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MSU

How to avoid the 'Freshman 15'

A new year is upon at MSU, which means a brand new start to the dreaded "freshman fifteen" cycle. Everyone knows that the "freshman fifteen" is a joke that freshman, newly arriving to college, will be amazed at the different types and varieties of food on campus.

MSU

For comic artists, drawing is a way of expression

Hollow Mountain Comics and Games hosted a comic book signing Saturday that included Michigan State University’s Graphic Novels Club, MSU students and alumni. Alumnus Brandon Hankins was one of the featured authors on the signing event — his new comic “Shadow of a Doubt Plus” was featured at the event.

MSU

Students create petition for changes in Snyder-Philips dining hall

“We're confused. We're upset. We're hungry,” MASP quad also known as Mason and Abbot and Snyder-Phillips hall’s students have put together a petition voicing grievances with the Snyder-Philips dining hall. The petition already has 430 online signatures after only five days and has been adding more each day hoping to reach 500 supporters.  The group has directed the letter towards Eat at State and plan to show their petition to them in hope for changes. They list grievances with The Gallery at Snyder-Philips as follows: lack of fresh cut fruit all-day, the departure of the weekly Wok-A-Palooza and the early closing of Bliss, the dessert area of the dining hall. “They are trying to fix something that's not broken," said English sophomore and petitioner Lauren Semack.

MSU

Freshmen begin to prepare for first college exams

With the school year beginning to pick up speed, many freshman are starting to take their first college quizzes and exams.  Although many students have already spent hours preparing for their first college exam, the nervousness of taking it still persists. Marketing freshman Peter Garfinkel said he hopes his first college exam won’t be too hard, but knows he will have to put forth an effort in order to do well on it. “I’m hoping it won’t be too different than high school’s exams were,” Garfinkel said.

MSU

MSU Board of Trustees approves plan to install solar arrays on parking lots

On Friday, the MSU Board of Trustees unanimously approved a plan to install solar arrays on parking lots all over campus through the Energy Transition Plan. The $2.5 million budget, funded through the utility reserve, will connect the MSU electrical grid to the electrical output of the solar power panels. MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities, or IPF, building services will design and install the interconnection of the MSU electrical grid and solar power. Parking lots 83, 89, 91, 92 and 100 were proposed as the spots where solar arrays will be installed. MSU plans enter into a long-term Power Purchase Agreement for renewable energy and to purchase all power produced by the solar arrays at a fixed rate. After six years of operation, MSU will have the option to purchase the arrays at a one or more times. The solar power-generating system is expected to eventually yield up to 10 megawatts of power for MSU's campus about 16 percent of the power used during MSU peak hours of 11 am to 7 pm. Wolfgang Bauer, an MSU physics professor and senior consultant with the Office of the Executive Vice President said during the meeting that the solar arrays have potential to save MSU up to $10 million in annual electrical costs.  Bauer said that he estimates the cost of the arrays will be between $25 and $30 million and that doing the instillation as an institution as opposed to having another firm would be more expensive for the university. Bauer said all of the green energy changes is to achieve higher performance, lower costs and higher efficiency. "If you think about what you're reading in the newspaper about increasing costs of energy, what we've done is try to insulate ourselves from that turmoil at the same time of trying to shave costs," said President Lou Anna K.