged her to a one-on-one eating contest. Soon, the empty bowls covered the table. "The chefs couldn't keep up with us," Polinko said. A competitive eater was born. The next day — after she had successfully out-eaten her coach — Polinko stepped on the scale and saw she was nine pounds heavier. But toss aside the pasta, the hot dog-eating contest at a local fair and dessert with every meal — the kinesiology freshman has another intense hobby: training for a triathlon. She's a member of the MSU Triathlon Club, a team that has no coach or mandatory practices.

NEWS

MIDDAY UPDATE: Students prepare for national triathlon

An all-you-can-eat pasta buffet was where Lindsey Polinko realized her hidden talent. Her high school cross-country coach — a man who outweighed her by nearly 160 pounds — challenged her to a one-on-one eating contest. Soon, the empty bowls covered the table. "The chefs couldn't keep up with us," Polinko said. A competitive eater was born. But toss aside the pasta, the hot dog-eating contest at a local fair and dessert with every meal — Polinko has another intense hobby: training for a triathlon. She's a member of the MSU Triathlon Club, a team that has no coach or mandatory practices.