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ASMSU supports fall break, but not on Election Day

January 24, 2020
<p>MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. speaks during an ASMSU general assembly meeting on Jan. 16, 2020 at the MSU International Center. </p>

MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. speaks during an ASMSU general assembly meeting on Jan. 16, 2020 at the MSU International Center.

Photo by Matt Zubik | The State News

The Associated Students of Michigan State University, or ASMSU, continues its fall break advocacy — but not for Election Day, according to a recent statement.

“ASMSU has advocated for a fall break and for an Election Day office holiday,” said Mario Kakos, the president of ASMSU. "We never advocated for the second and third, specifically, that was never an advocacy point for the fall break to fall on that date.”

In 2018, ASMSU passed a bill to support the exemption of classes on Election Day, but the student government does not support the combination with fall break, according to the statement.

“These were two separate advocacy points that are kind of getting, they're getting combined,” Kakos said. “ ... It's all pilot. So, nothing is finalized. And I think it's easy for people to look at those two dates as being final. So President Stanley's committed to working with us still in getting days for students and the greater MSU community.”

ASMSU supports both an Election Day break and a fall break as separate breaks, Kakos said, negotiations are ongoing with MSU's fall break committee and the Academic and Public Student Offices.

Kakos said he expects and hopes both of these initiatives are made possible. Seeing as fall break has been instituted at both President Samuel L. Stanley and Interim Provost Teresa A. Sullivan’s former institutions.

“I hope we have both of those things to work out this fall. I won’t be there for it, but definitely for the future generations of Spartans,” Kakos said. “ ... I'm excited and I wouldn't say stunned but I've been pretty impressed by how much engagement we've gotten from the greater community with this. I think it's a great opportunity for ASMSU, and for ASMSU to really say what we believe in and elevating these two advocacy points.”

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