Today’s weather forecast is predicting foggy this morning then with periods of showers later in the day with a high of 39 degrees and a low of 35 degrees.
New FAFSA form simplifies application process, increases number of eligible students
For the 2024-2025 school year, the U.S. Department of Education redesigned and simplified its Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, application forms to increase the number of undergraduate students who qualify for Pell Grants, which lowers their tuition costs.
In Michigan, 19,884 more students should gain eligibility for the Pell Grant and 38,031 more students are expected to receive the maximum grant award, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. Pell Grant eligibility will be linked to family size and the federal poverty level.
The 2023 FAFSA form previously included 121 questions, according to the U.S Department of Education. Depending on their answers to other questions, now some students can skip at least 26 questions and other applicants will be able to fill out just 18 questions.
English freshman Sky Larson applied for FAFSA for Fall 2023. While Larson had no issues completing the form, she felt the experience was “lengthy and complex.”
Undergraduate students and their parents can complete the FAFSA by visiting the U.S. government’s Student Aid website.
APASO urges MSU board, university officials to address racism and harassment on campus
The Asian Pacific American Student Organization, or APASO, released a statement expressing its disappointment in the MSU Board of Trustees on its lack of support and action in addressing racist incidents and harassment on campus.
The university’s response, the statement said, has been negligence and a lack of action.
The statement, which was released on Jan. 19, said APIDA/A students have “continuously expressed” that MSU has fallen short in “diversity, inclusivity, transparency, and belongingness.”
It also demands that the board not only listen to student voices, but deliver on its promises.
Last Friday’s statement comes at a time when many student groups of color are advocating for university officials to do more in their roles to address racist incidents on campus.
The statement said that despite the Coalition of Racial and Ethnic Students, or CORES, having numerous conversations with the board in the past several months, “the needs of APIDA/A students have failed to be acknowledged and change has yet to be implemented.”
In response to the statement, board chair Rema Vassar provided The State News with a statement on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
“The Board affirms our steadfast dedication to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and safe environment for Spartans,” the board’s statement said. “Thusly, we do not condone any form of discrimination, harassment, or violence.”
Virtual Reality walk-in sessions at MSU library engage students and staff with new opportunity
“Open Virtual Reality” walk-in sessions are back at the MSU Library, providing students and faculty with the opportunity to try on a VR headset and experience different games, team building exercises, educational learning opportunities and more.
Transformative technology coordinator for the Digital Scholarship Lab Paul Cooper said he wants these VR events to provide knowledge to the user, while also creating a fun environment for them to encapsulate themselves in.
The VR room, which is located in the Digital Scholarship Lab on the second floor of the MSU main library, is a compact space with large monitors and televisions attached to the walls. Connected to the monitors are separate VR headsets and joystick controllers, allowing multiple people to play with an abundance of games and apps all at once.
Users can log into their personal accounts to access their own VR content, or use the content that’s available in the room.
According to Cooper, this event has been running since the Digital Scholarship Lab started in 2018 and has gained steady traction since its opening. One thing that makes this event so appealing, Cooper said, is the varying range of opportunity in the open sessions.
The Open Virtual Reality walk-in sessions take place every Tuesday and Thursday from 3 – 6 p.m. and continue until the last event on March 7. More information can be found on the MSU library website.
Based on original reporting by Willow Symonds, Demonte Thomas and Kaspar Haehnle.
