MSU fraternity partners with community for river cleanup

On March 28, the Michigan Waterways Stewards and East Lansing Rotary Club partnered with Michigan State’s Delta Sigma Phi to host a Red Cedar River cleanup day. With mentoring from the Stewards, the fraternity was able to rally around 30 volunteers to help. 

Mike Stout, founder of the Michigan Waterways Stewards, was notified by the City of East Lansing about the state of the river after citizen complaints. Stout instantly thought of reaching out to the brothers at Delta Sigma Phi, whose house is right on the banks of the river. Stout talked to the Delta Sigma Phi sergeant at arms, Gage Farrow, who was excited to help.

Vote sign points at two people walking away from polling place, a larg building.

Why does your vote matter? Join the discussion 

East Lansing voters talk about why voting matters to them. Join our discussion and share why it matters to you. Here’s what some of the voters said. 

Mona Owusu, voting at the Hannah Community Center poll said, “As African Americans, we have fought a very long battle to do what we’re doing now… For my ancestors and the people that came before me to do that,” she said, not voting “would be a letdown.” Owusu is proud that her voice can be heard. “Now it’s been heard, and I’m going to let it ring.”

Playing Nov. 3-10: East Lansing Film Festival’s silver anniversary

Each November, the East Lansing Film Festival showcases independent films. These films range from comedies to dramas to long and short films. The nonprofit was created in 1997 and remains the longest running film festival in Michigan.

This year marks 25 years of the East Lansing Film Festival and a celebration of its silver anniversary. The festival will run Nov. 3-10.  Tickets can be bought online or at Studio C in Okemos. By scrolling down on the website, you will be able to select the show and showtime.

CATA giving free rides to the polls

CATA is offering free transportation to local clerk offices and ballot drop boxes up until Election Day on Nov. 8. 

According to CATA’s website, buses will not require identification or proof that they are registered voters.

Young man stands near ballot box outside East Lansing City Hall.

Absentee ballots booming in 2022

The Nov. 8 elections are more than a month away, and East Lansing City Clerk Jennifer Shuster’s office is busy preparing absentee ballots.

Shuster said she and her team expect about 12,000 absentee voters this year, an increasing demand spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Voters can fill out a ballot at home and deposit it at a local dropbox or with the clerk’s office, avoiding in-person polling locations.

East Lansing city logo

Soaring gas prices prime East Lansing for commuting alternatives

In recent weeks, Americans have felt the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other dynamics at the fuel pump. According to AAA gas price data, Lansing residents can expect to pay an average of $3.81 per gallon of regular unleaded fuel, down from last month’s average of $4.14 but far above last year’s average of $2.82. 

THE PROBLEM WITH GAS

A lack of commute options forces many into costly alternatives. When gas prices go up, it ultimately reduces how much workers are taking home. Trent Delongchamp, a Chandler Crossings resident and Michigan State University sophomore, says he now pays $85 per tank of gas to fill his 2011 Ford Expedition. 

“I drive from my apartment to campus three days a week there and back, and also work Mondays and Fridays,” said Delongchamp, “I feel like I don’t make as much profit from my work anymore because I have to budget more for the insane gas prices in Lansing.”  

Scott Stewart, an East Lansing DoorDash driver has been forced to adjust to higher gas prices. 

“I have to be a lot more picky with the orders I take, making sure that the pay per mile is high [enough] so I can actually make money on it,” Stewart said. “So I end up taking fewer orders, making less money per day.

Students walks away from camera on sidewalk on snowy day

CATA route reduction sends students on a cold, lonely walk

With heavy snow hitting Michigan State University’s campus this week, students have no choice but to walk in the bitter cold because of bus shortages. Students were recently told that the CATA buses would be reducing pickups for their regular routes on campus. This includes routes 30, 31, 32, 33, 38 and 39, all routes MSU students use on a daily basis. Without the buses, students are forced to walk miles across campus though hazardous weather and below-freezing temperatures.

Ann Arbor to require menstrual products in bathrooms; no plan to do so in East Lansing

Ann Arbor made national history on Nov. 18 becoming the first city in the United States to require menstrual products in public restrooms. An ordinance approved unanimously by the Ann Arbor City Council, mandates that menstrual pads and tampons, along with the already required soap and toilet paper, must be provided for free in all public restrooms.

Grand Ledge Public Schools, Hayes Middle School, COVID-19, mask mandate

Passions run high over COVID and schools, but debate remains civil

Across the country, school board meetings have erupted as parents and sometimes students have clashed about COVID vaccinations and masking. Some meetings have turned raucous and personal. School leaders have resigned or been removed. In and around Ingham County, people report that while interest and passions have run high, the climate had been civil. East Lansing Public Schools

Shelley Davis Boyd, president of MacDonald Middle School’s parent council

Boyd said the parents’ council has a very close relationship with the school district’s administration and superintendent. 

“We’re constantly kept in the loop on what’s going on … the reaction has been very positive,” Boyd said.

College seniors face job market after year of limited professional opportunities

The Class of 2021 is entering the job market after a year of pandemic-related workplace shutdowns. Employers are reopening their doors this spring, but many prospective graduates missed out on a year of vital professional experience and networking. According to Recruiting Trends: 2020-2021, a study by Dr. Phil Gardner from Michigan State University’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute, the pandemic brought college recruiting to a standstill in 2020. Internships and co-ops were hit harder then full-time positions. Approximately 40% of employers cut summer programs last year. 

            Lauren Hinkel, a career adviser at Michigan State University, said internship opportunities depend on companies’ preferences.