Wednesday, April 29, 2026

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COMMENTARY

Kennedy disappointing choice for commencement speaker

MSU has let down its senior class by failing to bring in someone who fits that bill. Kennedy is an uninspiring, unimpressive and all-around disappointing choice for commencement speaker. No amount of recycled gowns or eco-friendly diplomas is enough to cover up that fact.

MSU

ASMSU's Academic Assembly selects new leaders

It was out with the old and in with the new during Academic Assembly’s officer elections Tuesday night. After ____ hours, Justin Epstein, Zachary Taylor and Chris Noffze officially ended their first meeting as chairperson and vice chairpersons of internal and external affairs, respectively. ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government. Each candidate was allowed 10 minutes for a speech followed by a 20 minute question and answer session. Epstein, who represented the Eli Broad College of Business during the 18th session, was elected 15-2 over College of Social Science representative Michael Lipphardt. Taylor, who represented James Madison College, ran unopposed for the position of vice chairperson of internal affairs and was elected by a vote of 16-0-0. The eventual vice chairperson of external affairs, Noffze, was part of the longest debate of the night.

NEWS

Rough rolling

Called the “female contact sport on wheels,” roller derby has found a home in Lansing. MSU and Lansing-area women came together in February to create a roller derby league — the Mitten Mavens — and after only a few meetings and a few flyers, they realized the interest was immense.

BASEBALL

Pitcher helps Spartans cruise past Broncos in rematch

The MSU baseball team beat Western Michigan, 6-3, on Tuesday at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing. Freshman pitcher Tony Wieber threw seven shutout innings for the Spartans. The Spartans will continue nonconference play Wednesday against Central Michigan at Dow Diamond in Midland, Mich.

MSU

MSU organization to host summit

The MSU Land Policy Institute will host the Michigan Land and Prosperity Summit at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Kellogg Center. Summit presenters will work toward finding solutions for the state in the areas of green infrastructure and strategic growth, among others.

MSU

Academic Council approves bylaws

MSU’s Academic Council approved updates to Academic Governance bylaws at its meeting Tuesday. About a half decade in the making, the changes include updates to names of university committees, clarifying roles for students and faculty in Academic Governance and redefining certain governance processes.

MSU

Book author set to speak Saturday

Farm Sanctuary president and co-founder Gene Baur will promote his book, “Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food,” with a stop at MSU. He will speak at 10 a.m. Saturday in Room B102 in Wells Hall.

MICHIGAN

SADD Day aims to deter drunken driving

Spartans Against Drunk Driving, or SADD, hosted SADD Day on Tuesday in front of the rock on Farm Lane to raise awareness about SADD and the dangers of drinking and driving. Officers from the East Lansing Police Department and the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety and members of SADD passed out information cards and stickers to encourage students not to drink and drive.

MICHIGAN

Officials and House discuss education

At a Michigan House of Representatives Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee meeting, MSU Extension director Tom Coon and Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, or MAES, director Steve Pueppke testified about the importance of funding these programs. MSU Extension and MAES are funded as part of the state’s higher education budget. The state Senate approved a 3.1 percent cut — about $2.4 million — to that budget for next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.