"As a concerned senior, I ask you not to forget the period of history in which this university's school colors became teal and white instead of green and white."
"We call on them to step aside and make way for others who can better meet the needs of our university."
"I needed narratives from people I could identify with, but instead, experiences like mine are erased, glossed over, an afterthought."
"By advocating for change and working to support other survivors, my story was no longer about him but about survivors and the community working together to create something more powerful than he ever was."
"Survivors will never be able to end sexual violence on their own. We need you."
The State News' editor-in-chief introduces the 2020 survivors issue.
"Black history is very relevant now as we as a nation sort out a way to level the playing field. The past needs to be considered, and the American people need to have all the information."
"Sometimes at MSU, you can’t help but feel like an outsider."
"I was going to become a journalist, and I am going to be really good at it."
"Changing my major felt like this monumental thing; like I was changing a part of my identity. All my family members, old teachers, friends, and acquaintances knew me as a journalism major."
"Much of the programing revolving around marginalized communities fall under our responsibility, not the university's."
"Unluckily for me, as a Hispanic woman, my “Equal Pay Day” doesn’t technically come until November. A whole 11 months after the ball drops on New Years, I will only just come to see the same amount of money my white male coworker saw while they were sipping on champagne at midnight under the fireworks."
It can be expensive to go out — here are East Lansing bars that won't break the bank.
"I made up my mind that I was going to find a way to pay to attend, no matter what."
"Education is a public good and pursuing it shouldn’t cost students for years."
"Just because I have distractions now doesn't mean my mental health problems are cured. I still find myself being sad sometimes."
"Sometimes, I wish my body looked different. Other times, I wish my face looked different. It’s always something. These desires to look like someone other than myself usually come from what I see on social media."
The MSU vs. U-M rivalry extends to the schools' student papers in this annual dueling column.
"As students, we’re bound to go through things that prevent us from performing at our best. We might be too afraid to reach out to our professors for help during these times. Or we might end up reaching out to our professors only to have our struggles brushed off and be turned away. Either situation hurts."
During First Generation Appreciation Week at MSU, hear about Campus Reporter SaMya Overall's experience with being a first generation college student herself.