For so many people, music and arts are things people commonly use to destress or brighten up their day. For Michigan State University Engineering senior Semaj Willis, creative art has been part of his life right from the beginning.
Since 2021, 44 states have taken steps to restrict the teaching of critical race theory, as well as discussions of racism and sexism in classrooms, according to data from Education Weekly. 18 states have either signed these restrictions into law or approved similar actions. Black teacher education freshman Ferguson said these attacks on Black history affect both her identity and future profession. At the same time, they make her motivation to become a teacher stronger.
“Having a professor that looks like you is important because it shows what’s possible and it, at times, can provide a sense of belonging, where you’re not feeling isolated,” Sheri Lewis, an assistant professor in the Department of African American and African Studies, said. “You see there’s someone that looks like you, (and) possibly have (a) similar background as you, it can be motivating and inspiring and provides a sense of hope and belonging.”
Dr. LeConté Dill, an associate chair and professor in Michigan State University’s Department of African American and African Studies, is embarking on a dream-inspired play about Black motherhood.
The Asian Pacific American Student Organization, or APASO, hosted their annual Cultural Vogue event on Feb. 17. Michigan State University students gathered in Wharton Center's Cobb Great Hall to celebrate and honor Asian heritage and traditions through performances from various student organizations affiliated with APASO.
The MSU Latinx Film Festival hosted activist and artist Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son, Joaquin Oliver, was fatally shot in 2018 at Parkland High School. Oliver performed his one-man show entitled “Guac”-- in reference to his son’s nickname– that circles around losing a child to gun violence.
Students Demand Action and Sit Down MSU rallied against gun violence at the Lansing Capitol on Feb. 15, exactly a year after their first sit-down protest following the Feb. 13, 2023 MSU shooting.
While navigating strong feelings during the one-year mark of the Feb. 13 mass shooting at Michigan State University's campus, many students have shared their favorite moments and memories that have allowed them to focus on brighter aspects of their time at MSU.
Many Michigan State University students are in long distance relationships, or LDRs, and are separated from their significant others by factors like attending different colleges, studying abroad or working in different cities. Celebrating the holiday with their romantic partner is not always feasible, or possible.
Being a drum major is hard work, and music education senior Lacy Jewell and nursing freshman Tom McGovern know very well the difficulties – and payoffs – of being in that very position. But through the time they’ve been in this position, they’ve embraced every aspect of their role.
When local history often gets lost in the textbooks, it’s important to call to mind the icons who walked the same streets we do every day, including Malcolm X, one of the most prominent figures of the civil rights movement. Malcom X grew up in Lansing, Michigan. Arts and humanities professor John Aerni-Flessner focused his curriculum on Malcom X and his time in Lansing within his teaching career at MSU.
MSU libraries hosted a Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon event in an effort to bring together community to transcribing written letters to Frederick Douglass.
Michigan State University’s Asian Pacific American Student Organization is hosting its 21st annual Cultural Vogue at the Wharton Center this Saturday, Feb. 17.
Students, faculty, staff and community members gathered at the International Center on Michigan State University's campus and the Hannah Community Center in East Lansing to participate in the Healing Through Kindness and Service Event on Feb. 13. The event, meant to help the Spartan community heal and process on the one year anniversary of the mass shooting on MSU’s campus, was organized by Associated Students of Michigan State University, or ASMSU, and the Center for Community Engaged Learning, or CCEL.
As the one-year mark of the Feb. 13 shooting that took the lives of three students on Michigan State University's campus approaches, many students are seeing resurgences of the trauma they experienced and are finding ways to cope.
Michigan State University’s Surplus Store and Recycling Center hosted a DIY valentines and silly stuffed creatures event on Friday. The event was in part of its bimonthly Spartan Upcycle Friday program, which is free to all MSU students.
On Sept. 24, 2023, Taylor Swift attended her first Kansas City Chiefs game and has since attended numerous others. Her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, is a tight end for the team and her attendance at his games has sparked national conversation.
As the one-year mark of the Feb. 13 shooting on Michigan State University's campus approaches, MSU has implemented guidelines of having no exams and assignments due on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14. However, students weigh in about having exams on Feb. 12.
A year after the February 13th shooting, only one permanent memorial honoring the students who were killed graces Michigan State University’s campus – the 2022-23 Student Memorial Tree. Data science sophomore Clara Linjewile believes the university should work with the families of the students who passed away to truly honor their lives. “Given the context of how they passed away, I feel like their lives should just be honored in a more significant way,” Linjewile said.
"Funny Girl" will be at The Wharton Center starting Feb. 6 and running through Feb. 11.