Section of Chestnut Road closed due to construction on Farm Lane bridge

Part of the Spartan Statue intersection will be closed until May 1 due to construction on the Farm Lane bridge. Chestnut Road was closed before the start of the spring semester. While there is no construction being performed on Chestnut, the detour aims to protect pedestrians by reducing overflow traffic from the Farm Lane closure. The detour reroutes vehicles along Kalamazoo Street and Demonstration Hall Road. Michigan State Infrastructure Planning and Facilities (IPF) sent out a campus-wide email announcing the closure on Dec.

Rep. Emily Dievendorf, D-Lansing, has proposed a bill of rights for homeless Michigan residents

Steep challenges face homeless students, experts say

STUDENT HOMELESSNESS: Homeless students often slip under the radar, and their plight draws insufficient attention from college administrators and others, advocates say. We learn about what Northern Michigan University is doing to address the problem, hear from the Michigan Association of State Universities and talk to a Lansing lawmaker who is pushing to establish a bill of rights for homeless Michigan residents. By Elijah Taub. FOR MARQUETTE, LANSING CITY PULSE, SAULT STE. MARIE, IRON MOUNTAIN, ST. IGNACE AND ALL POINTS.

Protests disrupt Pete Buttigieg speaking event at Michigan State

On Nov. 29, several protests took place outside of Michigan State University’s Kellogg Center as U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg held a speaking event inside the venue. The event was one of many along the secretary’s recent speaking tour that has been met with protests. 

Three distinct groups protested the event: the Sunrise Movement, Michigan State’s Hurriya Coalition, and Climate Defiance. The Sunrise Movement, which is a national grassroots movement advocating for climate justice, hung banners out of the Kellogg Center’s main parking garage, where most event attendees were entering. The three banners read in all capital letters: You have blood on your hands; Biden: Fund climate action not genocide; and Biden: Declare a climate emergency

The entrance to Thrive Dining Hall

Students wish MSU’s allergen free dining hall could be open for longer hours

Living With Food Allergies

Living away from home and learning time management skills are only some of the many challenges incoming college students face. But for some, figuring out how to navigate the dining halls brings even more anxiety. 

“I think for anyone with food allergies, coming into a college setting can be really stressful,” MSU freshman Alina Morse said. 

Morse manages her allergies to wheat and tree nuts daily. This was part of her decision to come to MSU. “If the school is accommodating I think that brings some peace of mind so I definitely had some peace of mind coming into MSU,” she said. 

The main accommodation MSU offers is the Thrive Dining Hall located in Owen Hall. Thrive is a certified allergen free dining hall, and is completely free of the top nine major allergens in the U.S., including; peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame, wheat and gluten. 

Although Thrive chefs have to avoid so many common ingredients, they still figure out ways to make their menus exciting. 

“It really is kind of a trial and error when we have so many different restrictions,” said Ross Grimmett, the Dining Service Manager for Thrive.

MSU Students vs On-Campus Parking

Parking on campus can pose a daily issue for many students who make their way to campus. Students like Ben Hall have to make a decision every day they head to class on the best place to leave their car, taking multiple factors into account. “I live over on Spartan Avenue and I have to get back over to Case Hall for most of my classes,” Hall said. “It’s almost 2 miles to walk there and I tried on my first day of classes and it took me 45 minutes to get there. I decided from then on I would find a way to drive to class.”

The parking at Case Hall is reserved for faculty and staff, so the closest option for commuting Spartans is at Spartan Stadium or the Breslin Center where it’s metered parking for $2 per hour.

Mid Michigan College President Tim Hood

Community colleges push to make adult education access easier 

Mid Michigan Community CollegeMid Michigan College President Tim Hood

By BRANDY MUZCapital News Service 

LANSING – Community colleges in Michigan are making moves to improve educational opportunities for their adult students. Brandy Johnson, the president of the Michigan Community College Association, said the Michigan Reconnect program has helped students above 25 years old get through school. 

Michigan Reconnect gives free or discounted tuition to adult learners to earn an associate degree or certificate. 

Johnson said it is easy to apply for the program. 

“Doing the application on your phone, it asks certain questions, which are the eligibility questions, and you hit submit and immediately what comes up is, ‘Congratulations, you’ve been admitted to Reconnect,’” she said. The eligibility requirements are minimal, Johnson said. 

“Be 25, have a high school diploma, live in Michigan for at least a year, want to pursue a certificate or degree, and that’s basically it,” she said. 

Tim Hood, the president of Mid Michigan College in Harrison, said that Michigan Reconnect has helped adult learners go back to school. “Without this funding opportunity and without the program, in many cases it made the difference between whether they were able to either return to college or come to college for the first time,” he said. Hood said that there is a focus on assisting students individually to keep them in school.

Members of the clay target shooting team at Mid Michigan College.

Community colleges revive sports programs

SPORTS: Some community colleges are expanding their athletics programs as a way to recruit and retain students and help athletes succeed academically, although sports facilities are expensive to build and maintain. Among them are Mid Michigan College in Harrison and Montcalm Community College in Greenville and Sidney. The Michigan Community College Association explains. For news and sports sections. By Kelsey Lester. FOR CLARE COUNTY, GREENVILLE, WKTV AND ALL POINTS.