Looking back on the week of January 8 - January 14
Campus
ASMSU’s Student Assembly voted nearly unanimously with one representative abstaining to modify the language of the constitution to reflect a merging of the Student and Academic assemblies.
ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.
The bill now must pass a vote in the Academic Assembly on Tuesday. If the bill passes there, it will go to a special election of the student body.
Global car-sharing company Zipcar came to campus this week, offering a car-sharing service for the first time at MSU. Six different vehicles are available across campus for students, faculty and staff members with safe driving records.
The price of parking, gas and maintenance are covered by the company. Users pay hourly weekday rates of $8 and weekend rates of $9 to drive the cars.
The program operates at more than 225 campuses worldwide and research has shown each car can take at least 15 personal vehicles off the road.
At MSU, Zipcars can be found between Wilson and Holden halls and near the International Center and Abrams Planetarium.
Brian Breslin and Mitch Lyons were welcomed to their first meeting with the MSU Board of Trustees on Wednesday. Trustee Joel Ferguson was re-elected as chairperson of the board and Trustee Melanie Foster was re-elected as vice chairperson.
Ferguson’s re-election marks the third consecutive term and fourth term overall he has served as chairperson of the board.
Trustee Dianne Byrum said Ferguson and Foster displayed similar priorities for the board in the coming two years of their term.
“Through their comments today, our No. 1 priority is the education of the students enrolled at MSU,” she said.
City
Those planning to update to their horizontal driver’s licenses. come their 21st birthdays will have to venture to Frandor. The East Lansing Secretary of State office, located at 400 Albert St., is slated to close Feb. 4.
State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, is heavily criticizing the move. First introduced by former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land in November 2009, it was presented as a way to better offer services offered by the department.
A bill passed by the House last spring would have prevented mergers of numerous Secretary of State branches across the state. It never cleared the Senate.
“I believe it will inconvenience students,” Meadows said of the closure. “The center of population on campus is much closer to the East Lansing location.”
The death of hospitality business senior Michael Wolcott has been ruled accidental after toxicology reports by the Ingham County Medical Examiner showed a combination of Wolcott’s prescribed medications, a bout of pneumonia and severe asthma led to a lack of oxygen which was the cause of death.
East Lansing police Capt. Tom Johnstone confirmed the death was accidental and no alcohol was involved. Johnstone said deaths caused by mixing drugs are a rare occurrence in East Lansing.
“We have had stuff in our past with different chemicals,” Johnstone said. “Most involved alcohol. … I wouldn’t call it a common occurrence.”
The first student tenants moved into the Hatch this week. The Hatch, a local incubator for student businesses, allows young entrepreneurs to get solid footing before branching out on their own.
Young entrepreneurs can struggle making connections in the business world, said F. Samuel Carter, an associate professor for marketing at MSU.
“Being credible, or being taken seriously, and then just access to the broader business community, are two of (student entrepreneurs’) major challenges,” Carter said.
Carter said facilities such as the Hatch can help in this area.