Campus News
The entrance to Thrive Dining Hall

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

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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.

Campus News

MSU Students vs On-Campus Parking

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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.

Business & Economy
Mid Michigan College President Tim Hood

Community colleges push to make adult education access easier 

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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.

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

Community colleges revive sports programs

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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.

Campus News
Michigan Community College Association President Brandy Johnson

Community college trustees want right to vote remotely

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OPEN MEETINGS:The state’s 28 community colleges want the Legislature to make it easier for their elected trustees to vote remotely at board meetings, but pending Open Meetings Act legislation by a UP senator wouldn’t accomplish that. We talk to the senator, from Vulcan, the Michigan Community College Association, a Glen Oaks Community College trustee in St. Joseph County and the Michigan Coalition for Open Government. By Liz Nass. FOR THREE RIVERS, STURGIS, LANSING CITY PULSE, MARQUETTE, IRON MOUNTAIN, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE AND ALL POINTS.

Campus News

Board of Trustees Approves $100,000 College of Veterinary Medicine Fund

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Earlier this fall, the MSU Board of Trustees met to discuss varying topics that affect students and faculty at the school, including grants, budget and finances, academic affairs, and student life and culture. According to a recently approved proposal, the FFE-MaryDee Sist DVM Scholarship Fund establishes a $100,000 fund as “an endowment to provide scholarship support for students” in the College of Veterinary Medicine. 

But who is allowed to submit an application for the scholarship? Is there any preference for a student? The scholarship is for students enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine who have demonstrated financial need and are in good academic standing. The $100,000 for the fund will be transferred from “the University’s restricted gift account,” the proposal said, where additional gifts can be added to the fund. 

Interim President Teresa Woodruff said that the “motion carried” with a unanimous vote of 8-0 to approve the scholarship fund.

Campus News
Logo of the state’s OK2SAY program

Schools aim for better safety

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SCHOOL SAFETY: School districts are taking measures to enhance safety and prevent violence in their buildings in the aftermath of shootings, including the state’s worst one at Oxford High School in Oakland County. We hear from the St. Ignace superintendent, the Michigan School Business Officials and the OK2SAY program. By Brandy Muz. FOR ST. IGNACE, SAULT STE. MARIE, MARQUETTE, CHEBOYGAN, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.