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In the news today: For our first story of the day focusing on culture and events, MSU Indian Students Organization celebrates return of the Sargam cultural fair. For our second story focusing on more events, 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' inspires connection through Broadway-level storytelling. For our final story of the week focusing on health, how to approach spring cleaning in an eco-friendly way.
Creators & Guests
What is The State - A Podcast from The State News + Impact 89FM?
The State is a daily rundown of the headlines that matter to the East Lansing, MI community.
This is The State for Friday, April 12th where we bring you the headlines that matter. I'm Rachel Fulton.
For our first story of the day focusing on culture and events,
The MSU Indian Students Organization held its annual Sargam cultural fair last Sunday afternoon in the MSU Union Ballroom for the first time since 2019. The fair went on an indefinite pause for the last five years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sargam is the Indian Students Organization's annual cultural fair featuring students singing and dancing to popular Hindi songs in a celebration of Indian heritage and culture. Prior to the performances, attendees were greeted with a variety of activities, authentic food and booths belonging to registered student organizations.
There were several guests of honor in attendance, including MSU Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Jabbar Bennett, Michigan State Senator Sam Singh and Mayor Pro-Tem of East Lansing Kerry Ebersole Singh.
Bennett said the return of Sargam was a "wonderful opportunity" to showcase and celebrate various communities.
For our second story focusing on more events,
"Moulin Rouge! The Musical" opened on April 2 for its two-week run at the Wharton Center. Audience members saw the first week of shows and left with a shared experience of a true Broadway-level love story.
Taking place in the titular Moulin Rouge cabaret club in Paris, the production tells the tale of a youthful composer named Christian as he finds himself hopelessly in love with the club's star performer, Satine. Told through original music and unique medlies of famous love songs, Christian, now caught in a love triangle, fights to let his voice ring out in favor of true love.
Actor Robert Petkoff plays Harold Zidler in the production. Zidler is the mischievous host and director of the Moulin Rouge. Bearing the burden of the Moulin Rouge's financial troubles but having a father-like role in Satine's life, his motivations are often muddled and mysterious.
Petkoff said the variation of live theater is what allows audience members to feel as though they're watching a production for the first time.
Petkoff said part of the thrill of live theater comes from the fact that it's a shared experience.
He added that students being able to enter a space that features community reaction is important and reactive collaboration isn't only limited to the audience.
He said live theater provides variety because of "an interplay between the audience and the actors."
More information on "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" and other Wharton Center shows can be found on their website.
For our final story of the week focusing on health,
The melting away of snow doesn't just expose the dirt hiding in the snowbanks; it also reveals the dirt and dust that's accumulated in our homes, leading many people to participate in the phenomenon of spring cleaning.
"It's a nice way to get you ready for the summer," said chemistry engineering sophomore Aidan Frost. Frost uses spring cleaning as an opportunity to clean his kitchen and bathroom, organize his closet and vacuum.
But before breaking out your mop, flinging open the windows and queuing your favorite music, you might want to be mindful of the cleaning products that are being used and the potential environmental effects.
Household cleaning chemicals are known to leech into our soil, water and air, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. These chemicals find their way into the environment through aerosolized sprays, surface runoff into waterways, and from pouring used products down the drain.
This spring, some students that wish to clean their house and reduce stress on the environment are using home-made alternative cleaners.
Using empty spray bottles from old cleaning products is one way to repurpose plastic and reduce waste. When repurposing, it is important to thoroughly clean the container before filling it with a new cleaner to prevent reactions between the old and new chemicals in the container.
There are also other alternative cleaners one can use this season for spring cleaning including vinegar, baking soda, olive oil, rubbing alcohol, and even bleach for disinfecting spaces.
To end our last episode of the week, here are a few announcements!
Today's weather forecast is predicting windy with light rain early, then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon with a high of 52 degrees and a low of 39 degrees.
For our final announcement, next week will be the last week The State will air for the spring semester.
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.