Tuesday, April 7, 2026

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MICHIGAN

A competitive pair

East Lansing resident Devin Pascoe, 15, and Haslett resident Sam Parks, 14, are among the top five juvenile pair figure skaters in the United States, ranked fourth.

FEATURES

Student uses slam poetry to bring words to life

Words are powerful on their own, but when they are paired with raw emotion they can capture people in a whole new way. In slam poetry, the poet not only acts as a writer, but as a performer who reads their written words and emphasizes the emotions behind them with their voices and body language.

FEATURES

Vagina Monologues serve as a method of expression

Hundreds will gather this weekend at Wharton Center to watch MSU’s production of the episodic play, The Vagina Monologues. For some of the cast members, The Vagina Monologues is more than just a scripted performance. It hits home for a variety of reasons. Here are three of the women in this year’s performance and why they chose to get involved.

COMMENTARY

Take time to be kind to other students

It was an extremely cold day, just like many of the other days the university has encountered this winter. I was trekking toward South Kedzie Hall around 10 a.m. for my second morning class, while barely avoiding frostbite in the subzero weather.

COMMENTARY

No, we don’t show our vaginas

When my castmates and I proudly talk to people about The Vagina Monologues show, we tend to get questions like these: “You’re kidding, right?” or “What, do you all just show your vaginas on stage?”

MSU

Water levels in Great Lakes could rise

Trudging through snow and frigid winds might make for grueling travel between classes, but that same freeze might benefit the Great Lakes. Scientists predict the recent Arctic blasts will increase water levels and decrease temperatures in the Great Lakes, temporarily reversing a 15-year slump. Anne Clites, a physical scientist at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, predicts the water levels of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron will increase by 10–12 inches this upcoming summer from this past summer. When cold, dry air sweeps across the lakes, it increases the evaporation rate, which results in more ice cover and lake-effect snow, said John Lenters, the senior scientist at the environmental consulting firm LimnoTech. Although this temporarily decreases water levels, ice lingers into late winter and early spring, capping further evaporation. Lenters predicts water-level gains this year because of lingering ice will result in cooler summer waters, leading to a later evaporation period next fall.