Thursday, March 28, 2024

101 things every spartan should do before graduating from MSU

Let this quintessential guide keep you on track for your four (or more) year ride through Spartan life. In no particular order:

1. Go to Mac's Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, and see some bands — it's worth it.

2. Go to the McPherson speaker series.

3. Wander through Lansing, go to the Capitol and Dimitri's Restaurant, 104 S. Washington Square.

4. Do the midnight scream during finals week in South Complex on campus.

5. Ride CATA bus route 1 for the cultural aspects.

6. Play in an IM-Sports match or join an IM-Sports team. There are some great ones like inner tube water polo and broomball.

7. Get a haircut from a student at Douglas J Aveda Institute — it's cheaper than you'd think.

8. Take a jog through campus.

9. Attend a big sports game like basketball or football.

10. Get bubble tea at Udon, 134 N. Harrison Road. Every other place is like the McDonalds of bubble tea.

11. Volunteer at the Student Organic Farm; they will pay you in vegetables, and they throw excellent potlucks and wine fests.

12. Participate in Critical Mass on the last Friday of every month. It happens rain or shine, and you meet a ton of people who really love their bikes.

13. Take a walk around Baker Woodlot.

14. Feed the ducks by the Red Cedar River.

15. Go check out the MSU Museum — it's free.

16. Do something different: Go to the annual MSU Drag Show in April, or check out a drag show at Spiral Video Dance Bar, 1247 Center St. in Lansing.

17. Go to Kresge Art Museum and check out an art show. Sometimes there is free food if you get there on the first day of the exhibit.

18. Go to the Campus Center Cinemas at Wells Hall to watch movies on the weekends — it's free for on-campus students.

19. Do a community service project or volunteer to tutor.

20. Participate in activities that your resident mentor or dorm organizes.

21. Expand your horizons and check out an MRULE, ASMSU or RHA meeting.

22. Find a class that you're interested in and take it because you want to, not because you have to.

23. Find deals at local bars during the week. Harper's Restaurant & Brewpub, 131 Albert Ave., is half-off on Wednesdays.

24. Stay up the entire night on the fourth floor of the Main Library.

25. Participate in a psychology experiment for cash.

26. Join the Outing Club. It's $15 per semester, and you can rent all the hiking/climbing/skiing/whatever gear you want. They go on trips every month, too.

27. Wander through Lansing, go to the Capitol and Dimitri's Restaurant, 104 S. Washington Square.

28. Visit the original ceramic Sparty statue in the football stadium.

29. Go to Pinball Pete's, 220 Albert Ave., and play pool or an arcade game.

30. Spend a night studying at the 24-hour Beaner's on Grand River Avenue, next to Crunchy's.

31. Go to a show at the Wharton Center.

32. Go to the MSU Dairy Store.

33. Go to the 4-H Children's Garden and play on the musical tiles.

34. Canoe down the Red Cedar River.

35. Go to Abrams Planetarium and see a show.

36. Write a letter to the editor for The State News' Opinion Page.

37. Protest something.

38. Swim in Lake Lansing.

39. Make friends with a professor.

40. Go to an East Lansing City Council meeting.

41. Play beer pong.

42. Learn the fight song.

43. Do a keg stand.

44. Paint the rock on Farm Lane.

45. Go to a UAB activity at the Union.

46. See a band at the Auditorium.

47. Picnic at Beaumont Tower.

48. Go into the basement of Mayo Hall — it's creepy.

49. Skip class on the first day of spring and lie by the Red Cedar River.

50. Get involved — do something you're passionate about or join a campus group that interests you.

51. Swim at the IM Sports-West outdoor pool when it's warm, or swim in the indoor pool at IM Sports-Circle.

52. Go to Sparty's Spring Party in April near Demonstration Field. There's free food, good bands and sports tournaments.

53. Order food later than 1 a.m.

54. Show your Spartan spirit at a sporting event — paint your face and wear green and white.

55. Go bowling or play pool at the Union.

56. Bike/walk/run on the 8-mile Lansing River Trail.

57. Get a Long Island Iced Tea at The Peanut Barrel Restaurant, 521 E. Grand River Ave.

58. Eat at every cafeteria on campus. You're missing out because they all offer something different.

59. Visit the Capitol building in Lansing.

60. Join a pick-up volleyball or basketball game outside the dorms.

61. Spend at least one summer in East Lansing.

62. Go on a bar crawl with your friends and get matching T-shirts.

63. Wear pajamas or sweatpants for a whole week or even a month.

64. Go to a cultural event on campus.

65. Sell your textbooks back online.

66. Visit the agricultural areas of MSU — go to the cattle, horse or sheep barns.

67. Study outside in the Beal Botanical Garden or behind Student Services.

68. Build a blanket fort in your dorm room.

69. Work on campus for a semester.

70. Go to the annual MSU Rodeo — you could see a classmate riding a bull.

71. Go tailgating before 8 a.m. or host your own tailgate.

72. Take a random road trip with friends for a weekend.

73. Get a $3.99 MSU T-shirt from Campus Corner, 501 E. Grand Rive Ave.

74. Vote in a campus or local election.

75. Rate your classes or professors on www.allmsu.com.

76. Buy your family MSU T-shirts for birthday and holiday gifts.

77. Request a song on the Impact student radio station.

78. Go see or participate in the Vagina Monologues.

79. Take a tour of Beaumont Tower. Sit on the benches outside the tower on Sundays and listen to the bells.

80. Go on a study abroad trip. MSU has programs in 60 countries and on all continents.

81. Get your picture taken with Zeke the Wonder Dog.

82. Live on campus for at least one year.

83. Go to a choir, jazz or orchestra concert.

84. Change your major more than once.

85. Try to meet one new person every day for a week or meet everyone on your floor.

86. Learn a foreign language that most students don't study. 87 Go to events the city puts on, such as the JazzFest or the East Lansing Film Festival.

88. Be an extra in a film or telecommunication student's movie.

89. Decorate your dorm room door.

90. Play Ultimate Frisbee outside at Adams Field.

91. Pass out Halloween candy to children that trick-or-treat in the dorms.

92. Sing karaoke at Crunchy's, 254 W. Grand River Ave.

93. Go out every night of Welcome Weekend.

94. Go to a concert at Breslin Center.

95. Take a nap between classes in a dorm lounge or outside behind Wells Hall.

96. Buy something from the MSU Surplus Store, 1344 S. Harrison Road. You can get anything from furniture to bikes for less than $100.

97. Go see the stars at public observing nights at the MSU Observatory on the corner of Forest and College Roads.

98. Tour the Cyclotron.

99. Walk through the greenhouses next to Old Horticulture.

100. Make an appointment to speak with the MSU president about a campus issue that's important to you.

101. Stand up during an IAH or ISS class you are not enrolled in and leave in disgust.

Compiled by Holly Klaft from State News staff submissions.

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