Today’s weather forecast is predicting rain showers early with overcast skies later in the day with a high of 66 degrees and a low of 63 degrees.
Student launches GoFundMe for students arrested in MSU campus protest
A GoFundMe has been set up in support of the five student protesters arrested two Friday’s ago for trespassing after they stayed in the Hannah Administration Building past closing time as part of a sit-in.
The GoFundMe, which has exceeded its goal, was organized by international relations senior Isabella Tillotson.
After the Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 25, students organized a sit-in inside the lobby of the Office of the President, reiterating their demands for the university to reconsider its position on divestment from Israel.
MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant told The State News that protesters were given “multiple notices” about the building’s closing time throughout the day as they sat in the lobby of the president’s office. The office closed at 5 p.m., and the building closed an hour later.
When protestors refused to leave the building after posted hours, they were arrested by MSU police. They were issued misdemeanor appearance citations and released from custody the same evening.
If the charges are dropped, Tillotson said GoFundMe offers a refund option to everyone who has donated.
There are other ways to help, Tillotson said, like spreading awareness about the arrests. Tillotson said it is important that students also reach out to the prosecutor’s office to ask for the charges to be dropped.
Student researchers showcase work at fast-paced Ignite Talks event
An MSU student researcher has to present their research to a crowd in five minutes with the use of only 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds.
This is the basis of Ignite Talks, a program that has spread across 350 cities and six continents since its inception in 2006. Michigan State University hosted its third event of this kind last Wednesday night.
The event, hosted by the MSU Museum, featured 10 student researchers from various colleges within MSU, all given the same constraints to present their work.
Abbie Stevens, the CoLab Studio program manager at the MSU Museum and event organizer, said the strict constraints help breed creativity.
Abbie has been the Ignite Talks MSU coordinator for all three events. She said she wants to use them as an opportunity to showcase the wide range of research happening at this university.
Preparation was key for an event like this, Abbie said. They held dress rehearsals to make the students more comfortable on stage.
The event began with Michelle Kim, a doctorate student studying computer science, who persuaded the audience to teach stereotypes to language models like ChatGPT.
She explained that language models collect data online, usually large amounts of text, to train themselves.
Stefanie Adams, a doctorate student studying physics, showed audiences it is possible to capture a video of an atom.
She explained that atoms are smaller than the intrinsic limit a light microscope can zoom into, making it unviewable to any microscope. A completely new method must be used to make an atom visible, she said.
Other presentations involved combating sleep deprivation through blue light, the population density of cats, how autism and employment coincide, collective memory in media and more.
The next Ignite Talks event will be held in the spring semester, on Jan. 16.
For members, MSU MMA Club is more than a place to throw punches
Adhering to a long-established routine, Julio Garcia combs the lurid orange mats of Room 16 at IM West with a gallon of sprayable bleach, ensuring every inch of the room is adequately cleaned before practice begins.
Julio, president of the MSU Mixed Martial Arts Club and animal science senior, arrives an hour early to each practice. He uses this time to clean, prepare equipment for use and make sure his fellow executive board members are familiar with the lesson plan.
Behind this preparation is a philosophy of discipline that Julio tries to establish at every practice, and one that’s been foundational for MSU MMA Club since day one. Upon arrival, members are expected to be dressed properly and be ready to follow instructions from the student coaches; a process not unlike the ones many MSU sports teams employ.
Practice usually begins with 10-20 minutes of warmups, which helps to prevent injury and overexertion later on. From there, coaches will transition to grappling; a form of close-quarters combat emphasizing clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds. They start by demonstrating the first move in a sequence, breaking it down, then having members pair up and practice it themselves.
After a few minutes of practicing, coaches then demonstrate the next move in the sequence, repeating the process until members have every piece of the puzzle.
Members are then given a couple of minutes to free grapple with their partners, allowing them to demonstrate the moves they’ve been taught in a semi-realistic fight.
The striking lesson doesn’t deviate much from this format. Following a quick shadow boxing warmup, members are once again shown a set of moves that they’ll have the opportunity to replicate with a partner. Only now, they’ll get to break out their boxing gloves and shin guards.
This is the kind of atmosphere Julio and the rest of the executive board strive to nurture at MMA Club.
Their hope is that they can create a safe, inclusive environment where people can train, whether they’re learning simple self-defense techniques or establishing an intense training regimen in preparation for future competitions. And while there is an element of violence which accompanies that, Julio continues to stress the club’s commitment to safety above all else.
While going toe-to-toe with the best college MMA athletes in the country may sound like an exciting challenge for some, it’s by no means required in order to succeed at MSU MMA Club. If there’s one thing Julio wants members to take away from the club, it’s that there’s always something to improve on.
Based on original reporting by Demonte Thomas, Anish Topiwala and Matthew Williams.
