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In the news today- Board to vote on removing 'diversity' from VP's title, Board to vote on scaling back Spartan Gateway District. MSU hockey shows improvement in sweep of Northern Michigan, and MSU faces major funding cuts for arts and humanities.
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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.
Hi, and welcome to the state. I'm your host, Rebecca McEvoy. Today's date is 10/29/2025. The forecast predicts that it'll be a cold day with the high being 56 and the low being 35. The state brings you the stories that matter.
Speaker 1:Boards will vote on removing diversity from VP's title. Michigan State University's board of trustees will vote on Friday on whether to tweak the title of the institution's top diversity, equity, and inclusion administrator. Jabbar Bennett currently holds the title of vice president and diversity officer, a position housed within MSU's Office of Inclusive Excellence and Impact. The board resolution proposes changing his title to vice president and chief inclusion officer according to the meeting agenda. The vote comes as MSU and universities across the country respond to the Trump administration's efforts to curtail DEI programs nationwide.
Speaker 1:The federal government has framed them as discriminatory in nature and antithetical to marrocracy while threatening to investigate and cut fundings to institutions that maintain them. Boards have vote on scaling back Spartan Gateway District, much anticipated plans to construct restaurants, retail spaces, a hotel, and a new sports arena on the Michigan State University's campus are being scaled down pending the board of trustees approval at its Friday meeting. University spokesperson Amber McCain said the move is shaped by the athletic department's view that constructing a 6,000 seat arena originally slated at the centerpiece for the Spartan Gateway District and expected to cost a 150,000,000 might not be the best use of our resources at this time. As part of the change, the university would also scrap plans for a new academic or health care building and additional parking structures and consider new sites for the district away from the southwest corner of campus. That new location could also require the district to be further downscaled to accommodate existing structures.
Speaker 1:MSU hockey shows improvement in sweep of Northern Michigan. The Spartans saw another opportunity to grow and they took it. This weekend, the number one Michigan state hockey team took on the Northern Michigan Wildcats, sweeping the series four o shutout and a six two victory. With the pair of wins, the Spartans moved to five one o continuing their five game win streak. Despite two goals during the first period in game one, head coach Adam Nightingale wished the team had gone into its game quicker.
Speaker 1:He said in a postgame press conference noting the team was being cute in response to NMU smothering. MSU will kick off big ten play against the Penn State Ninny Lions Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8. Game times have not been released yet, but this series will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. MSU faces major funding cuts for arts and humanities. Michigan State University recently decided on budget cuts for certain departments.
Speaker 1:With numerous arts programs facing major funding cuts, president Kevin Guskiewicz announced that the university will reduce spending by 9% for the next two years to balance an 85,000,000 deficit. Departments are being asked to lower budgets, with the arts research being affected significantly. MSU's Center for Digital Humanities and Social Science, also known as AZMatrix, has also lost seven NEH grants. Lasting impacts of these budget cuts could also lead to smaller research teams, fewer courses, and fewer arts events across campus. Thank you for joining us for The State, produced by The State News and Impact eighty nine FM.
Speaker 1:You can find us online at thestatenews.com and impact89fm.org. We'll be back tomorrow with more.