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Protestors clash with Ryan Kelley at MSU Turning Point meeting

A Monday night meeting of MSU’s chapter of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, or TPUSA, started out normally with club business and the introduction of a guest speaker – former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley.

The evening quickly turned into a heated debate when several students in the audience revealed themselves as protestors.

Two months before Michigan’s primaries, Kelley was arrested by the FBI for involvement in the Jan. 6, riot last year at the U.S. Capitol Building. He used the arrest to bolster his campaign.

Kelley opened the meeting by asking students to share their experiences as conservatives at MSU.

Before Kelley could get too far into his question and answer session, however, he was interrupted by comparative cultures and politics sophomore Jesse Estrada White.

Estrada White said he “couldn’t take it anymore” when Kelley answered a question about personal freedoms by condemning democracy as “mob rule” and “the thing that drove China to communism.”

Upon Estrada White’s interjection, other student protestors joined in, yelling vulgar language and expressing anger at his presence on campus.

Kelley yelled back, and members of TPUSA began arguing with the protestors as students leading the meeting attempted to calm the room.

Eventually, the yelling settled into a still-impassioned debate between Kelley, the protestors, and James Stewart, a right-wing podcaster who was present at the meeting collecting film for a documentary.

The protestors began to exit the meeting to attend another commitment after about a half-hour of discussion, but said they appreciated Kelley’s willingness to speak with them instead of having them flat out removed from the meeting.

Pi Alpha Phi fraternity member’s charges dropped, witnesses react

In connection with the death of MSU student Phat Nguyen, the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed former MSU student Hoang John Huu Pham’s charges on Sept. 15.

Pham, along with former MSU students and co-defendants Ethan Cao and Andrew Nguyen, were each charged with three misdemeanor counts of hazing resulting in physical injury and one felony count of hazing resulting in death in June.

Cao and Andrew Nguyen both waived their right to a preliminary examination and will be arraigned on Sept. 28 in 30th Circuit Court, according to East Lansing Court Administrator Nicole Evans.

According to a Pi Alpha Phi Facebook post on Nov. 19, 2021, Cao was pledge master, Andrew Nguyen was pledge dad and Pham was Phat Nguyen’s “Big Bro.” Pham was also the president of the fraternity and organized the “crossing party,” according to the Lansing State Journal.

Although Pham organized the party, Dustyn Coontz, Pham’s attorney, did not see evidence specifying that Pham hazed the pledges to the point of physical harm, according to the Lansing State Journal.

“The pledge that died was 100% hazed to death, I will say that,” one witness said. “I saw it first thing — they obviously wouldn’t do that to themselves, somebody made them do it.”

If a student needs support services, reach out to MSU Counseling and Psychiatric Services, or CAPS, to schedule individual counseling sessions or call CAPS’ crisis services which can be reached at (517) 355-8270 and are available to students at all times.

Your guide to the best East Lansing-area public libraries

Public libraries are a vital component of any community, offering a variety of services to the public beyond just lending out books.

In the 13 square miles of East Lansing, there are four libraries readily available. From home improvement tools to job searching and tutoring, this area’s public libraries have you covered.

Here’s a few of some of the best libraries in the area…

First East Lansing Public Libary, students at Michigan State University and Lansing Community College, can receive a free library card at the East Lansing Public Library, giving them access to a plethora of services, after a quick student ID verification.

The East Lansing Public Library also has group and community events, including numerous book clubs and event nights where kids and adults can spend time with experts learning a new craft or improving a pre-existing one.

Further, the library has study rooms available for group and individual study. However, guests are encouraged to reserve a study room to ensure there’s space available.

Next, MSU’s Main Library is an amalgamation of all its branch locations. From an art library to a multimedia center, the main location provides a multitude of services for both students and the public, including in-person assistance for research and referencing.

If you’re part of a large group looking to reserve a space, there are multiple rooms and multimedia centers available with whiteboards and technology for presentations, some even having video game consoles and VR technology to utilize.

Finally, The Capital Area District Library, or CADL, has 13 branches, including a mobile library that travels across the greater Lansing area to provide an assortment of books, media and food packs for people who do not have access to a permanent CADL location.

The CADL’s Okemos location provides individuals with a lot more than just books to check out such as board games, home improvement tools, arts and crafts tools, instruments and passes for CATA services and the Potter Park Zoo. Anyone with a library card can use these services.

Residents of the area can receive a four-year membership card, while non-residents may purchase a membership for either six months or one year. In addition, cardholders get benefits like saving money on tickets to shows at the Wharton Center and select Detroit-area venues.

Members can also receive free services from various websites and products. For kids, ABCmouse and Great Courses are available through Kanopy. Adobe services such as Photoshop and Premiere Pro are also available on select computers in the library for anyone to use.

Based on original reporting by Lily Guiney, Ashley Zhou and Alex Harding.