Thursday, April 3, 2025

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Features

FEATURES

Spartans begin social networking site to aide in organization

MSU alumnus Roman Stotland, communication and economics senior Ajay Arumugam and MSU alumnus Justin Rappaport met as student employees at MSU’s College of Education. But since July 2009, they have been business founders of SocialTab Inc., a company that will offer products and services related to social media and public relations.

FEATURES

Love of learning leads Texas scholar to MSU

When he discovered the field of engineering, David Crouse fell in love with what he said seemed to be an expanded version of his treasured plastic bricks. Combined with home-schooling, his inquisitive personality and high school achievements, this passion has led Crouse to become one of three of MSU’s University Distinguished Scholars for 2010.

FEATURES

Exchange program offers change of pace

From kindergarten to high school, MSU exchange student Ju Ran Park from Seoul, South Korea attended competitive private schools, and is now discovering the differences between her hometown and her new MSU campus.

FEATURES

Underwater hockey club draws diverse group

In high school, Aaron Schwartz-Duval was on the swim team. Not wanting to abandon the pool entirely after going to college, he decided to embrace a different kind of water sport — underwater hockey. After joining the MSU underwater hockey club, Schwartz-Duval, now a biochemistry and molecular biology junior, said he’s gained an appreciation and understanding of a sport many in the U.S. don’t even know exists.

FEATURES

JazzFest brings community together

For jazz musician and Okemos resident Neil Gordon, Lansing JazzFest 2010 was not only about jazz music, but also the feeling of a community coming together. The annual festival, which is now in its 16th year, happened Friday and Saturday in Lansing’s Old Town. The event is one of many festivals thrown in Old Town to celebrate a variety of different musical genres, with this one focused on bringing jazz to the Lansing area and its residents.

FEATURES

Musician frequents E.L. for supportive scene

In the middle of Joe Hertler’s freshman year at Central Michigan University, he bought his first guitar and started what would become a lifelong relationship. Although not from the area, Hertler said the East Lansing music scene is one that makes the trip to town worth his while because it’s supportive of blossoming musicians like himself.

FEATURES

MSU senior turns basketball passion into successful web business

There are few 21-year-olds who can say they have complete financial independence. But entrepreneur and kinesiology senior Alex Maroko has just that. After spending his childhood dreaming of becoming a college basketball player, Maroko’s passion for the sport led him in a slightly different direction — helping others improve their game instead of working on his own.

FEATURES

Frontier Ruckus hits solid note with newest LP

From the familiar billboards on the highways to coming-of-age landmarks we all experience, Frontier Ruckus has made a CD that feels so close to home it would make anyone who’s kissed the mitten state goodbye want to pack up their bags and return home. As the band’s second full-length LP since they released “Orion’s Songbook” in 2008, the follow-up leaves nothing to be desired — which is more than impressive for a band still in the midst of building itself.

FEATURES

New album from M.I.A. steers away from artist's past successes

M.I.A. is no stranger to controversy. She’s been called many things since her debut album “Arular” hit the scene in 2005: a genius, a radical and, most recently, a hypocrite. But the one thing listeners and critics usually could agree on was the fact that her music, after all was said and done, was innovative, inspired and powerful. Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore.