Today’s weather forecast is predicting overcast skies with a high of 42 degrees and a low of 29 degrees.
Data indicates MSU Starbucks campus locations are unaffected by boycotts
On Oct. 18, 2023, Starbucks released a statement announcing they had filed a complaint with the District Court for the Southern District of Iowa against Starbucks Workers United. This litigation was filed due to the organization’s use of the Starbucks name, logo and intellectual property while posting in solidarity with Palestine.
Following the news of this litigation, many Palestinian rights activists and organizations called on people to boycott Starbucks. This boycott is ongoing, but it is unclear how many people are actually participating and if Starbucks has been detrimentally affected thus far. In the past few months, however, sales have reported to have slowed.
According to data provided by MSU Culinary Services, during the first semester, from Aug. 2023 to Nov. 2023, an average of 4,600 combos were spent every week at the 1855 Place Starbucks. Since the beginning of the second semester, from Dec. 2023 to Jan. 2024, an average of 4,100 combos were used.
In addition to the continuous presence of customers at this existing location, students returned from winter break to a brand-new Starbucks in the MSU Main Library. Students can now use their combo exchanges to purchase a drink and food at both the library and 1855 Place locations.
These combos are included in every on-campus dining plan, so students have the option to get something from Starbucks without having to pay out of pocket.
Both the 1855 Place and MSU Library Starbucks locations are franchised by the university; according to Associate Director of Support Services for the Culinary Services Department Stacey Dawson this means that money made by Starbucks locations on campus goes both to the university and the Starbucks company.
Snow days: Greater Lansing businesses grapple with winter weather
Midwesterners are well aware that the summers are blistering and the winters are hypothermic. It’s a dual contract of extremity that every Michigander must note when deciding to live here. However, for small businesses across Lansing, the winter weather impacts more than just the roads.
For many local businesses, winter is the most dreaded time of year.
Editing out gloomy winter skies and replacing them with sunnier scenery, Open Ended Media, adopts an attitude of resilience when faced with Michigan’s extreme winter elements. Specializing in real estate photography, Open Ended Media is dedicated to bringing film and photography ambitions to life through the real estate market. OEM also takes on general film and photography needs of the Lansing population, according to the owner of Open Ended Media, Caleb Lewis.
Other small businesses throughout Lansing look forward to the winter months, primarily because of the holidays.
“Our busiest time of year starts with Silver Bells and goes through Christmas,” owner of The Peanut Shop Adam Seyburn said.
In terms of severity, winter storms start to impact monthly revenue without warning. Unforgiving ice flurries cause customers to avoid the roads, which limits customer flow in and out of the shop. However, The Peanut Shop witnessed many Michigan winters and has stood the test of time, according to Seyburn.
For feline fanatics within East Lansing, the Constellation Cat Cafe offers a space away from the cold and an opportunity for an especially dynamic duo: cats and coffee.
East Lansing robberies: Students share experiences, experts offer prevention advice
Over the course of the 2023 fall semester, in the city of East Lansing, there were 10 cases of robbery, 186 cases of larceny and 43 cases of vehicle theft, according to city crime logs.
Two of the three robberies on MSU’s campus are considered “strong arm robberies” — robberies involving a weapon or threat of force. Seven out of ten of the East Lansing cases were considered strong arm.
MSU Police and Public Safety Spokesperson Dana Whyte encourages the same approach while also searching for a safe location after the incident and utilizing the emergency green light phones on campus to contact 911.
When it comes to responding to armed robberies on-campus, Whyte said that MSUPD uses trauma-informed practices to understand the situation.
Whyte said that a critical part of keeping others safe is following the motto of “if you see something, say something.”
Based on original reporting by Hannah Locke, Kyle O’Connor and Hannah Holycross.
