Away from home
For Nick Cantone, being an out-of-state student isn’t easy.

Cantone, a history sophomore, lives a stone’s throw from Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.

To make the commute from New York to East Lansing, Cantone travels more than 563 miles and spends and endless amount of money on airfare and train tickets. Despite the distance, after researching many schools throughout the country, he decided MSU was the right choice for him.

“There are times when I would like to be with my family and good friends at home,” Cantone said. “I’m kind of stuck sometimes.”

Cantone, who pays $16,363 more in tuition than in-state students per year, said money can be tight for him when going to school away from home.

Although many students have the luxury to travel home on the weekends or for holidays, he said he has to plan his trips more carefully with costs being higher. He said he wasn’t able to travel home for Thanksgiving and isn’t planning another trip home until spring break.

Although it can be tough going to school out of state, Cantone said being away from home allows him more time to take his schooling seriously.

Being away from friends and family has decreased his time to slack off, and Cantone said his grade-point average has improved since his time in high school.

“Most college kids have a lot of freedom, but I pretty much do what I want around here,” Cantone said. “The fact that I’m out here at a great university, having a great time makes it worth it.”

Advancing through education
Six times every semester, Austin Jackson brings at-risk black students from the Detroit area to MSU as part of the My Brother’s Keeper Program.

Jackson, an assistant professor in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, said the program serves as an intervention to the students to make up for what school systems in Detroit are lacking.

For Jackson, a black faculty member, these statistics represent a greater problem facing education in the U.S.

Currently at MSU, less than five percent of faculty members are black.

He said there are fewer minority professors at MSU because fewer minority students are graduating from high school and continuing to receive higher education.

“One out of every four black males will drop out of school,” Jackson said. “One out of four black males will be at risk for incarceration, at risk for unemployment — in some way debilitating or fully participating in our educational, social and economic life.”

Jackson said the number of black faculty who are not on a tenure track is significantly higher, and the backbone of a major research university such as MSU are the professors who are tenured.

To improve the numbers of tenure-track black faculty, Jackson said the change must start with the public school systems. Although charter schools and school of choice create viable options for students, Jackson said it’s not a good solution for everybody and there’s a lot of work to do.

“Many African American and Latino students are dropping out before they get to high school — let alone college,” Jackson said. “To become a college professor, obviously you have to continue your education.”

Question of patriotism
America MacDermaid was caught off guard when her patriotism came into question.

MacDermaid, an elementary education freshman, said her class was having a discussion about if it’s acceptable to wear the confederate flag because of its negative connotation to some people. She said if someone told her not to wear the American flag, she still would do it because it has a positive connotation to her.

MacDermaid’s teacher said she was surprised MacDermaid was so patriotic because she’s Native American.

“I was just so taken back — I stopped talking for the rest of the class and said something to her at the end,” MacDermaid said. “I didn’t choose my race, and I have to live with the few disadvantages I have and it just wasn’t fair for her to bring it up.”

Although students of other ethnicities enroll at MSU at a much higher rate, Native Americans make up less than one percent of the student population. Currently, there are about 110 times more white students who enroll at MSU than Native Americans.

MacDermaid said the thought of Native Americans being less patriotic than another ethnicity is one that never crossed her mind, and she thought it was an ignorant opinion on the professor’s part. She said she takes her patriotism seriously and doesn’t think it makes her care about her country less because of her race.

“A lot of Native Americans don’t go into higher education, but I love it here,” MacDermaid said. “It pushes me harder to be a better student.”

More than the movies
For about every 17 people you meet at MSU, one of those people will be a member of the greek community — people like Liam Daley.

Daley, an economics senior and recruitment chairman for the Epsilon Nu chapter of Psi Upsilon Fraternity at MSU, said he joined the fraternity as a freshman. He said he came to MSU with no intention of joining a fraternity because his views of the greek system were based on television and movies.

Daley said the greek system gets a bad reputation because of how it’s portrayed in the media and in movies, such as “Animal House” and “American Pie Presents Beta House.” For Daley, the greek system is about camaraderie and philanthropy.

“(Being in a fraternity is) more about friendship and brotherhood — I know it sounds cheesy,” Daley said. “It’d be cool if college was like (the movies), but you’re going to fail out of college if you get drunk every weekend.”

Being a part of the greek system has been an enjoyable experience for Daley, and he said he encourages others to take part.

“Most of the guys (who will be) standing at my wedding, I met through my fraternity,” Daley said. “It’s not for everyone — some people are into it and some aren’t. But it’s worth taking a look at.”

Other Stats:

With the money an in-state student saves from going to MSU — a difference of $16,362 — equates to the cost of 23 32GB iPhone 4 without a contract, more than 1,404 large Domino’s one-topping pizzas, nearly 273 versions of the Madden 2011 video game.

In ten years, the average GPA of an MSU student in high school increase by .12. GPA’s were 3.48 in 2000 and 3.6 in 2009.

In the school year 2008-09, students spent 18,957 credit hours with study abroad credits.

You could watch The Social Network, which is 120 minutes long, almost 158 times.

You could buy eight of Rich Rod’s varsity jackets, priced at about $250, with the money you saved.

Total cost for Michigan Resident to come to MSU: 21,548 (2009-10)
Total cost for Michigan Resident to come to U-M: 23,721 (2009-10)

That’s the Michigan difference.

There were 32,618 total students at MSU in 2009 between the ages on 18-22. You would need more than two Breslin Centers to fit all of those students inside.

For every man you meet on campus, there are 1.09 women.