Today’s weather forecast is predicting cloudy skies with a high of 35 degrees and a low of 28 degrees.

MSU gymnastics defeats No. 3 Michigan for the first time since 2007

The No. 14 Michigan State gymnastics team defeated No. 3 Michigan this past Sunday night at Jenison Field House. For the first time since 2007, the Spartans came out of their in-state rivalry meet victorious with a score of 197.200-196.975.

Michigan State started off their meet against the Wolverines on vault, and the Spartans did not disappoint. Vault turned out to be MSU’s highest-scoring rotation, with five Spartans scoring over 9.800 for a whopping total score of 49.400.

Freshman Nikki Smith kicked off her first home meet as a Spartan with a bang. Smith finished her vault with a stuck landing that made the packed house go wild. She scored a whopping 9.950 and won first place in the event.

The Wolverines made their start on the uneven parallel bars, and despite their impressive 49.125, Michigan was down to close out the first rotation.

The Spartans moved onto the uneven bars to start their second rotation.

Shortly after she started, sophomore Skyla Schulte had to drop down from the bars and restart her routine, resulting in a deduction and a 9.325 score. Despite having to restart, Schulte remained calm and collected and found a way to recover.

Going into the final rotation on the floor, the Spartans found themselves down 148.050-147.952. They needed to go big, and they absolutely did.

It was one strong performance after another for the Spartans, and Smith had the crowd going wild for her energetic floor routine. The freshman had so much height on each of her tumbling passes that it looked like she was flying. She managed to score a 9.900.

With all four rotations completed, Smith was crowned the all-around champion with a score of 39.525.

Michigan State will travel to College Park Sunday, Jan. 29 to take on Maryland at 1 p.m.

MSU installs complimentary menstrual product dispensers in over 100 buildings

Over 100 buildings on campus now have complimentary menstrual product dispensers thanks to an initiative introduced by the MSU chapter of Mission Menstruation.

Before the implementation of the new initiative, only 10 to 15 locations on campus offered students free menstruation products, Residence Education and Housing Services Associate Director for Communications Bethany Balks said. Mission Menstruation brought an official proposal to Student Life and Engagement, or SLE, and Infrastructure Planning and Facilities, or IPF, requesting dispensers be added to all women’s and all-gender restrooms in residence halls and student-facing buildings.

Balks said the initiative is about 97% complete, and is expected to be fully implemented by the end of January. Dispensers have been installed in first-floor bathrooms of all residence halls but still need to be installed in a few buildings including the Union and Olin Health Center.

SLE and IPF are also in the process of creating a map showing students where they are able to access complimentary products on campus. Currently, the SLE website has a list of where dispensers have been installed.

Balks said the initiative is important in addressing issues of health and safety for students.

Eastside Lansing Food Co-Op looks to ground itself in community

On East Kalamazoo Street sits Eastside Lansing Food Co-Op, or ELFCO, a new food cooperative dedicated to providing fresh produce to the community at a wide range of prices.

Upon entrance, customers will see the shelves lined with fruits and vegetables picked from local Michigan farms. Wood tables holding a spread of breads and bagels, made by local bakers.

A previous iteration of the store had previously been located in East Lansing. However, that store was forced to close from a lack of business in 2017.

ELFCO general manager Sally Potter said part of the store’s success is its location, as the business is positioned in a neighborhood where many can’t afford their own vehicles.

Potter said Lansing’s east side community is very diverse, which is why ELFCO aims to have a wide variety of prices.

ELFCO produce manager Milton Shoup said the store tries to provide most of its produce from Michigan farmers, with the only setback being the seasonality of certain crops.

Shoup said the store’s year-round operation is a reason why local farmers are willing to do business with them.

When it comes to deciding prices, Shoup said the process is a “partnership” between
ELFCO and the community. He said the store tries to keep the prices customers pay around the same price that the store buys it from farmers.

Shoup’s goals for the store include making sure it is ground within the community of not just Lansing’s east side, but Greater Lansing.

Based on original reporting by Bella Johnson, Vivian Barrett and Hannah Holycross.