Women’s basketball falls to Penn State 76-55 — first Big Ten loss SPORTS, PAGE 10
Free laundry coming to all dorms next fall CAMPUS+CITY, PAGE 3
WELCOME BACK, SPARTANS!
NATALIE KOLB/THE STATE NEWS
Sophomore guard Kiana Johnson.
Weather High 36° | Low 25° Michigan State University’s independent voice | statenews.com | East Lansing, Mich. | Monday, January 7, 2013
Three-day forecast, Page 2
WILCOX, MSU’S SECOND-IN-COMMAND, STEPS DOWN
By Samantha Radecki radeckis@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■
What is a provost? Despite being second-in-command at MSU, many students are unaware of the impact of the role on their college education. But to human biology senior Julie Nguyen, standing Provost Kim Wilcox is a mentor, role model and friend. Nguyen worked in the provost’s office since her freshman year.
CRIME
Last February, Nguyen stood beside Wilcox and testified in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Wilcox Higher Education on behalf of MSU regarding its health insurance requirement, which was being challenged by the state. “I knew Provost Wilcox was testifying there too, and we ran into
each other outside and just gave each other a hug and he was like, ‘I can’t believe you’re the student!’” NguyYouatt en said. Wilcox’s energy toward his work at MSU is one of the reasons Nguyen said she will miss him after Wilcox was replaced by senior associate provost June Youatt as acting provost Jan. 1.
recruitment.
More online … So ... what’s a provost? Find out exactly what the position entails at statenews.com/multimedia.
He will officially leave the position in July. During his time at MSU, Wilcox has had a major personal impact on Nguyen, and a large impact on all students at MSU for the past seven years — whether they know it or not. The job of the university pro-
vost is, in the words of Youatt, the “vice president for academic affairs” at MSU. According to the Office of the Provost, the provost and associate provosts handle many of MSU’s academic decisions, from hiring faculty members to setting the college’s curriculums and even student
CONSTRUCTION
Students first As an alumna and faculty member, friends and colleagues agreed Youatt takes students interest to heart when it comes to her decision making. Although the job of the provost does not touch students personally on a day-to-day basis, she said she is enthusiastic to continue bettering MSU’s educational proSee PROVOST on page 2 X
CONGRESS
30 BREAK-INS, LARCENIES DURING MSU WINTER BREAK
Political, economic issues linger after fiscal cliff bill passes
By Darcie Moran morandar@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS
By Kellie Rowe
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rowekell@msu.edu
When kinesiology senior Kaylee Finney left for her East Lansing apartment late Christmas night, she hoped to gun down enemies in her new Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 video game. She soon realized, however, that a different type of enemy already found her. Finney was one of about 30 burglaries, home invasions and larcenies from buildings and cars that occurred and were reported during the MSU winter break from Dec. 15 to Jan. 6, according to CrimeMapping.com, the MSU Clery Crime and Fire Log and East Lansing police Sgt. Mike Phillips. Walking through her apartment, Finney realized she wouldn’t get a chance to try out her new game — her PlayStation 3 and a TV were missing. “What kind of person would do that on Christmas day?”
THE STATE NEWS
MSU Campus:
Larceny from cars: 1 Larceny from buildings: 6 Home invasions: 2
East Lansing:
Larceny from cars: 4 Larceny from buildings: 7 Home invasions: 10
Total:
Larceny from cars: 5 Larceny from buildings: 13 Home invasions: 12
What else you missed:
Alleged I-96 shooter Raulie Casteel, an MSU alumnus, was charged with terrorism, Michigan's Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Dec. 20. Casteel also faces assault with intent to murder and multiple felony weapons charges after allegedly going on a shooting spree involving 24 people and committing crimes across several counties during October. SOURCE: CLERY CRIME AND FIRE LOG, CRIMEMAPPING.COM, ELPD SGT. MIKE PHILLIPS
Finney said. “Every time I leave the apartment now, it’s kind of scary. I don’t know if everything’s going to be there when I get back.” Kinney said her neighbors also were broken into and robbed, and she has heard of similar incidents during past winter breaks. “It always seems logical that if half the town is empty” there will be break-ins, East Lansing police Capt. Jeff Murphy said. Robberies and home invasions often occur during winSee CRIME on page 2 X
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PHOTOS BY ADAM TOOLIN/THE STATE NEWS
Students and faculty sit down and enjoy a meal Sunday at The Vista at Shaw in Shaw Hall hours after the cafeteria opened its doors for the first time since extensive renovations.
CAFETERIA RENOVASHAWNS Eight months and $14.2 million gives Shaw Hall MSU’s latest updated cafeteria
By Robert Bondy bondyrob@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■
The long-anticipated wait for the opening of The Vista at Shaw finally came Sunday evening with hundreds of students eager to dive into Shaw Hall’s renovated cafeteria. “We’ve been waiting all semester for it,” studio art freshman Kaitlin Janzen said. “We were excited when it opened.” The eight-month, $14.2 million rebuilding project, which started at the end of the 2012 spring semester, officially concluded when doors opened at 5 p.m. for dinner. The Vista at Shaw offers three different restaurantstyle food venues. The Bread Box offers pizzas made with home-made dough and sauce, numerous pastas, deli-sandwich creations and breakfast. The Bread Box is the only venue on campus offering home-made pizza dough and sauce. Garden Wok offers a mixture of Pan-Asian cuisine and vegetarian style meals. River Trail Neighborhood Executive Chef Kevin Cruz believes Garden Wok will help international students relate back to cuisine from their native countries with dishes including noodles with stir-fry and curries. Main Street is a typical AllAmerican food stop, offering anything from rotisserie chicken and mashed potatoes to cheeseburgers and fries.
Professional writing freshman Becky Harris laughs with journalism freshman Victoria Bowles while eating with friends Sunday at The Vista at Shaw in Shaw Hall. The dining hall has three restaurant-style food venues, including a pizza station with home-made dough and sauce.
“I mean, it almost looks like a higher-end restaurant,” pre-nursing freshman Kyle Koch said. “I was really surprised.” The Vista at Shaw is the only cafeteria on campus offering what Director of Culinary Services Guy Procopio calls a “complete meal.” Each station is treated as a restaurant where salad, dessert and drink all complement the meal. “What we have here is a smaller, more intimate feel at each venue,” Procopio said. Another notable difference from the renovation is a new trayless system to reduce water usage and energy. Procopio highlighted the cafe’s view, describing the windows as a “curtain wall glass with a breath-
“I cant wait to open the doors and show the 450 recipes we’ve worked on.” Kevin Cruz, River Trail Neighborhood Executive Chef
taking Red Cedar view.” Students living in Shaw Hall were given three combo exchanges per day and a free bus pass as compensation for the closing of Shaw cafeteria for the fall semester. A food truck was stationed outside Shaw Hall during the fall semester where students could use combo exchanges. “Because of the location of Shaw residents, we really felt we had to give them a free bus pass so they could take advantage of other cafes, like Case and Brody,”
Procopio said. Cruz, who was part of the grand opening of Brody Square, is excited about what The Vista at Shaw has to offer and for students to finally enjoy the great food. “I’m ecstatic, I can’t wait,” Cruz said prior to the opening. “I can’t wait to open the doors and show the 450 recipes we’ve worked on while Shaw was down and just putting out some really good food to make Vista another a great stop on campus for students.”
To hear a review of the renovations from a student, visit statenews.com/multimedia.
Although lawmakers managed to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, MSU experts say there’s still more to be done to prevent cuts to financial aid and federal grant money currently in jeopardy. The last-minute plan prevented tax increases for 98 percent of families and 97 percent of small businesses. The bill also extended unemployment insurance, tax breaks for families paying for college and the farm bill, which averted a steep rise in the price of milk in the first few months of 2013. Although many MSU students’ families avoided higher income taxes, economics professor Charles Ballard said the most widespread effect of the fiscal cliff agreement is the noticeable 2 percent increase in payroll taxes. Now, students who work will see a 6.2 percent tax on their payroll. Local Michigan politicians were united in voting to approve the agreement. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, as well as Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, and Debbie Stabenow, D-East Lansing, all agreed to the provisions of the final bill. Levin said although he wished for a better agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff, he felt approving an “imperfect agreement” was better than falling back into nationwide recession. There are still two looming issues lawmakers must solve: fixing the sequester and raising the debt ceiling. During fiscal cliff negotiations New Year’s Day, lawmakers decided to postpone the deadline to resolve massive spending cuts, known as the “sequester,” by two months. Now, lawmakers must decide which programs to keep and which to cut. That might mean students’ financial aid and federal grants for research end up on the chopping block, Ballard said. “If there are big cuts to the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health or other agencies from which MSU professors get grant money, that is (concerning) to our institution,” he said. For graduate research assistant Nate Walton, who conducts research at the OrganSee FISCAL CLIFF on page 2 X