Today’s weather forecast is predicting some morning fog, then cloudy for the rest of the day with a high of 43 degrees and a low of 22 degrees.
ASMSU advocate for immigrants, DEI on campus amid Trump orders
The Associated Students of Michigan State University passed bills supporting immigrant students and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in response to the Trump Administration’s recent actions at their general assembly last Thursday.
College of Social Science Reps. Selena Salinas and Deonte Sparks introduced bills 61-64 and 61-65. The former would call upon ASMSU to release a statement in support of immigrant students, staff and faculty affected by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement mass deportation orders, signed by President Donald Trump.
According to MSU’s fall 2024 enrollment report, 8.5% of all students enrolled at the university are international students.
The latter bill concerns an executive order to shut down federal DEI efforts, and if passed would order ASMSU to release a statement declaring continuous support for all DEI initiatives at the university.
The statement would also “call upon Michigan State University to advocate and provide safety and support for the marginalized individuals on campus that might be targeted by this new executive order to ensure they are safe and advocated for,” according to the bill.
Moving on to ensuring protections of MSU students in financial aid disruptions, bill 61-70, introduced by College of Education Rep. Max Seidel, calls upon the university to ensure proactive actions in light of federal aid being frozen on Jan. 27. Though that was later rescinded by the White House budget office, Seidel stressed the importance of passing a bill in case it occurs again.
According to the bill, this policy would allow, “students affected by abrupt federal financial aid changes to maintain enrollment while they secure alternative funding.”
In response to concerns of federal aid disruptions, MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz announced in several emails to the student body the creation of rapid response teams as a reaction to the myriad of executive orders by the federal government.
This bill passed with a voice majority.
Finally, a conversation with MSU Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Rebecca Devooght addressed the GA, speaking about the recent executive orders and how they may affect the university.
She explained the university’s thought process while navigating disruptions in the federal government that affect the university.
Understanding how these executive orders and administrative changes directly affect university life is essential to her work.
She explained that DEI is ingrained in the university and said better communication between colleges and making sure people understand the issues they are dealing with can help prevent problems like this in the future.
Scholar allegedly plagiarized by MSU dean says he wasn’t consulted during exonerating review
A scholar who claims his work was plagiarized by Michigan State University (MSU) College of Education Dean Jerlando Jackson says he was not consulted during the university’s internal review–raising concerns among experts about the credibility of the investigation.
The university review, which ultimately “exonerated” Jackson, has come under scrutiny, especially after MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz used its findings to defend Jackson’s leadership of the highly regarded education program.
This development follows a report from The State News, which revealed a letter from President Guskiewicz and Provost Thomas Jeitschko to campus leaders. The letter not only announced Jackson’s exoneration but also condemned the “racist, vile, and despicable” attacks directed at him after plagiarism allegations surfaced in October.
Details about MSU’s investigation remain unclear beyond the letter, which stated that the review examined “relevant documents, records, and materials” and concluded that Jackson’s work meets the university’s “highest standards of academic integrity.” However, the lack of input from the scholar alleging plagiarism has left some questioning the thoroughness and transparency of the process.
MSU’s Springticipation showcases diverse collection of over 250 student orgs
Over 250 registered student organizations (RSOs) packed into the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility last Wednesday evening to recruit and present their organizations at MSU’s annual Springticipation.
At first glance, it may not seem like this event is a smaller version of the fall semester’s Sparticipation, as the organizations crammed into rooms across three floors. Nonetheless, Springticipation manages to feature a diverse collection of RSOs for students to expand their experiences on campus.
With the surround sound of student connections and pop music, each RSO lured attendees with candy, flyers and stickers to spread the word about their respective organizations.
Based on original reporting by Anish Topiwala, Owen McCarthy and Somer Sodeman.
