Dear fellow Spartans,

There has been no shortage of reasons to be proud of our university’s athletic programs this year.

After our women’s cross country team’s national championship in November and an exciting Cotton Bowl victory for the football team in January, we are coming together once against to cheer on the Spartan’s men’s basketball team as they advance to compete in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

When the Spartans play this coming weekend, we encourage all members of the MSU and East Lansing communities to celebrate the accomplishments of our men’s basketball team in a safe and respectful manner.

Avoid participating in behaviors that may cause physical harm to yourself, friends, neighbors or may result in the destruction of property. Dangerous celebrations such as these will likely lead not only to severe legal trouble, but also severe sanctions and possible dismissal from the university.

Times such as these are meant for celebration, but for too long there has been a small minority who believe taking part in destructive gatherings and burning furniture is a part of Spartan tradition. They are NOT. These types of activities only serve to embarrass our community and university, endanger the lives and livelihoods of those involved or around them and ultimately mar the reputation of an institution we are all so proud of.

We encourage responsible celebration within the Spartan community. Don’t be a bystander — if someone you know is about to do something destructive, stop them. If you feel that you or someone else may be in danger, call 911 and follow all instructions from public safety officials.

Let’s celebrate our basketball team’s achievements safely, respectfully and with class.

MSU is the first school in NCAA history to win all of its bowl games for four consecutive years while also making it to the men’s basketball Sweet 16 in each of those years. That is an amazing accomplishment that deserves to be recognized nationally — without an embarrassing story about how we celebrated it.

Let’s show the rest of the country what being a part of Spartan Nation truly means to us.

Go Green!

James Conwell

MSU student body president