This is The State for Friday, February 21st where we bring you the headlines that matter. I'm Rachel Fulton.
For our first story of the day focusing on campus news,
Michigan State University has sanctioned five fraternities for violating the student organization code of conduct, though the specific details behind the actions remain unclear. The fraternities affected include Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, FarmHouse, Phi Kappa Psi, and Psi Upsilon.
A report from The State News just before the sanctions were announced revealed police investigations into hazing and sexual abuse allegations at several of these fraternities.
While MSU officials have not provided full details on the sanctions, ShirDonna Lawrence, the Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, explained that fraternities on probation will undergo increased monitoring. Sigma Alpha Epsilon received a stricter penalty, with a "deferred loss of registration," meaning it could lose university affiliation if it commits any further infractions.
The probationary status for the other four fraternities will last until either 2025 or 2026, depending on the chapter. However, university officials cited privacy laws as the reason they cannot disclose further information about the violations.
For our second story focusing on more campus news,
The United Farm Workers Foundation held a "Know Your Rights" presentation at Michigan State University's Multicultural Center on Tuesday to help undocumented students prepare in case of an ICE raid. The event, co-sponsored by the Civic Empowerment Coalition and the Culturas De Las Razas Unidas student organization, comes after recent executive orders that removed "safe zones" like schools and churches for undocumented immigrants.
The session included important tips like how to identify ICE agents and the rights of undocumented individuals, such as using Fifth Amendment protections. UFW Michigan State Director Amanda Villa emphasized that undocumented immigrants do have rights, despite misconceptions.
Organizers also discussed the university's role, with MSU's police not assisting in enforcing federal immigration laws. UFW suggested that if a raid occurs, community members should record ICE agents, not the individual detained, to protect their identity.
This event is one of several this week at MSU aimed at empowering undocumented students. Resources, including Red Cards with summarized rights, were distributed to attendees.
For our final story of the week focusing on events and entertainment,
Tomorrow, the Sphinx Virtuosi, a renowned chamber orchestra from Detroit's Sphinx Organization, will perform at Michigan State University's Wharton Center. The orchestra, dedicated to uplifting Black and Latino voices in classical music, will showcase American Forms, a performance blending classical music with soul, bluegrass, jazz, blues, and ragtime.
Bill Neri, Director of Ensemble Advancement, describes the performance as a unique opportunity to experience familiar sounds in a fresh, underrepresented context. Music education senior Emilia Teed emphasized the importance of seeing diverse representation on stage, especially for minority students.
The Wharton Center's accessibility makes performances like this important for MSU students, providing a connection to both the university and the broader East Lansing community. Richie Diaz, a master's student in music performance, notes that such events foster curiosity and bring people together.
Sphinx Virtuosi's performance is more than just music--it's an invitation to engage with and support diverse artistic voices, and the Sphinx Organization continues to make a lasting impact through its programs.
To end our last episode of the week, here are a few announcements!
Today's weather forecast is predicting mainly cloudy skies with a high of 29 degrees and a low of 14 degrees. For the weekend it looks like overcast skies with maybe some sun peaking in on Saturday with temps in the high 20s and low 30s.
Here is the MSU Athletic line-up for the weekend...
Tonight, Hockey will play Penn State at 6 P.M. at Munn Ice Arena.
Tomorrow, Gymnastics will go up against Rutgers at 2 P.M. at Jenison Fieldhouse and Hockey will play Penn State again at 6 P.M.
On Sunday, Women's Tennis will play Youngstown State at 10 A.M. and Ball State at 2 P.M. both at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center. Women's Basketball will vs. Indiana at 2 P.M. at the Breslin Center.
Finishing up our episode, here's the MSU weekend events line-up...
Tomorrow, from 2 P.M. to 4 P.M. you can stress less at the Broad Art Museum with this monthly making series of SpARTan Wellness: Positivity Journals. These will be made with recycled materials and can be the perfect new home for your daily affirmations.
Thank you for joining us for The State... Produced by The State News and Impact eighty-nine F-M. You can find us online at State News dot com and Impact eight-nine F-M dot org. We'll be back next week with more.
