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Three MSU online graduate programs earn top 10 rankings

Three Michigan State University online graduate programs were ranked in the top 10 of programs across the country for 2023 by U.S. News & World Report.

The Broad College of Business’ online non-MBA graduate program was ranked No. 6. This is the first time the program has made its way to the top 10, jumping six spots from its No. 12 ranking in 2022.

When looking at non-MBA online master’s programs for veterans, Broad ranks No. 3.

The College of Education’s online master’s program ranked No. 10 overall. The program also ranked in the top 10 for all four specific disciplinary areas the U.S. News & World Report recognizes.

The MSU College of Education program earned the No. 1 ranking for online master’s in curriculum and instruction, No. 2 for educational administration, No. 6 for educational/instructional media design and No. 7 for special education.

For the seventh year in a row, the College of Social Science’s online master’s program in criminal justice earned a top 10 ranking. The program earned a No. 6 ranking and was ranked No. 5 in 2022 and 2021.

The Junction looks to provide space for live music and dancing

Green Dot Stables has officially reopened under a new name: The Junction.

While Green Dot Stables was solely a restaurant and bar, The Junction’s new part-owners expanded on the idea of entertainment, now incorporating live music and dancing.

Co-owner Kyle Hickman said the new establishment is a performance space with a restaurant serving good quality bar food.

While the Green Dots sliders will remain on the menu, The Junction is introducing new items like tacos, macaroni and cheese and more items customers might see on a traditional bar menu.

The Junction resides in a building with a history of live entertainment. When the location was known as the Whiskey Barrel Saloon, line dancing was a big hit.

In keeping history alive, the new owners of The Junction have brought in Whiskey Barrel’s former line dance instructors Lois and Rich Klender.

The two have been line dancing for the past 29 years, and they started teaching around 2000.

Not only does The Junction host line dancing, but they also host a wide variety of other events.

In previous years, the Lansing and East Lansing venues have hosted artists such as rapper and singer Macklemore and violinist Lindsey Stirling. The owners of The Junction hope to bring back some of those big names, feeling as though there aren’t any other large music venues in Lansing.

Not only did the owners want to bring back live music, they also wanted to create a space for the LGTBQ+ community.

After Spiral, a Lansing-area LGBTQ+ alternative night club closed, the owners said they knew there was no dance floor within 50 miles for the LGBTQ+ community. Thus, they decided to host monthly events.

Tips to overcome on-campus driving, busing struggles

Getting around on MSU’s campus is not always an easy feat. If it’s a crowded time between classes, a game day or cold outside, traveling from one destination to another can be a grueling task.

The struggles of moving around campus are clear when you look at the numbers. Campus is 5,200 acres, though most students and faculty use less than half that space in their daily routine. There are 60 miles of roads, 120 miles of pedestrian walkways, 20 miles of bike lanes and 26,000 parking spaces.

And each day, there are approximately 70,000 people and 30,000 vehicles trying to get from point A to point B.

For chemical engineering senior Catie Scott, the hardest part of driving on campus is finding a parking spot.

For students who don’t drive on campus, however, getting around can be trickier.

Journalism freshman Dominic Carroll primarily takes the Capital Area Transportation Authority, or CATA, buses to travel on campus. He said the bus is convenient, but often cramped. However, when Carroll has to leave campus for his internship, the bus schedule doesn’t align with his time frame, so he has a choice to make: scooter or Uber. Carroll said since he doesn’t want to ride a scooter in the winter, he is forced to take Ubers, which can be expensive.

Though students and faculty experience some inevitable struggles while commuting, there are ways to minimize these issues. Communications Manager for Michigan State University Police and Public Safety Dana Whyte recommended students reach out to their professors to let them know they will be late, especially when the weather is bad.

Whyte’s biggest advice is to plan ahead, plan alternative routes and leave early. This can mean being aware of the upcoming weather or checking which parking lots are available.

Additionally, Whyte said students can contact the MSU parking services to ask questions via the website or social media.

Based on original reporting by Vivian Barrett, Anna Ryan and Amalia Medina.