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ASMSU hosts "Know Your Rights" events

October 30, 2017
<p>Music education junior Isaiah Hawkins addresses members of the general assembly during an ASMSU meeting on Oct. 5, 2017 at Student Services. The meeting concluded by passing Bill 54-06 which aims to support sexual assault victims in the MSU community by a vote of 39-2-0.&nbsp;</p>

Music education junior Isaiah Hawkins addresses members of the general assembly during an ASMSU meeting on Oct. 5, 2017 at Student Services. The meeting concluded by passing Bill 54-06 which aims to support sexual assault victims in the MSU community by a vote of 39-2-0. 

Photo by Sylvia Jarrus | The State News

The governmental affairs and academic offices of ASMSU are each hosting "Know Your Rights" events that will feature speakers on topics tailored to the respective offices. 

The goal of both events is to educate students on what their rights and responsibilities are, both academically and legally. 

ASMSU President Lorenzo Santavicca said the events will benefit the student body. 

"For me, they focus on really important student issues and what's working and what's not in terms of their overall student experience at Michigan State University," Santavicca said. "And I think they'll be able to learn a lot about what our system is doing in 2017 to aid the student experience at Michigan State University both in the classroom and in the overall greater area of East Lansing."

The first "Know Your Rights Night" will be held on Nov. 6 in the Tower Room at the Union. Hosted by the office of governmental affairs, it will allow students to hear from residential and hospitality services as well as the East Lansing Police Department and the MSU Police Department. 

"'Know Your Rights Night' is a night to bring students together to learn their rights on campus, off campus, within the MSU PD, the ELPD, and in general," Vice president for governmental affairs Tyler VanHuyse told the general assembly last week. 

 Santavicca said the event will be very useful. 

 "The ... 'Know Your Rights' event is going to be focused on the student rights and the overall campus student lifestyle of being a Spartan," Santavicca said.

"Academic Know Your Rights Night" will also feature speakers ranging from students' rights advocates to lawyers to faculty members.  It will be held in the James Madison College Library at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. 

"It's going to be hosted by ASMSU," Vice President for Academic Affairs Ewurama Appiagyei-Dankah said. "We're also going to have some faculty representatives there so we can give a really holistic picture of what their rights and responsibilities look like and what other rights on campus are as far as who to go to for grievances."

Santavicca also remarked on the quality of the speakers who will attend Academic Know Your Rights Night.

"So, the event specifically focused on our academics is going to feature two individuals that are there to help mediate situations where students might be in a hard time with a professor or faculty members, and they find the compromise in the academic setting," Santavicca said.

Appiagyei-Dankah outlined the purpose of the event. 

"So, the plan for Academic Know Your Rights Night is just to help students know what their academic rights are, and help them have a better understanding of what faculties' responsibilities are as well," Appiagyei-Dankah said. 

Academic Know Your Rights Night will also give students the chance to learn how to take handle their complaints. Appiagyei-Dankah said she worked with faculty to organize this event.

"Students have academic grievances," Appiagyei-Dankah said. "Especially around this time of year as midterms are happening, people are starting to figure out what their grades look like."

Appiagyei-Dankah believes the academic event will benefit students. 

"I just think this is going to be a really cool event," Appiagyei-Dankah said. "There's good people who are going to be involved in this, and I think we have a really good lineup as far as helping students figure out what their rights and responsibilities are in their academic community."

Santavicca said both events will fulfill what he sees as a major responsibility of ASMSU — informing students of their rights. 

"I think one of the biggest responsibilities that we play on campus is to educate our student body about their rights as students and Spartans at Michigan State University," Santavicca said. "So, for us, these events are focused on bringing the key partners, stakeholders from around the university, to uphold and ultimately protect the student rights on campus."

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