ASMSU pushes for free menstrual products around East Lansing

Vice President for Student Allocations for the Associated Students of Michigan State University Harsna Chahal played a critical role in the recent passing of a bill within the East Lansing City Council, putting into law that all East Lansing public bathrooms will dispense free menstrual hygiene products.

The bill, coming in the wake of the recent passing of a similar law in Ann Arbor, making the city the first in the US to have such a policy, and Gov. Whitmer’s elimination of the “Tampon Tax”, removing sales tax from menstrual hygiene products, throughout the state of Michigan, was passed into law in early February.

Chahal, and by extension ASMSU, are seeking to continue their advocacy for this cause by advocating for similar laws to be passed in the cities of the greater MSU community, such as Lansing and Okemos, through bill 58-68.

Michigan State-led research team receives 750k USDA grant for soil health study

A Michigan State University-led research team received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study how the burn severity of wildfires affects soil health.

Burn severity will be measured by either remote sensing or field-based observations of soil and vegetation post-fire, factoring in the intensity and duration.

The project is led by Associate Professor Jessica Miesel, who specializes in fire and ecosystem ecology.

The data collected will be available via online fact sheets, presentations and webinars.

Biden says invasion of Ukraine is ‘flagrant aggression,’ vows U.S. will not join conflict

Wednesday night at approximately 9 p.m. eastern standard time, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia’s intent to send a “military operation” into neighboring Ukraine.

Within 10 minutes of Putin’s speech, airstrikes began on cities in Ukraine’s Eastern Donbas region and near the large international airport in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city.

Since the initial attacks, Russian forces joined by Belarusian troops, have begun to cross Ukraine’s Northern and Eastern borders.

Russian troops have also entered the country by sea, via the port city Odessa.

In his Thursday afternoon address, President Biden said additional US forces will be sent to Europe, but not to Ukraine directly.

Based on original reporting by Alexander Maas, Madison Rose, and Lily Guiney. Script by Shakyra Mabone.