The forecast predicts that the high will be 1 and the low will be -10.
‘Exonerated Five’ and New York City
On the night of April 19, 1989, 15-year-old Yusef Salaam’s dreams of being a hip-hop star would fade into the distance. Salaam would be one of the young Black and Latino boys targeted by law enforcement as the alleged perpetrators of the brutal assault and rape of a young woman jogging in New York City’s Central Park. The five boys came to be known as the ‘Central Park Five,’ and later the ‘Exonerated Five.’ On Wednesday, January 21, Salaam spoke at the annual Malcolm X Michigan State University Muslim Studies Community Forum about his 2021 book, “Better, Not Bitter,” which tells his story and how his Muslim faith has helped him throughout his life. For the past five years, the Muslim Studies Department has hosted the Malcolm X Community Forum in January to commemorate the anniversary of Malcolm X’s 1963 address to MSU students. Director of the Muslim Studies program, Mohammad Hassan Khalil, introduced Salaam. “It’s a story of a criminal system of injustice,” Salaam said to the 150-person crowd at Erickson Hall. Since 2023, Salaam has served on New York City’s City Council. He was reelected in 2025 and was sworn in earlier this month. The five boys, including Salaam, were found guilty of the attack in 1990. It wasn’t until 2002 that the jogging case would be overturned after a confession and DNA evidence connecting another convicted rapist to the attack was uncovered. Salaam spent over 6 years in prison.
No. 2 MSU hockey returns home to host Minnesota
There’s only one Big Ten team the Spartans have yet to face: Minnesota. No. 2 Michigan State hockey will return home, hosting Minnesota after spending two weekends on the road. The Gophers are the only team the Spartans have yet to play in conference action. The series is set for Friday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. EST and Saturday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m. EST. Friday’s game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus, Saturday’s on the Big Ten Network. The Spartans enter the series 17-5-0 overall, third in the Big Ten with a record of 8-4-0 and 24 points. In contrast, the Gophers are 8-14-1 overall, fifth in the conference with a record of 4-8-0 and 14 points. MSU is coming off a sweep of Wisconsin, turning in one of its strongest defensive performances and most efficient offensive showings. Minnesota last played No. 1 Michigan, losing 5-1 in the opener before falling 3-2 in overtime the following night. It has been nearly a year since the teams last met. They faced off Jan. 24-25, 2025, with MSU dominantly taking the opener, 9-3. The teams then tied 3-3 in the second game, with the Spartans earning the shootout win. However, neither side is the same as last season, as MSU features several new faces and Minnesota enters the series with a record below its usual standard.
Students protest the Trump administration, ICE outside the MSU Library
Michigan State University students and staff, along with residents, protested the increasing intensity of immigration enforcement and aired other grievances with the federal government on Tuesday outside the Main Library. The protest, which garnered a crowd of around 25 people in the frigid cold, coincided with the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Similar protests branded as ‘walkouts’ were held at high schools and universities across the country on Tuesday, including at the University of Michigan. Kaitlyn Andary, a digital marketing coordinator for the MSU Library, said she had heard about the protest two hours ahead of its start, but felt it was the right moment to voice her concerns. “It’s cold, so it felt convenient to protest ICE today,” Andary said. “I want immigrants to know that we care about them and that this is not the U.S. I know and not the U.S. I want.”
MSU and business leaders recommend new AI-centered courses amid faculty dissent
A council of Michigan State University administrators and business leaders unveiled Wednesday three initiatives its members say will better prepare students and researchers to contribute to Michigan’s economy and workforce. To meet the needs of tomorrow’s economy, the council argues, the university should ensure students learn how to use artificial intelligence tools, namely by creating a foundational elective course centered on AI and offering certifications for AI competency. Its recommendations also include creating new programs to promote work experiences and internships during college and further interweaving MSU’s research efforts with industry. Some faculty, however, are balking at the idea of business leaders from outside the university having a say in its curriculum, a responsibility usually delegated to a handful of internal administrative bodies. Ahead of the announcement, the university faculty senate passed a resolution expressing displeasure at MSU for not going through the proper academic governance channels to propose the initiatives.
