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MSU won’t hold spring classes in Berkey Hall rooms impacted by shooting
Classes will not be held in the Berkey Hall classrooms directly impacted by the Feb. 13 shooting when the building re-opens for the spring semester, MSU announced in a university-wide email.
The statement said that “conversations are continuing about those spaces moving forward, though there are no plans to hold classes there in the future.”
Additionally, the update released by MSU’s Office of Resource and Support Coordination said new door locks will be installed in all learning spaces in Berkey Hall before classes begin in the spring. Renovations planned before Feb. 13, which include technology upgrades and new furnishing, will also be completed before the spring semester.
MSU will also offer increased support, including the availability of counselors in Berkey Hall during the first week of in-person classes, according to the statement.
There will also be no classes held on Feb. 13, 2024, but the university will remain open to “support students and our community,” the statement said. It added that class will resume on Feb. 14, but assignments and exams will not be due then.
MSU board battle escalates at tense meeting
A week of tension between Michigan State University board members boiled over at the board’s public meeting last Friday.
The clash ignited last Sunday evening when trustee Brianna Scott sent the board a letter demanding board chair Rema Vassar’s removal. It described a “fractured and contentious” board with Vassar single-handedly orchestrating numerous major university decisions without the knowledge or consent of other board members or interim president — often leading to costly legal entanglements and public controversy.
Vassar has disputed the allegations in her initial response on Monday. She called some of them “fabrications” and admitted to others, arguing the conduct wasn’t problematic.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who can remove trustees from the board, has said she is “alarmed” by the allegations and is discussing changes to the board. However, she is yet to say whether she would remove Vassar.
In her comments at Friday’s meeting, Vassar was clear that she took issue with many of the allegations and will not be stepping down. But, she did, for the first time since the letter was sent, acknowledge some wrongdoing.
Lansing precinct workers get ready for new early voting procedures
Proposal 2 was passed during the statewide midterms in Nov. 2022, giving voters the opportunity to vote early in every statewide and federal election. Within the coming days for the November local elections, Lansing tested out the early voting pilot, starting on Oct. 26, which is National Early Voting Day.
The first election that early voting will be constitutionally required is the 2024 presidential election.
Lansing city clerk Chris Swope said voting early opens up the option for voters to feel security when casting their vote. Another bonus Swope talked about was voters being able to do it at a time that is most convenient to them.
A goal Swope spoke about was to not have voters waiting in line on election day, but rather seeing people take advantage of the nine days in place for early voting.
Early voting allows for voting between the Saturday before election day all the way through Sunday before the election for at least eight hours a day.
Based on original reporting by Emilio Perez Ibarguen, Alex Walters, Theo Scheer and Abbigayle Gabli.
