A word most often heard in history classes, associated with bra-burning and the revolutationary times of the 60’s.

The Women's Study Lounge in the Union is a reminder of a more sex-segregated time at MSU (photo credit: Emily Lawler).

Many students at Michigan State University have misconceptions about the feminist movement and are unaware that it still exists.

“I haven’t heard anything about it on campus.  I never hear anything about it, ever,” said Kelsey Hansen, a telecommunication and criminal justice junior.  Hansen refers to feminism and her experience with it at MSU.  She said the only thing she knew about feminism’s purpose was the effort to equalize the rights of women to the rights that men have.

Hansen is not alone, and that is the general notion that most students have.  However, there is an organization on campus that is fighting to bring awareness and clarification to what feminism is.

The MSU Women’s Council is a progressive feminist organization on campus,  said Chelsea Gladney, a junior who co-chairs the council.  The group meets once a week and has approximately 35 regular members.

“‘Feminism is the radical notion that women are people too,’” said Gladney, quoting the slogan that the MSU Women’s Council has printed on their t-shirts.

Many of the weekly meetings held by the MSU Women’s Council focus on the stereotypes that members and feminists in general face.  According to Gladney, the portrayal of feminism as an aggressive and negative movement is inaccurate.

“It’s supposed to be strong and it’s supposed to be empowering, not in any way demeaning to anyone,” she said.

Gladney pointed out that while feminism is characterized by activism, it is also a belief system that can be held by anyone and is an international concept.

“Feminism is for everyone, it really is for everyone.  It’s not just for middle-class white women who have all the opportunities.  It’s for black, Asian, Hispanic, men, women, lesbian, gays, transgenders, it’s for everyone.  It’s not just for people of this country.  We have a very different form of feminism than [other nations] do somewhere else, but they still have their own forms of feminism.  It’s international,” Gladney said.

A fact that students may be surprised about is male participation in feminism.   Gladney said that the MSU Women’s Council has three male members that attend the weekly meetings, and if a man believes in women’s equality he is a feminist.

Killian Lynam, a general business and pre-law junior, said that he believes that feminism belongs at MSU and society in general.

“I think that [feminists] are advocates for women’s equality.  I don’t think that they are any different than people who advocate for racial equality.  I think there is definitely a place for [feminism],” said Lynam.

Lynam said that misconceptions, such as all feminists are lesbians, is the result of ignorant thinking.

“I think that feminism is a really misunderstood concept.  I think that the sort of radical element pierces through most people’s minds, when really it shouldn’t be taken as threatening,” Lynam said.

Kristina Banister Quynn, a visiting assistant professor who teaches WRA and IAH classes at MSU, uses women’s texts and feminist ideas in the way she teaches and the readings she assigns to her students.

Dr. Quynn explained that feminism might not be as prevalent and visible today as it has been before, but that it does still exist.  She cited the Take Back the Night event, hosted by the MSU Women’s Council, which occurs on campus each year as a strong example of feminism on campus.

“The Take Back the Night march here on campus, which I think is very well attended, and it’s about women getting together and having a candlelight march through spaces where they would feel uncomfortable walking alone at night, and say ‘We won’t be afraid, we will take back the night, and be able to walk on our own,’” she said.

Female mannequins model "kiss me" shirts ins in a union storefront (photo credit: Emily Lawler).

According to Gladney, the Take Back the Night (TBTN) occurs annually at MSU and will be held on Apr. 20 of this year.  The event is held to support survivors of sexual assault and encourages them to stand up and tell their stories.  Workshops for both men and women are available during the day.

“These events help women and men heal and come together as a community.  TBTN lends strength, and I like to think that it lets everyone know that they are not alone and that people are still working for their cause… Working to end violence against women comes along with feminism.  We want to end violence towards all people,” Gladney said.

Feminism has not transformed, but rather, transitioned into a more inclusive movement of women from all backgrounds, Quynn said.  There are now multiple types of feminisms, such as pro-choice or lesbian Chicana feminisms.  This inclusiveness moves toward including all women, not just middle-class Caucasian women.

According to Quynn, although the negative stereotypes regarding feminism still exist, it can come back into a positive light.

“Nothing shuts down conversation or makes people more wary than claiming to be [a feminist].  I can, however, claim to be studying and interested in issues of sex and gender, and immediately people’s ears perk up.  All in all, I think labels come and go, fading in and out of popularity, and who knows maybe ‘feminism’ will make a come back,” Quynn said.

Moving beyond coal may seem costly at first glance, but there are many other factors that come into play when talking about monetary concerns. A recent State News article claimed that eliminating coal usage would cost the university $20 to $25 million. Our new art museum costs $40 million; about double the amount it would take to stop the use of coal. So why not invest in something that costs less and would affect the entire state of Michigan rather than something that’s double the amount and only affects a miniscule percent of MSU’s student body?

Right now the MSU power plant burns coal (photo credit: Brett Ekblad).

According to the National Academy of Sciences, coal-fired power plants cost the government about $156 million per plant a year and over $62 million in hidden costs that we are already paying for through our paychecks. These hidden costs are roughly twice the cost of the coal itself.  In addition, long term pollution not only disrupts plant growth, but leads to a $500 million loss due to reduced crop production in the U.S. every year.  Clearly, coal is not cheap.

Coal runs at a high cost in terms of money, but it also makes a huge impact on our health and the lives of future generations. Stopping the use of coal will prevent health risks, such as premature death, heart and lung disease.  Not only does it affect the obvious respiratory and cardiovascular systems, but it also has a large effect on the nervous system. Coal pollutants also cause loss of intellectual capacity through mercury. Researchers estimate that between 317,000 and 631,000 children are born in the U.S. each year with blood mercury levels high enough to reduce IQ scores and cause lifelong loss of intelligence.

Finally, coal accounts for about 40 percent of our nation’s carbon dioxide pollution. If we eliminate using coal and switch to a cleaner source of energy, in the long run, we will be saving an insurmountable amount of money, protecting our lives and those of future generations, and decrease the effects of global warming.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Huang

And once you try out that salad, get ready to toss her salad with this month’s scandalous sex act. Just please the perineum with your tongue, let things heat up and then indulge in some more pasta salad!

Protesters sport signs against the University's coal use (photo credit: Emily Lawler)

The T.B. Simon power plant produces enough energy for the entire MSU campus, but in doing so allegedly violated its Renewable Operating Permit with the state of Michigan, as well as the federal Clean Air Act Amendments and the Michigan Administrative code.

According to their own reports, in the first quarter of 2008 the power plan reported 7.58 percent excess sulfur dioxide emissions and 4.75 percent excess nitrogen oxide emissions. These are classified as “high priority violations” by the Environmental Protection Agency, and join 2007 violations of a lesser caliber that were resolved without monetary penalties.

According to Karen Zelt, communications manager for the MSU Physical Plant, the violations were accidental.

“We had violations from our sulfur content because we’d purchased some bad coal from a vendor,” said Zelt. The nitrous oxide she said resulted from burning wet coal, and the power plant has since built a structure to house coal.

To address these violations, the DNRE has proposed a consent agreement that would put into place new operating protocol and mandate that the MSU power plant pay a $27,000 fee to the state’s general fund.

For the 16 students and alumni that testified against the consent agreement, that punishment is not enough. They called for an equal amount of money to be spent on transitioning the power plant to renewable resources, and said coal was an antiquated way of powering a world-class institution.

“The main reason we are running this campaign is that coal is an unacceptable fuel to be running campus on,” said Monica Embrey, part of the Sierra Club-sponsored MSU Beyond Coal group.

The students also cited health concerns stemming from the excess emissions, and did not know if the $27,000 would come out of their tuition. Zelt says she does not know where the money will come from.

Student protesters gather outside the administration building (photo credit: Emily Lawler).

In addition to attending the meeting, 25 students attended a rally outside the MSU administration building calling on the university to transition to completely renewable resources.

But at this point, Zelt says it’s just not possible.

“We would love to get off coal, we just can’t afford to,” she said.

MSU clubs Greenpeace, Beyond Coal, ECO and Global Exchange were involved in the rally.

However, DNRE Environmental Engineer Mike Kovalchick deals with these types of violations regularly, and says that at this point it’s too late for a renewable energy plan to be included in the state’s consent agreement.

“That’s certainly an option, but it has to come from MSU,” said Kovalchick. And that’s generally done within the first 30 days of receiving the violation notice, so at this point it’s too late. But that’s not to say that MSU couldn’t implement a renewable energy plan on its own, and that’s what students are hoping for.

“The coal plant is a big smear on this campus,” said Greenpeace member Kyle Pray. He said that of the 250,000 tons of coal MSU uses each year, most is obtained through mountain top removal mining methods in the Appalachian region. Embrey too considers this unethical.

Protesters carry mock solar panels and windmills (photo credit: Emily Lawler).

“Almost all of it comes from blowing off the tops of mountains in the poorest parts of the country,” said Embrey.

As far as the consent agreement goes, Kovalchick says that when the MDNRE makes a decision on the consent agreement, it will go to MSU and Attorney General Mike Cox for approval.

“That whole process could easily take 30-45 days,” said Kovalchick.

Every year between January and March, couples will begin to split for what appears to be no good reason. You may notice it among your group of friends. Couples who have dated for months and years alike will slowly begin to break things off in hopes of finding something new.

Kate Mortensen, an economics junior, has experienced relationship troubles nearly every winter.

“Its just general unhappiness,” explains Mortensen. “Everything will be going smoothly for months, but every winter things just seem to go downhill, until spring, and everything suddenly will be perfect again… It just seems like we get the winter blues or something.”

Mortensen’s relationship stresses are not unlike many around campus and are generally dismissed by students as mere winter blues; however, they may actually be side effects from a mood disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD, as stated by the Mayo Clinic, is a type of depression that starts at the same time every year, usually during the winter months, and can lead to moodiness and irritability. Other symptoms include hopelessness, anxiety, loss of energy, social withdrawal and weight gain. SAD is treatable, and treatment ranges from UV light exposure to prescription drugs; however, tanning is a simpler solution that will give you the same benefits without pricey doctor visits.

Tanning may be the solution.

Sarah Munkacsy, owner and operator of Bronze Bay Tanning in downtown East Lansing is a strong believer that tanning is a viable treatment for SAD and a better alternative than taking prescription drugs.

“A lot of people come in and say ‘I’m really depressed,’” she said. “[Personally] I feel so much better when I tan.”

Munkacsy, who was diagnosed several years ago with SAD, spent several winters taking antidepressants like Prozac in an attempt to return to her normal, vibrant self.

“I just didn’t like how I felt. I usually have a type A personality, and I just didn’t feel like myself,” she said.

Upon being asked about her relationship with her husband, Munkacsy said she did not feel like she changed toward him. Her husband, who works with her at their tanning salon, told a different story, signaling that she was quite moody before she began treatment.

After several winters of taking Prozac, Munkacsy approached her doctor asking if there were any other treatment options for her SAD. Her doctor suggested tanning two to three times a week, and she hasn’t looked back.

“It’s so much better than drugs,” she said. “I feel like myself again.”

What is it about tanning that makes people feel better? Katie Edwards, an employee at Bronze Bay Tanning, explained it in simple terms.

Edwards had recently worked on a research project involving tanning and its general effects on the body. According to her research, light exposure leads to two different mood elevating chemical reactions. The first is the production of vitamin D, which studies suggest is directly related to moods; that is, the more vitamin D you have in your system, the happier you tend to be. The second reaction is the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin, as with vitamin D, is stimulated by light exposure and is directly linked to moodiness and possibly depression. During the summer months, most Michiganders are active and readily get sufficient light exposure; however, with the typically overcast winters, light and warm days are hard to come by. Therefore, less sunlight means less vitamin D and serotonin, and as a result also means moodiness, depression and a strain on your relationships.

SAD is suspected to affect up to 20 percent of the general population; however, Munkacsy believes most cases go undiagnosed and dismissed as moodiness or winter blues.

“I have tried tanning and do feel a lot better after I go,” said Mortensen. “I’ve never officially been diagnosed with [SAD], but whatever winter moodiness I have, it clears it up pretty well.”

Mortensen, who has struggled with relationships during the aforementioned ‘break up season,’ went on to talk about her relationships.

“It seemed like I’d get in a lot of petty fights pretty readily for no reason,” she said, “but since I started tanning it’s been a lot easier over the winter months. I just hope that [my boyfriend] feels the same way.”

“I think that most people aren’t educated about [SAD],” said Munkacsy. She suggests that anyone interested in tanning and its positive affects on mood should visit www.tanningtruth.com.

“It’s such an easy fix. If people knew how much better you feel after tanning, a lot more people would be doing it,” said Mortensen.

So before you break off another relationship between the months of January and March, try getting a tan. The results could save your relationship and make you feel more like yourself again.

Dumpstering or dumpster diving is, well, exactly how it sounds. It has become a bi-monthly routine for some students. The downside is climbing into dumpsters and rifling through garbage to possibly find a couple of unharmed cans of soup or a bag of partially bruised apples.

“My experience was kind of a letdown,” said Katie Adams, a professional writing senior, of her first unsuccessful dumpster diving trip.

When the concept was explained to me, I imagined opening a dumpster to find bags of bagels, loaves of bread or boxes of unharmed rolls. I pictured them being available to reach from the bin and take home to toast for breakfast the next morning. This, however, was not the case when I — excuse the pun– dove into the challenge. After three dumpsters full of empty cups, plastic bags and coffee-stained boxes, I found the ends of a few bread loaves mixed in with other trash. I was an amateur, at best. I gave up my first attempt at freeganism after three hours and five dumpsters filled with nothing but garbage. 

The upside, however, is free groceries, and potentially a lot of them.

“The trick is to be systematic,” Adams said. “Some of my friends who do it all of the time get a whole trunk full of bread. I guess you just have to pick the right place and time of day and hopefully you’ll get lucky.”

Jessica Checkeroski, a studio art senior, is a bit more dedicated to the cause. She doesn’t consider herself a freegan, though she goes dumpstering about twice a month.

“I look for bread, fruit, and vegetables. Anything else like cereal or vegan hot dogs is just a nice surprise,” said Checkeroski.

Sticking mainly to grocery stores with compactors or bakeries, Checkeroski doesn’t feel nervous about the cleanliness of the food that she picks up because most of it is packaged or surrounded by other food.

“[It’s] like finding a garbage bag of just bagels or a box of just potatoes,” she said.

Checkeroski won’t just take anything, though.

“If something looks gross, it probably is. I used to think the idea of taking food out of a dumpster seemed unsafe but once I went, I realized that the food isn’t in that bad of shape at all. Especially now that it is winter, my logic is that if it is frozen its shelf life is longer.”

Checkeroski has never known anyone to get sick from the food they’ve found on a dumpster dive but understands why it won’t sell in stores.

“I get why the food can’t be sold – bruises, freshness, too ripe – but [for it] not to be used is wasteful,” said Checkeroski.

In regards to issues of legality, Checkeroski has never experienced any problems, though she has heard of others who have.

Hannah Nowicki, an employee at Great Harvest Bread Company in Okemos, had never heard the term freegan before, but she has heard stories of college students rummaging through their dumpster after hours.

“About 2 to 3 months ago we were taking out the garbage while closing down for the night, and the girls found some students digging through the dumpster,” said Nowicki.

Since Great Harvest Bread Company gives their extra bread to soup kitchens in the area, the students could not have been finding much more than a few loaf ends.

“My friends who were working told them that they wouldn’t find anything, but the students refused to leave. The police were called because they were trespassing,” said Nowicki.

Checkeroski feels that the food she finds in dumpsters is fair game.

“Once something is in the trash, let me decide if the risk is worth taking or not,” she said.

Freeganism isn’t just about dumpster diving. It is an entire lifestyle based off of surplus food and materials that are put to waste daily by consumers and manufacturers. The freegan movement was started in the 1990s as part of the environmentalist and anti-globalization trends happening at the time and has grown quite large in New York, Los Angeles and London — where foraging waste is called bin-diving or skipping.

According to freegan.info, those who first practiced freeganism still purchased items. They tried to boycott major companies that tested products on animals, violated human rights or abused the environment, qualities that didn’t set them apart from most activist groups of their kind. After realizing that every purchase they made was still “supporting something deplorable,” freegans took on a new, unique set of principles. By almost fully rejecting the entire economic system, freegans maintain the concept of boycotting all things mass-produced, animal tested or environmentally unfriendly.

Although dumpster diving is the most common practice, many freegans are also vegans. Vegans chose a diet that consists of only animal-free foods for political and health reasons. Freegans often adopt this lifestyle for the same reasons but also because a cruelty-free diet is more economical than one that includes animal products.

Freegans aren’t alone in their quest for free food. Some students who do not wish to dig through garbage have applied for bridge cards as a way of avoiding the cost of groceries. Bridge cards are like electronic food stamps and are offered by the federal government to anyone who qualifies (qualifications vary from state to state).

“I would say most of the people who have it need it. It’s hard to say exactly who does,” said Alan O’Donnell, a human biology senior. “Technically, I’d probably survive without it, but it definitely helps.”

Applications can be filled out online, and they ask questions about personal income but not about parents’ income or whether the applicant is claimed as a dependant. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is an entitlement program, meaning anyone who applies and meets the requirements will automatically be given a bridge card. The idea is that the card will help facilitate the costs of monthly spending on groceries and not be the sole means for providing food.

The card is issued by household, so everyone who applies is given a different amount to spend each month depending on his or her income. Bridge card owners cannot purchase alcohol, cigarettes or household items (including toothpaste), and are limited by the amount they are given by the government.

According to Marie Boyle and David Holben in their book, Community Nutrition in Action, one of the drawbacks of the card is that it does not necessarily allot enough money to buy nutritional items, so the USDA and the DHHS are concerned that bridge card users cannot afford to follow the dietary guidelines that they set for Americans. Because of this, these organizations are rallying to give more money to people with bridge cards, which could mean a lot to students who struggle to make ends meet.

Though my first experience with freeganism didn’t yield anything but a few photos of garbage, I feel like the dumpster divers are on to something. If you can stomach the idea of getting into a pile of trash, you can walk away from the experience with food for the week or at least a story to tell friends. Then again, not everyone is cut out for the freegan lifestyle – I stopped trying after a few hours and ended up at Noodles & Company. Inside, that is.

This isn’t going anywhere, so you leave. But you still need to get your TV fixed, as you’re having guests over tomorrow and it’s too late to cancel. Your friend is bringing that cute girl you’ve been meaning to talk to. Failure is not an option. With no other choice, you go to the other guys across the street, hoping your luck changes.

Thankfully these guys actually know what they’re talking about. Store B works much better than Store A. You explain what you need and they get it for you. They treat you with respect and actually listen to what you want. You’re even told its ok to call if you have any further problems. You give a sigh of relief, because this is how business is supposed to be done.

We come to college to, among other things, get a degree.  The University runs the business and we are the customers.  We need this degree to get a well paying job.  The university needs our tuition keep on going.  As students, we would hope the university would be like Store B and not Store A.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Recent decisions by the administration have been troubling and deserve attention. In particular, their current plans to expand the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) Program and cut Deaf Education Program are especially ridiculous. It makes no sense, and is concurrent with a troubling trend of short-term thinking the University has chosen to take in their fiscal affairs.

I understand there need to be cuts when there are limited funds.  A weak economy in Michigan means less revenue for the University. I don’t blame them for having to pick between bad and worse when it comes to cutting back. It’s times like these where they must see which programs are truly needed. But the University is willing to hedge its bets on a program that they are selling well to prospective parents and students. It’s true that they’re going to make a quick buck in the next few years. But they are also willing to ditch a sound program that graduates qualified and skilled students every year for one hasn’t had a graduating class yet.

I have nothing personal against the RCAH. However, when compared to Deaf Education, the marketplace does. There is a market demand for those in Deaf Education for a reason. American Sign Language is the third most used language in the United States. Our Deaf Education Programs offers a unique bilingual experience that cannot be found anywhere else in Michigan. Thus, there is a reason why students enroll in the program. Prospective employers know this specialized program prepares them well for the workforce.

On the other hand, RCAH has a much less marketable potential for their graduates. It’s a young program that already has a dismal retention rate compared to any other Residential College on campus. People are leaving the program not just because of the lack of academic rigor, but the uncertainty for job prospects when they would finally graduate. I would be hard pressed to compare RCAH’s retention, job placement, and graduate school acceptance rates to that of Deaf Education. You would think such a weak program would be cut if we were running low on funds, not the program that has already proven itself.

And when these numbers come in the next few years, the consequences of such a decision will become evident. They will have to cut RCAH, as parents will stop sending their kids to a program that does not prepare them for a global economy. What then will the board say to those students who couldn’t get into Deaf Education?

They’ll be speechless, like the big businesses that took bailouts last year. The Banks’ short-sighted, high profiting loans, and the crisis that followed, should rebut any notion that focusing only on the short-term is a viable business model. GM and Chrysler put as little quality in their cars as possible to squeeze out as much profit as they could, only to have the world watch them topple into bankruptcy. Michigan State’s administration is acting like these bad characters. They have Store A Syndrome. What they value is quick profit, not the quality of the education they are providing.

What comes from this kind of irresponsibility is an annoyance with institutions we feel should be able to do much better.

I can’t think of a Democrat or Republican that doesn’t have some kind of disdain towards the banks after what they just put the county through.  I can’t think of one Michigander who was proud to see GM and Chrysler pleading to Washington for emergency funds. And these days, it’s hard to find people who really believe the University’s board is looking out for the students’ best interests. We hear hopeful language but are slapped in the face with boneheaded, shortsighted proposals – like cutting the Deaf Education Program. We have all seen the narrative before, and the plot gets old quick.

The real tragedy here is there does not have to be a contradiction between the University profiting and looking out for what’s best for students. There are plenty of common sense decisions and would benefit everyone. As a sports fan, it would be nice if they wouldn’t try to change the Spartan Logo when it is broadly disliked by the student body. As someone who lives in the dorms, it would be nice if they wouldn’t charge obnoxious sums of money for meal plans. As a Resident Mentor, I would rather the absurd amount they spent on “Live On” events be used to fund scholarships for students. And as a friend of some in the Deaf Education Program, I would appreciate it if the University used some rationality and prudence when making budgetary decisions.

These are decisions that prompt people to live off campus and sometimes leave Michigan State all together in the long run. This is what ultimately makes them loose profit. The University must realize there are no short term profits that can trump a deficit of trust students have with administration board members.

Conversely, small changes to show their concern with students’ long-term interests would give incentive for people to stay. That would bring sustainable profit over the next few years. The University would be running the right kind of business. We’ll be glad to bring our TV in if we’re being treated right.

If the University can afford to keep the RCAH, by all means they should do so.  But in such a deep recession where an education means more than it ever has for employment opportunity, they need to have their priorities in check.  Expanding RCAH and abandoning Deaf Education is a terrible idea, and board members should know better.

In the end, they need to do some serious soul searching. Everyone knows how the global economy operates. The quality of education students we receive is critical for finding a job. Businesses thrive because they care about their customers, not because they can cheat them out for a quick profit. I sincerely hope they reverse this decision and show they want to run the right kind of business we can all be proud of.

Editor’s Note: This is an opinion piece by a guest columnist, and may or may not represent the views of TBG and its staff. If you disagree you’re free to leave your comments at the bottom or submit your own letter to tbgletters@gmail.com.

SCOUT BANANA is a non-profit organization that works to raise awareness for health care in some of Africa’s neediest areas. Started by a former MSU student, the MSU chapter focuses on bettering South Africa, with chapters nationwide targeting Uganda as well.

While Africa’s need for health care may be clear, the way to improve its underdeveloped system is not so straightforward. “Before we take any action we have to at least first work to understand the problems we want to fix,” SCOUT BANANA Founder Alex Hill said. “Uninformed aid has the potential to have such a negative effect.”

(Photo credit: Brett Ekblad)

In an article from the SCOUT BANANA website, Ruth Berger, the Vice President of the MSU chapter, described the difference between an organization that informs and demands economic change and one such as Product (RED) which can create complacency. Berger wrote, “Product (RED) has the potential to raise awareness and make people think about global issues, but it also has the potential to make them feel satisfied with the way things are and the small part they are doing.”

SCOUT BANANA’s dedication to education is progressing to a new level. Launching in spring of 2012, its new project, Banana Tree Papers, will be written by graduate students. The working papers will connect communities with the latest research concerning their health care and development issues.

Hill, a recent graduate of MSU, sees potential in extending the movement past the undergraduate level, hoping that it will bring its education of members to a new level of depth and understanding. “This could have the potential to widen the knowledge base for members and others involved in our chapters,” Hill said.

In addition to Banana Tree Papers, SCOUT BANANA held it first National Summit in January 2010. Leadership from each of the chapters, including MSU, met with other SCOUT BANANA staff members to discuss the agenda for 2010. The team hopes that what started right here at MSU will spread to other college campuses, “increasing support for [its] projects, and launching a fellowship program,” Hill said.

In addition to the growth opportunities that SCOUT BANANA has created for itself, the organization also received publicity from its nomination for the 2008 “Do Something Awards.” Although the organization did not receive any funds for its projects, its story was featured on the Doritos bag along with Hill’s picture. “We’ve gotten a great deal of feedback and press from the Doritos bags,” Hill said.

Although Hill, two-year leader of MSU’s SCOUT BANANA chapter, has graduated from MSU, the work of its chapter has not slowed. The chapter holds weekly meetings, gathering recently to talk about upcoming events for MSU’s campus. Emily Jones, junior zoology major and MSU chapter coordinator, said that they hold weekly “Hug Days.” Dressed in banana suits, members give hugs and hand out key chains, brochures and flyers. “Most people who actually stop to hug us and talk are really interested in why we would dress up and act ridiculous,” Jones said.

In addition to weekly events, MSU’s chapter holds an annual Dance-a-thon in the spring to raise support. The MSU chapter also partners with an after-school program in South Africa. The program focuses on children who are affected by HIV/AIDS. The support raised through the chapter’s many events provides the after-school center with enough funds to feed the children one meal a day. This meal may be the only one a child receives for the day. Jones said, “Everyone in the community has a say in the after-school center, and that’s important because they know better than we do what needs to happen.” SCOUT BANANA’s commitment to informed aid allows all of the funds to be used in the best ways possible.

Over its nine years of existence, SCOUT BANANA has grown a considerable amount. Its chapters now include Tufts University, Central Michigan University and University of Michigan (U of M). In the fall, U of M and MSU held a competition to see which program could raise the most money through a 5K event. MSU won the contest, but together the chapters raised awareness and support for their individual projects.

Through growth and change, SCOUT BANANA continues to fight for better health care in Africa. Growing nationwide, its members continue to revolutionize modern thought and more banana suits may be popping up soon. “We believe that global health is everyone’s responsibility and that everyone has the potential to make a difference,” said junior member and comparative cultures and politics major Garrett Miller.