The forecast predicts that it will be a cold day with the high being 54 and the low being 36.
Lansing and East Lansing Charter Amendment Proposals are at Odds
Lansing and East Lansing voters are facing divergent choices to move the values of democratic representation, inclusion, and regional cooperation in different directions as they head to the polls this year and next with their respective city charters. Lansing’s Charter Review Commission has proposed a new city charter that would remove the City of East Lansing, Delta Township, and other local municipalities from non-voting representation on the Board of Water & Light (BWL) Board of Commissioners. If voters approve the charter, which contains numerous other provisions in an all-or-nothing vote, these communities will lose their seat at the governing table of this important public utility.
Students, faculty, reel over consequences of budget cuts at MSU board meeting
Faculty members and students expressed consternation to Michigan State University’s leaders at a board meeting Friday around the impacts that sweeping budget cuts are having on campus. Their misgivings come as the tangible effects of the 9% reduction planned reduction in general fund spending over the next two fiscal years takes increasingly clear shape. Students have reported larger class sizes and cancelled study abroad opportunities; nearly 100 MSU employees have thus far been laid off; and several colleges have paused admissions for graduate programs. The President of the Administrative Professional Supervisors Association, Joe Garza, addressed the layoffs during his public comments, and the stress they cause for those affected. MSU ordered the spending reduction over the summer, claiming the university’s financial trajectory was untenable. As contributors to a recurring budget deficit, the university has pointed to rising costs for employee health care, inflation outpacing tuition hikes, as well as unbudgeted headcount and financial aid spending.
Students, faculty blast MSU for charges against Pro-Palestinian protestor
Public commenters at Friday’s board meeting lambasted Michigan State University for bringing disciplinary charges against a student in relation to his participation in a campus protest of the school’s investments, saying it represents a curbing of free speech.The student, social relations and policy senior, Eli Folts, is facing two charges: one count of disrupting university functions and one count of intimidation. The charges stem from a protest the Hurriya Coalition — a collective of student organizations advocating for MSU’s divestment from Israel and weapons manufacturers — organized during Sparticipation, an annual campus fair. Folts was also initially charged with harassment, but that charge has since been dropped. In a police report of the incident, Folts was described as making MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz feel unsafe, though the president told The State News that he had nothing to do with the charges being filed. Folts has formally denied responsibility for the charges, and a hearing on the matter is scheduled for Tuesday. It’s unclear if Guskiewicz will be present for it.
Michigan State Football vs. Minnesota Gophers
On Saturday November 1st Michigan State Football traveled to Minnesota to try and win a conference game, but unfortunately the game ended in favor of the Gophers with a score of 20-23.
