Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/category/news/community-news/ingham-county/)
Community news from Ingham County.
For over fifty years, Crown Boxing Club has been helping underprivileged youth stay off the streets. Through Ali Easley’s “H.A.W.K.” program, the gym teaches young boxers the art of the one-two combo, gives them access to tutors and even a dinner program. But for the first time in its history, the gym is now closed. With COVID-19 continuing to spread across Lansing, Easley now has to explore new ways to teach the art of boxing.
While in-person classes are canceled and moved online, several students still moved into their off-campus apartments and houses leading to several large social gatherings. There are restrictions placed on an East Lansing area of houses and apartments largely mostly rented by Michigan State students. These restrictions prohibit gatherings of no more than 10 people inside and 25 people outside. Several gatherings were held that went against the restrictions, leading to the largest spike in COVID-19 cases Ingham County has ever seen. The recent spike saw two days reach 100+ cases, roughly tripling the single-day record of cases that occurred in June when several positive tests were linked to the breakout at Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub.
Another business has been affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19, but this one hits home to the Michigan State campus. The Dairy Store officially closed its doors on Friday, September 11 and its not clear when they could reopen. Ronald Hendrick, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources says the lack of students and weekend event foot traffic is the cause for the business shut down. Sales were reduced by about 75 percent during the summer months. The Dairy Store has been around for over a century and this is the first time it has shut down, leaving students who are left on campus thinking about what they love most at the store.
Students respond to MSU canceling in-person classes less than two weeks before classes start and undergraduates move on-campus. Jay Gooden wants better communication from Michigan State University and its staff when informing students of changes due to COVID-19. Gooden, 22, Spartan Remix co-director at Michigan State University, said he is worried about his lack of drive, lack of being able to be social and most of all, not receiving the full experience of acting with in-person class. MSU planned on resuming in-person classes for undergraduates when the semester starts Sept. 2 but reversed their decision Tuesday and moved most classes entirely online.
The typically loud and rambunctious crowds in East Lansing bars have been replaced with control and regulation, rendering a dramatic change in the bar scene since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Before [the pandemic], it was very laid back, it was a fun environment to make good money at,” said Lauren Dix, server at Beggar’s Banquet. “It’s just a little bit tenser and there are not as many people coming in.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced Michigan State University to end in-person classes, hundreds of students flocked to the local bars in East Lansing. Not long after, the lack of social distancing and mask-wearing at many bars and restaurants caused many of them to shut down or implement new rules in order to minimize the spread of the coronavirus.
Four months after the pandemic reached East Lansing, many bars and restaurants attempted to re-open after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order on June 1 that allowed them to begin conducting business again. Some were able to open successfully, relying on curbside pickup and takeout orders to make up for the revenue that they lost while being forced to close down but, others, however, were not as successful.
At the corner of E. César Chávez Ave and North Larch St. stands Replay Entertainment Exchange, where owner Ted Wilson has been hosting socially distant live events for the Lansing community. Techno blares from public address speakers as vendors and DJs set up their stations while Zee Simons and Travis Stillwater, coordinators for the Live at the Replay event, make sure that the artists and activities set up around the open lot are ready for a night of music, movies, and laughter. “It’s bummer summer 2020 and so we wanted to replay some of the summer and bring it back a little bit,” said Stillwater. Wilson said the idea to have outdoor events at the Replay parking lot was brought up years ago but wouldn’t have happened without the coronavirus pandemic.
Kendra Freeman doesn’t know what she should do. When the Lansing School District decided on July 17 it would move to fully virtual learning for the first marking period between Aug. 31 and Nov. 6, Freeman, a mother of a 9th grader and kindergartner, was left wondering how she was going to make it work. “It has been very tough as far as moving online,” Lansing School District parent Kendra Freeman.
Birdsong is among many local activists leading the charge to defund the Lansing Police Department. Since the death of George Floyd, and the accusations of misconduct among LPD officers, citizens and leaders of the community have been calling for the police budget to be cut from the current $46.5 million. On July 13, Lansing City Councilmember Brandon Betz presented a solution that could cut the LPD budget by 50% over the next five years, but so far only $100,000 has been removed from the budget. The resolution would serve to reinvest that money in the community to help provide safety without the Lansing Police Department.
One of the popular attractions in college is the social aspect of college, which includes doing Greek life. This upcoming school year, Greek life will join a long list of other social activities that will look different.
Greek life at Michigan State allows students to not only xperience social venues at college, but also give them the opportunity to be a part of something bigger and get involved in philanthropy like ways never before that are both rewarding and fun for the students. One of the most important parts of Greek life is membership and recruitment. The ability to be face-to-face and in close quarters with one another.
This type of recruitment will need to be adjusted as both the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Council will need to adjust their ways in order to continue.
Kate Vernier, who is the Panhellenic president said how this upcoming fall will be like no other due to everything going virtual.
“This fall, formal recruitment will be completely virtual,” Vernier said. “We will be using an online platform, which has not been decided yet.”
Spring as well is likely to look different, although plans have not fully been made, says Vernier.
“While we haven’t started formally planning for spring recruitment, we plan to follow all local, state and university recommendations, as well as the recommendations from the National Panhellenic Council,” said Vernier.
Alec Gerstenberger(Top Left to Right) Dr. Raymond Jussaume, Professor Anastasia Kononova (Bottom) Professor of Practice Andrew Corner
After the spring semester was cut short because of COVID-19, many universities, faculty and students struggled to deal with the quick transition from in-person to online learning. Now that there has been time for schools to get plans together, many professors have been trying to figure out how to safely and effectively change their teaching plans to accommodate new university mandated safety measures when classes resume this fall. “The first couple weeks of fall will tell us a lot about what the rest of the semester is going to look like,” said Andrew Corner, an advertising and public relations professor at Michigan State University. As the start of the fall semester approaches, MSU has transitioned 57% of undergraduate classes to online learning, with 17% changing to a hybrid system and the remaining 26% completely in-person.
“Even for my in-person classes, I would be prepared to go online anytime,” said Anastasia Kononova, an advertising and public relations professor at MSU. “This is something we did not predict in the spring semester and this is something I think we’re getting ready for in the Fall in case the pandemic re-emerges on campus.
For his entire life, Ed Reeser has been adamant about individual rights. Reeser said he believes the government should not have a say over what people can and cannot do in their personal lives, but he is adamant that the executive order requiring masks is a great decision,
On July 13 a state-wide mandate requiring masks in public was put into effect by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. In Mason, citizens and businesses are adjusting once again to a new normal because of COVID-19. Throughout the summer, businesses in Mason have had the ability to choose if masks are required and. Business managers, like Craig Wieferich, general manager of the Eldorado Golf Course in Mason, were put in a tough position regarding masks.