Rewind. It’s 7 a.m., and Academics and Administration Reporter and journalism junior Riley Murdock waits outside the Veterans Memorial Courthouse in Lansing. It’s the final day of Nassar’s sentencing and Murdock knows he needs a seat for the 8 a.m. start.

By 9 a.m., Editor-in-Chief and journalism senior Rachel Fradette is in the newsroom prepping the newspaper, which will go to press at 5 p.m. 

And as Nassar’s sentencing nears its end, students take notice. City Editor and journalism junior Souichi Terada and General Assignment Sports Reporter and journalism sophomore Kara Keating tweet photos around 12:30 p.m. of the droves of students gathered around TVs throughout campus.

At 7 p.m., Campus Editor and journalism sophomore Madison O’Connor looks over her story one last time. “Source: MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon to step down before end of week” the headline reads. Editorial Adviser Omar Sofradzija leaves the call to Fradette and O’Connor. He leaves for the evening. O’Connor hits the publish button and the story breaks. 

One hour and 45 minutes later, President Lou Anna K. Simon resigns. The editors change the cover of the paper before sending it back to the printing press. 

One more day of reporting turns into one more month of national attention toward MSU. One more month adds to the almost two years of reporting on Nassar and adds to the 109 years The State News has covered MSU.

And all of it — every article, every late night, every issue — is for you, the students of MSU.

This week marks Student Election Week at MSU. We urge you to exercise your right to vote, and as you fill out your ballot, consider voting “Yes” on the proposed State News tax referendum so we can continue to provide transparent coverage of your university.

The referendum would add $2.50 per student per semester to the tax, which currently stands at $5 per semester. It isn’t a lot, but would go a long way in keeping The State News and its journalists alive in an industry that’s seen dramatic decreases in revenue from advertising.

The State News is independent from MSU. We receive no money from the university. Instead, our revenue largely comes from advertising and the student tax — a tax that has not seen an increase since 2001. The $2.50 we’re asking for will make up for inflation increases.

We call on you, the students, to support this referendum because we want to serve you to the fullest. We want to provide you with the best coverage of your — and our — university from an independent, local viewpoint.

This referendum will allow us to cover the university with the maximum amount of resources and will allow other students pursuing journalism to have the opportunity to cover important stories during a critical time in the university’s history.

Every student at MSU is here to make a difference in the world. Help us do the same.

To vote “Yes” to support The State News, go to studentelections.msu.edu. Voting opened April 2 and closes April 9.