Today’s weather forecast is predicting cloudy skies early and a few snow showers developing later in the day with a high of 29 degrees and a low of 19 degrees.

Meet MSU Football’s new head coach Jonathan Smith

Following a rough ending to Michigan State Football’s season on Friday night, rumors began to circulate around the uncertainty of the coaching staff heading into next season. Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith emerged as the top candidate that evening and was expected to advance in talks with MSU quickly.

About 12 short hours after Michigan State’s loss against Penn State last Friday night, MSU worked fast as expected and announced its new head coach. Smith finalized a deal with the Spartans to become the new head coach of Michigan State, the program announced Saturday afternoon.

Smith just concluded his sixth season in Corvallis after successfully turning the program around. He leaves the program with a 34-35 overall record, including going 1-1 in two bowl game appearances in back-to-back seasons. Smith was named the Pac-12 Co-Coach of the year in 2022, and has built up a resume as one of the more underrated coaches in all of college football.

Dining options made available to students staying on campus during Thanksgiving break

Over break, students who stayed on MSU’s campus had on-campus dining options for the first time this past Thanksgiving break.

Dining options were available at locations such as the Kellogg Hotel, Owen Hall’s Sparty’s Refresh, and Thrive Dining in Owen Hall.

This gave students the ability to enjoy the culinary services while remaining on campus if they were not able to go home for the break.

What do the Beal Gardens do during the winter?

As the days get shorter and colder, many students are reminded that winter is fast approaching; so do the plants in the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden and their human caretakers.

The Botanical Gardens, celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, is a collection of roughly 1,800 native and non-native plants that are significant to the research or education of plant species. The collection and its caretakers are dedicated to educating people about the importance of plant species, both native and non-native.

However, during the winter months, the gardens are covered in snow and ice, just like every other surface on campus. This begs the question: What do the botanical gardens do during the winter?

Katie Fry, the collections manager at the gardens, explained that around 200 plants are dug up in preparation for winter. These 200 are chosen because they are not hardy enough for Michigan’s climate and would otherwise need to be replanted in the spring.

Plants that aren’t dug up are left in the gardens to go dormant during the winter. These are mainly native perennial plants that have evolved to adapt to Michigan’s climate. However, there are some non-native perennials that are able to survive a Michigan winter.

Following the theme of education, the gardens also run programs during the winter aimed at educating the MSU community.

The gardens are also collaborating with the Broad Art Museum to present educational and relatable exhibits meant to showcase the garden’s collection and importance.

Based on original reporting by Jacob Smith, Willow Symonds and Joe Lorenz.