Mar 19
2008

What’s up with Sparty Secrets lately?

So for those of you who were regular readers of this site as of late, you may have wondered why postings have been sporadic. In January, writer Jonathan Oosting took a great new position with mlive.com. Writer Pat Murray took on additional responsibilities during semester as well. Sparty Secrets was also unable to bring on any additional reporters. This left Wes Holing the site's sole reporter. Rather than frustrate readers with ...
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Jan 17
2008

What’s with the spray painted signs on the sidewalks?

They're on the walkways and building walls all around campus. One may catch your eye on your way to class, but their meanings are often unclear. They're stencil graffiti art pieces and they're everywhere. Stencil graffiti is a quick and easy way to make a statement. This has made it easy to proliferate it across campus. An artist can create a stencil from any image, as certain ...
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Dec 8
2007

What is inside of the MSC Smokestack Building?

Located between Spartan Stadium and the International Center, the Shaw Lane Power Plant sits unoccupied, looking for a purpose. It has been that way for nearly 32 years. The power plant’s smokestack towers over the Michigan State University campus. On its sides are the letters “MSC”, for Michigan State College, the University’s name prior to 1955. The smokestack rivals Beaumont Tower as one of the defining feature of the MSU’s campus. You can see it on television ...
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Nov 26
2007

Is MSU’s reputation as a “party school” accurate?

The data is in, and MSU is not a party school. More than 60 percent of college students nationwide responded that they had consumed five or more alcoholic drinks in the last two weeks, according to the National College Health Assessment conducted by the American College Health Association (ACHA) in Fall of 2006. By comparison, only 47.6 percent of MSU students reported ...
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Nov 18
2007

How can the State News afford an off-campus building?

Twenty-four years after legally separating itself from Michigan State University by incorporating as a nonprofit, the State News physically separated itself in August of 2005 by purchasing the $4.6 million off-campus building at 435 Grand River Ave. Anticipating a move for more than 20 years, the State News saved up approximately $4 million collected from advertisers and subscription fees. The nonprofit’s board of directors applied these savings to the 20-year mortgage used to pay for the ...
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Nov 5
2007

Why do MSU hockey players drive mopeds?

It's 5 p.m. on a Wednesday in early November. Outside of Munn Ice Arena, the distant sound of slap shots has given way to the immediate sound of 49cc moped engines. One by one, 14 members of the defending national champion MSU hockey team filter out of the arena, hop on a scooter and zoom off in various directions. Tomorrow these same mopeds will bring these same players back together. It's what they've been doing for years....
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Oct 29
2007

Why do students need to pay to park on such a large campus?

At Michigan State University student drivers are paying the price while the university strives for environmental sustainability. Pedestrians and alternative modes of transportation are emphasized in MSU's 2020 Vision campus master plan, the University's overall guide to campus development, leaving student motorists the big losers. Parking Alternatives "We are trying to make sure we aren't just paving paradise putting up parking lots," MSU Campus Planner Steve Troost told Sparty Secrets. "We're really ...
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Oct 22
2007

What happened to the Wells Hall preacher?

Michael Venyah’s message remains the same; he’s just taking it to new locations. Since his last visit to MSU in the spring of 2006, the fiery evangelist, known here as the Wells Hall preacher, has taken his controversial message to approximately 40 campuses in 30 states. Venyah was a fixture at MSU since 2003, when, he says, God commanded him to preach on college campuses. His brand of direct, confrontational, and often loud sermonizing drew heavy criticism ...
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Oct 8
2007

How did Mayo Hall become haunted?

Many incoming freshmen have fears: hard classes, difficult roommates, social pressures. But one thing Mayo Hall residents don't seem too fearful of is ghosts. Not that they should, but many are familiar with the legends of the residence hall. Details change from person to person, but residents have heard of Mary Mayo herself haunting the hall, suicides in the basement and the always-locked fourth floor and occult practices in various rooms of the hall in decades ...
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Sep 30
2007

Why do the MSU police only drive SUVs?

Mike Rice understands the perception that the Michigan State University Police drive unnecessarily expensive and luxurious vehicles, but he is quick to point out that the perception is flawed. MSU police use the Chevy Tahoe as their primary patrol vehicle because of bulk cost discounts, additional room for canine units and tactical advantages, according to Rice, MSU assistant chief of police. The state of Michigan pursuit-rated five vehicle types: Chevy's Tahoe and Impala, Ford's Crown Victoria, and ...
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Sep 17
2007

Who resurrected the electric car?

Arthur Matteson has been resurrecting electric cars almost his whole life. Matteson is an electrical engineering master’s student and president of the MSU Solar Car Team, a team that – in addition to designing, building and racing a solar car – is resurrecting a 1997 General Motors EV1. A history of homebrewing Matteson began tinkering with ...
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Sep 12
2007

Why are there cameras all over campus?

When students returned to campus this fall, more than 20 new video cameras, mounted inconspicuously atop traffic signals around campus, greeted them. Very few students knew what they were, and the watchful eyes raised concerns over privacy and first amendment rights*. "It's creepy," said Becky Monash, a hospitality business sophomore, as she stood in front of the six cameras at Farm and Shaw Lanes. "They’re probably tracking us. ... Probably a social study of some sort."...
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