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COMMENTARY

Student section booing "It's On Us" campaign ad is disrespectful

Emily Jenks
October 7, 2014

At the Nebraska game this Saturday at Spartan Stadium, an ad came on the big screens for The White House’s It’s On Us campaign, which is a call to arms for everyone ? yes, everyone, “not just men” ? to stop perpetuating the culture that generates sexual assault.The stadium watched quietly as the commercial played.

MSU

A major decision

Meagan Beck
October 6, 2014

Whether a student picks their major for job security or other purposes, a select few majors see a larger number of students than others.

FEATURES

MSU Bhangra team a blend of tradition, modernity

Brittanie Chludzinski
October 6, 2014

Amit Raizada. Sophomore. Human Biology. “It’s a folk dance that is very high energy and involves a lot of fast, upbeat movements.”Used to be all girls…it’s very different structurally than having girls and guys doing it…more partner work and the way guys do bhangra in a more manly way…adds a different element Gurwinder Singh (goes by Monty). Computer engineering. 4.5 years as student Second year on the team I’m Punjabi…that’s where the dance originates from so I knew about it. “It’s way more technical than you would think but it’s great. I love it.”"Performing is like an out of body experience. At first you're nervous but then it's pure adrenaline and you're just out there having fun." Neha Gohel. Human development and family studies senior It was co-ed…been all girls for three to four years…go back to co-edWe are a competitive team…around the world, wherever we can go!3-4 minute video, wear black (can’t know where you’re from) if the judges want to see us compete, we get invited R2B2 in Dallas…has placed first place three years in a row (two years ago didn’t place but it was still a great experience)It was really cool because personally I didn’t do bhangra growing up, but I did do other Indian forms of dancingDidn’t know what to expect…when I showed up it was so cool that different colleges also have these teams. We all go to share our own experiences and there’s always a mixer the night before the comp. "We're not an all Indian team, so it's really cool to see how everyone interacts with each other, and how non-Punjabis can be on the team too." Coming into it, I had no idea…freshmen year I was really scared had no idea what I was getting myself intoDancing is a great workout…started dancing when I was 7 years old so it’s always been one of my bigger passions…it’s just cool how I got family out of it too! “We all hype each other up. You just get this energy from your team members.”Navmeet Dhillon. 5th year. Communication. On since freshmen year, took year off last year, this is 4th yearBeen to R2B2 in Dallas Tampa Bay, Florida Washington D.C. Most of them usually happen in second semester One of the reasons I came back was because I was just itching to come back and compete…it’s like going to a competition versus being in a competition is completely different "Over the years I have met so many people that I still keep in touch with. It becomes a sense of community, and it has helped me learn how to connect with others in a different way.”Didn’t know what I was signing up for freshmen year…just signed up because I like to danceThere are teams from all over…mainly went on the east coast there’s a lot on the west coast but it’s more expensive Meet people from EVERYWHEREIt’s a lot of fun because you get to know people really well…we always talk about interacting with each other on stage. If you have chemistry as a team, the audience can automatically see it and if they see you’re having fun, they have funClose-knit, like a family Family away from home…sometimes we will just sit around vent. Or you need someone to cheer you up! After you dance, you just feel so much better. It’s the biggest stress reliever. Stopped because I needed to focus on school, but it didn’t work….needed it back!Used to just think it was fun to watch and never thought of it…now that she’s doing it, she questions why she never thought of it before! “The happiest I am, is when I’m dancing”What’s cool about bhangra is that it can be traditional and modern…the music is mixed in with American music…it still has it’s traditional aspects "Even though it looks like we are going crazy on stage with our fast movement, a lot of grace gets put into it, and it is a very powerful style as well."