It’s been two long months since we last found out what fellow students were listening to, and now we finally get to hear what new (and old) music they’re rocking out to on their walk to and from Wells Hall.

This really has become the most interesting social experiment I get to test every month. I’ve learned quite a few things about those who use their headphones as a means to ignore you, including that they will even give you eye contact before they promptly walk away! No harm done, however, as plenty of students were more than willing to tell us what they listen to. The bridge near Wells seems to be the most musically inclined area, so watch below to find out the music blasting through those headphones. (And keep watching for a cameo from MSU’s real mascots.)

1. Per @DannySheridan1, Le’Veon Bell’s current odds on winning next year’s Heisman are 75:1. (@L_Bell24) #msu #spartans

2. Izzo, simply the best coach in America http://tinyurl.com/72lq6ux #msu #michiganstate

3. my roommate just dropped some crazy news to me #sleepwalking

4. Love that michigan people are asking to come up here to party… ill be damned if i every go back to U of M to party

5. The only valentine I received today was from my Grandma. Let me tell you that she’s the best valentine anyone could ever ask for

6. merging onto the sidewalks at msu are like merging on to a 4 lane highway #dangerous #livinglifeontheedge

7. I always think people get too in to msu basketball, but then i turn on spartan hockey and i understand… #gogreen

8. #worstdecisionofmylife Two 8:30s and an 8 am

9. I feel like a bird is gonna fly out from this guy’s dreads sitting in front of me #cleanupdude

10. Damn, some kid just out walked me to the last strawberry smoothy at Brody You got to let the dude who can barely walk get that Smh #cmonman

By Maddie Fetchiet

On March 10, 2012, the WWE Road to Wrestlemania Tour will invade the Breslin Center. Super stars like Ted DiBiase Jr., Wade Barrett, Randy Orton and many more will perform a variety of entertaining fights for the audiences of all ages.

Ted DiBiase, right. Photo, courtesy of Al Stavola, WWE Inc.

Tickets range from $15-$60, and are still available for purchase through the Wharton Center.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show kicks off at 7:30 p.m., so don’t miss out on a great show to end Spring Break with a bang.

I spoke with WWE sports entertainer, Ted DiBiase Jr. about his upcoming performance.

Q: How long have you been involved with WWE?

A: Going on five years, six years total in wrestling. Working with WWE is like fulfilling a childhood dream for me. My father was a wrestler very well known as the Million Dollar Man. I’m actually a third-generation wrestler; my grandpa and grandma both were wrestlers, so after I got my education I finally said ‘Dad I want to be like you.’

Q: How did you get started as a wrestler?

A: I strongly said I wanted to be a wrestler. I trained under Harley Race who was hall-of-famer, who wrestled my father and grandfather. I also spent time in Japan to get experience. Eventually WWE hired me and sent me to Tampa for their developmental program. I debuted on T.V. on May. 26, 2008, and I haven’t looked back since.

Ted DiBiase. Photo, courtesy of Al Stravola, WWE Inc.

Q: The Road to Wrestlemania Tour visits East Lansing in March…why do you think this is a good place for an event like this?

A: The great thing about WWE is it’s world wide. Michigan always has great crowds; the fans are wonderful. The WWE universe is so responsive, especially the kids who are always so excited to see us. It’s a great family outing for an affordable price.

Q: What does the East Lansing tour stop have in store for us?

A: The big show is the 7-foot Giant versus the World Heavy Weight Champion, Daniel Bryan. Street fighting is also in the mix and involves more tables and chairs and everything. The street fight will be between Randy Orton and Wade Barrett. The world’s strongest man will also be there and he’s like a grizzly bear of a man, the guy is massive, so it should be a fun time.

Q: You will be facing WWE super star, Hunico in the ring…is there anything significant about this fight?

A: We have a history because he recently broke my arm, so I’m out for revenge. It’s personal.

Q: What kind of crowd demographic do you hope to draw in for the show?

A: The great thing about WWE is it’s appealing to everyone. There’s a lot of action so it draws a lot of different people. I’m sure on a college campus it’ll be fun because they’re rowdy and fun. We feed off of the crowds so it helps us get into it.

Q: What about these upcoming performances are you excited about in particular?

A: With the big matches, they’re always exciting. Every event is special. Once you walk through curtain into the crowd, it’s a memory. It’s kind of like a drug, an adrenaline rush. I’m always eager to get in ring and compete.

By Alex Tekip

Ever since collegiate athletes were young, playing youth sports in their hometown, they have been encouraged to practice sportsmanship. Constant reminders from a dad on the sideline encouraged children to play to win, but to respect their opponent. Handshakes and compliments after games served as a code of conduct.  However, once athletes make it past peewee soccer and little league, official regulations are put into place; mandates put forth by the NCAA. Professionalism and lack there of becomes rigidly defined.

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

In order to create a behavioral code of conduct for college athletes, the NCAA must first define what “sportsmanship” is. According to the NCAA’s committee for sportsmanship and ethical conduct, there are seven ideals of sportsmanship to which an athlete should adhere: respect, caring, fairness, civility, honesty, integrity, and responsibility.  The Big Ten Conference has a “BIG policy,” encouraging student athletes and fans to be bold when cheering on their team, but do so with integrity and respect for the opponent, as a great leader would.

However, the policy that hits closest to home is Michigan State University’s values regarding the behavior of athletes; such as respect, positive attitude, focus, accountability, continued improvement, and integrity. Sportsmanship policies are geared more towards fans, under the “Spartan Fans, Raise Your Shield” campaign.

Why is it that MSU does not seem to have an athletic policy directly mentioning the word “sportsmanship?”  It is likely that one reason for this is the detailed sportsmanship and athletic behavioral policies of the NCAA and the Big Ten. But, there could be another reason, one that is a little less obvious: the implications of giving a concrete definition to sportsmanship.

Juan Javier Pescador, who teaches college sports history at MSU, said a concrete code of scholarship would place even more pressure upon student athletes because they would be expected to perform with a high level of athletic ability while “(being) forced to follow a code of conduct in which they have no say.”

Pescador also believes that sports governing organizations and athletes would have a much better relationship if one could learn to listen to the other.

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

“The disconnect that exists between athletes and institutions make it difficult for any athletic governing board to create a policy that is accepted by both,” Pescador said. “Athletes are of a younger generation and have a very different idea of what sportsmanship is than those of the older generation; the ones who make the rules.”

It seems what athletes and athletic administrators need is a compromise, an agreement to show respect for the game in a way that is understood and agreed upon by both sides.

In 2007, The United States Olympic program launched a campaign to promote good sportsmanship. The guidelines required athletes to follow the conventions of sportsmanlike conduct, such as “assist competitors in need,” “acknowledge competitor’s skills,” “appreciate those who support you” and “accept praise with grace and humility.”

These behaviors may seem relatively simple to enact, but it is difficult to do so in a society that gives more media attention to actions that seem to promote unsportsmanlike conduct, such as the infamous “stomp” by Detroit Lions defensive tackle, Ndamakong Suh during a heated Thanksgiving Day game.

According to a Forbe’s survey, Suh’s actions placed him at number four on the list of “Most Hated Athletes in America.”  While apologetic for his actions, Suh noted that after one foul action he was “suddenly on the same level as Skeletor–the worst.”

In a later interview with ESPN, Suh remarked on the prestige that comes with being an athlete and the importance of having a professional attitude, stating that “[playing sports] requires a calm and composed demeanor, which cannot be derailed by the game, referee calls, fans, or other players.”

This year saw another incident similar to Suh’s at the collegiate level.

During the Michigan vs. Michigan State game at Spartan Stadium this year, Michigan State defensive end William Gholston supposedly violated the Big Ten’s sportsmanship conduct rules by punching lineman Taylor Lewan and twisting the helmet of quarter back Denard Robinson. MSU and the Big Ten put Gholston’s actions, for which he was flagged during the game, under further review with the result being Gholston’s suspension from MSU’s homecoming game against Wisconsin.

While there was no arguing that some sort of consequence would come from Gholston’s actions, it is important to note that he was simply following orders.

In an Oct. 17 interview with USA Today, Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said, “We were trying to play ‘60 minutes of unnecessary roughness,’ and we were lucky that we didn’t get called on every snap.”

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

Both Gholston and Jordan Kovacs, a safety for the University of Michigan, who were also interviewed by USA Today, had the same feelings as Narduzzi.

Kovacs noted the intense rivalry between the two teams requires nothing less than playing rough, that it’s simply “how it goes.”

Gholston defended his actions saying, “Everyone makes mistakes when (they’re) trying to go hard.”

Gholston said he viewed the helmet grab as him giving it his all during a heated game which required him to do so, but the MSU athletic department as well as the Big Ten conference ultimately considered Gholston’s conduct to be “unsportsmanlike.”

According to some sports columnists and bloggers, such as ESPN.com’s Brian Bennett, the Big Ten’s intervention in this matter reflected a broken sportsmanship policy within MSU. Head football coach Mark Dantonio made very little comment on the investigation, which, according to Bennett, lasted three days longer than it should have. MSU could have made the process painless and easy by giving Gholston the one game suspension themselves, without intervention from the conference, according to Bennett.

It is situations like Gholston’s that Pescador calls into question where authority, the media and the athletes themselves view an athlete’s performance differently. Pescador said this results in miscommunication between all three of these figures (as seen in the Gholston case), and reflects the “media revolution” that is overtaking sports at all levels.

“Athletes, both at the college and professional level, have very little private life,” Pescador said. “They are subjected to a lot of pressure based on how they are perceived by the media, and must cultivate a public figure at all times. If athletes view their athletic performance as them versus regulations/authority and vice versa, they could face serious consequences, especially in their public image.”

By Julia Grippe

Students involved with Spartan Global at MSU have impacted the lives of entrepreneurs in developing countries by making microloans to help sustain their businesses.

Starting off as a student club in 2009, Spartan Global has now turned into a successful non-profit organization here at MSU as of May 2011.

Photo Credit: Michael Thelen

According to the Spartan Global website, the organization is made up of a “collection of students, professors and alumni dedicated to the social and financial betterment of people around the globe.”

Economics senior Dan Zaharia is the current president of the organization. He said Spartan Global is an organization that gives microloans to small entrepreneurs around the world who need it via Kiva.org.

Kiva allows Spartan Global and other loaners to read about the individual circumstances of the people in developing countries who need loans in order to be lifted from poverty, Zaharia said. Once a person is chosen, donators can lend money in increments of $25 to help chosen recipients sustain their businesses, families and lives.

However, Zaharia said Spartan Global wants to move beyond Kiva because it does not reach the people who don’t have access to the internet.

The founder of Spartan Global, Michael Thelen, graduated from MSU in December 2009.

“My passion for global poverty related issues was born when I spent one-on-one time working with young orphaned boys in Guatemala City and I experienced in a very visceral way, how the difficulties these boys were destined to face in their lives as the result of inaction by those with the ability to do something,” Thelen said.

“I realized I had a choice to do something, or do nothing,” he added. “When I give a speech, or a start to get passionate about microfinance or other issues, I’m still thinking about Franscisco, one of the boys who I worked with in the winter of 2006.”

Like Thelen, Paulette Stenzel, a professor of international business law at MSU and the advisor of Spartan Global, is very passionate about the organization.

“I am totally committed to sustainability projects,” she said.

Stenzel said Spartan Global started out with four loans in July of 2009. Since then the organization has made 349 loans to date.

Photo Credit: Michael Thelen

“In micro-loaning, the repayment rate is higher than any other type of loan in any advanced western country,” Zaharia said. This means people are more likely and able to pay back their loans when they receive a microloan.

The types of people that receive micro loans from Spartan Global basically have nothing, Zaharia said. With a little bit of money and intuition in the form of business training, they are able to provide for their family and keep their businesses going.

“By financially empowering them, they can lift themselves from poverty in a dignified manner,” Zaharia said. “Usually, ready-made solutions fail because there is a lack of cultural understanding.”

For instance, if an organization tries to stop hunger in a country by simply donating food, it can actually do damage, Zaharia said. For example, it can run farmers out of business and isn’t generally sustainable because the country is not receiving tools or methods to stop hunger by itself.

Spartan Global is excited to have obtained their non-profit status in May 2011, Stenzel said, adding that people are more likely make donations to a non-profit organzation because the donor can receive tax deductions by donating.

Spartan Global also signed a contract with Esperanza en Acción (Hope in Action), a fair trade organization based in Nicaragua that has strong ties in the Lansing area, Stenzel said.

According to the Esperanza en Acción website, the organization provides “Nicaraguan artisans with the tools to lift themselves out of poverty by offering technical assistance and quality consultation in addition to education and practice in calculating a fair wage.”

Fair trade is a social movement to make fair wages, to give more money to the producers and to promote respect for cultural identity, Stenzel said.

The Esperanza en Acción website states that fair trade is “specifically focused on people in third world countries, who have traditionally been exploited through trade agreements that seek to maximize retailers and intermediaries profits at the expense of the artisans.”

“Microfinance and fair trade are companion tools,” Stenzel said. Therefore, by working together, Spartan Global and Esperanza en Acción can create a more powerful impact.

“Education and access to finance are huge in influencing people’s standards of living,” Zaharia said. “We are extremely grateful for Esperanza.”

“I really like breaking the paradigm that no matter what you do, your efforts are ineffective,” he added.  “With a little bit of work, networking and intuition, we have helped a lot of people that need it.”

Spartan Global meets every other Tuesday in 110 Berkey Hall, and the organization is looking to expand membership and find people for the next executive board.

By Alli Myers

What’s on your holiday wish list this year? A big reality check is usually a good thing for people around the holidays. Are you asking for too much?  There are a lot of families out there that aren’t as fortunate as others during this time. While you’re dreaming about those ever-famous sugarplums and expensive Apple products, designer clothes or a fancy new watch, there’s a little kid out there that only wants a toy truck or a Barbie doll for the holidays. Some want warm sheets for their beds, or a new jacket with all its buttons to keep warm during winter. The simplest thing could light up a child’s world this time of year through participation in the Adopt-A-Family (AAF) program run by The Salvation Army.

By adopting a family with AAF, both individual and group sponsors help to provide reasonable wish list items to a family that would otherwise have a slightly less merry holiday.

The Salvation Army website states, “Being adopted is designed to be a once or, on very rare occasions, twice in a lifetime event for recipient families.” The guidelines supplied by the Salvation Army state that only $45 is required to make a happy holiday possible for a family of two (one parent and a child). There’s no limit to the amount that the sponsor can give, but it’s surprising just how far that money can go. Of the $45 donation, just $25 can purchase several gifts for a hopeful child, leaving $20 to supply a good amount of food for the family during the holidays.

Students right here at MSU are getting involved this holiday season doing whatever they can to help bring a little joy to their neighbors.

Education freshman Kara Kavulich said that she and her family adopted a family last year, and said that it was one of the most rewarding feelings she has ever experienced.

“It felt amazing to know that I was giving Christmas to two little kids that otherwise would have seen nothing under their tree,” Kavulich said.

Grandma’s Comfort (GC) is a charity right here in Lansing that helps give to a lot of people in the community, especially around the holidays. President Diane Zimmerman is the “grandma” in the name, and is actually an MSU alumna. She founded GC on Christmas in 2005. GC started out supplying blankets but has expanded in the past several years. They now provide birthday gifts, necessities for pregnant women in shelters, comfort bags for women and children in shelters and school supplies. The organization has also helped two orphanages and one boys’ school in Haiti.

The blankets supplied are both hand made and purchased, and also donated from members of the community. GC is always accepting donations, and it is an easy way to get involved right here at school.

Zimmerman explained, “We have no employees; we have a few specialists that help us and about 60 volunteers who help wrap and make gifts.”

Whether you take the time to make a blanket or purchase something that could help a child or a family in need, anything you can do will go a long way with Grandma’s Comfort.

Another way to help out is through Toys for Tots, a well-known program that is run by the United States Marine Corps, Toys for Tots has donation stations where donors can drop off toys that will be donated to less fortunate kids for the holidays.

“I bought a couple toys to donate to Toys for Tots, and I think that is just such a great cause,” said biochemistry and molecular biology sophomore Hailey Caudill. She added that even by spending less than five dollars, she was able to get some coloring pages and crayons that she knows will bring a smile to a child’s face.

“I can’t imagine being a little kid and thinking, ‘Why didn’t Santa come visit me this year?’” Caudill said.

Even though the holidays are meant to be about family, friends and happiness, a gift here and there definitely never upset a child. Anything you can do to help out this holiday season can go a whole lot farther than you think, and the AAF, Marine Corps, Grandma’s Comfort and The Salvation Army have made it their mission to help spread holiday cheer. Stop and think about what you are fortunate enough to have this season, and think about what you can give to others to keep the holiday spirit alive!

Although the distractions on college campuses make maintaining religious practices difficult, some students have found a way to keep their faith strong throughout their college years.

Christianity has a large presence on MSU’s campus. For some students, their faith drifts away from them but for others their faith is strengthened by going to college.

According to a study done by Jenny L. Small, a doctorate student of philosophy at the University of Michigan in 2008, “In sum, the recent studies on college students and religion and spirituality have shown students to be highly interested in these issues and strongly influenced by their families, their peers, and the campus environment.”

“The world is all around you, with drinking and girls and money. All of those things are nice but with being a Christian you have to find a way to navigate through that, but you can’t completely avoid it at the same time,” said advertising junior Richie Christie.

Food science junior Mallory Flanders said, “I am surrounded by the world and I can so easily get caught up in trying to conform myself to what the world wants whether that’s in body or mind or competition.”

Jake MacLean, a pre-med junior and Christian leader on campus, said living in the college environment at MSU is such an opportunity and there are many different desires to have.

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

“At Michigan State, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want,” he said.

“It’s awesome being a Christian at Michigan State because you have to be a Christian, you can’t be a half Christian. You have to choose to either step out or go out and party away,” said MacLean.

A great way to keep your faith in college is to get involved in a student organization, like campus crusades, where people share your same beliefs and values, said Christie.

“These are great communities of people with the same beliefs and values. These people are there for you when you’re struggling,” said Christie.

“Many Christian students around campus attend smaller bible studies throughout the week whether it’s at their dorm or an off campus location, but there is a weekly meeting where everyone gathers called Real Life,” said Flanders.

“Real life brings me back to Christ. It brings me back to reality instead of the life I try to live in this world,” Flanders said.

With all the distractions and temptations of a college campus, MacLean said, “I’ve had to step out and be a Christian in a place where maybe a lot of people aren’t stepping out.”

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

MacLean is part of MSU’s Campus Crusades. He said, “the Christian community I have, especially with Campus Crusade, has been great because they are also a bunch of guys who are stepping out.”

Small’s study said, “An additional important study found that college cannot be considered the cause of the decline in the religiosity of young adults. In fact, the authors found that ‘those who never attended college had the highest rates of disaffiliation, decreased service attendance, and decreased importance placed on religion.’”

“Being in college increases my faith because of all the struggles that I face because I’ve had to over come them,” Flanders said.

Flanders admits that her faith is challenged and is not always simple.

“It’s easy for me to want attention and want things that give me temporary happiness but I know it won’t give me permanent happiness,” she said.

“I was a Young Life leader throughout high school. Young life is a lot like MSU’s Real Life,” said education junior Lexi Justice.

Justice said now that she is at college she is involved in many groups and has to put in a lot of volunteer hours. It’s hard for her to find Christian organizations that don’t conflict with her other activities and school work.

College students tend to view religion and spirituality in different ways.

“I think often religion is perceived as a political stance or sometimes it’s just used when people have a low time in their life,” said Flanders.

According to the study, “Many college students differentiate between religion and spirituality. Michael Zabriskie found in a study of 1,200 students on four college campuses that 41.5% defined themselves as spiritual and religious, 27.5% as spiritual but not religious, 5.3% as religious but not spiritual, and 14.2% as neither religious nor spiritual.”

Flanders said, “Students shouldn’t feel like they are being judged by the Christian community, anyone can come to Real Life as they are, no matter their background or beliefs.”

This month, I chose a different location for some samplings of student songs. The library is teeming with people the weeks before and during finals week, so I was sure I’d get some good responses. I was right, but after this third round of queries, I’ve learned a few things about students:

1. We have a wide variety of musical tastes at MSU.

2. Someone is always listening to Amy Whinehouse.

3. Someone is always listening to Wiz Khalifa.

4. People often use their headphones as a reason to not talk to you.

5. Every one who does answer is happy you asked!

This month’s mix is pretty interesting, and would be a good playlist to finish up your studying. Watch the video below to see what gets people in the mood… to study, of course.

By Lauren Walsh

As I walked along the Red Cedar River on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, I wondered, “Where are all the guys at MSU?”

It’s not as if I am saying that MSU resembles a girl’s boarding school and it’s impossible to meet a guy, but as a twenty-two year old junior, I feel as if the chances of meeting someone decent before graduation are slim to none.

Unfortunately, most female students find themselves in this situation because as they advance through the university system, their dating pool shrinks while for male students, it expands. When girls enter MSU as freshman, their selection of boyfriends is considerable. Underclassmen, upperclassmen, grad students, grad assistants and even PhD candidates make up the dating pool.

Many senior females feel that it’s somewhat social suicide to be dating a freshman boy, hence the term “boy.”  While these boys feel as if dating someone older is like winning the jackpot; they get a more experienced cougar-like woman. Older females continue to struggle to find that potential boyfriend as they age in a university setting. That “other” campus in Ann Arbor is intertwined with a proper city employing scores of eligible young professional men.

(sxc.hu)

“As a twenty-one year old senior, I feel that my only option is to date senior guys because I am not looking to date someone not old enough to go to the bars with me,” said communications junior Aly Weiner.

On the other hand, twenty-one year old males have no bias towards girls as young as eighteen because having that younger girl on his arm makes him look more masculine and virile. The guy feels more superior with a younger girl because it’s as if they are guiding them through life.  When this kind of relationship dies due to lack of common interests, those young girls yet again find themselves searching for that imaginable soul mate. As semesters pass by as quickly as virtues are lost, girls begin to feel that aching pressure in finding that right guy before graduation.

“By second semester, senior year dating seems pointless…starting a relationship so late in college usually ends in a breakup when we both graduate because we’ll probably be going in separate ways,” said human biology senior Ilana Anders.

When many single girls graduate, their ears are boxed by their parents and friends; interrogative questions about if they’re seeing someone, and if not, what they should do to start and by the time they’re in their late twenties they should be rewarding their parents with grandchildren.

As if the stress of job interviews and applications are not enough, many girls feel pressure to meet the right guy during their years in college. On the contrary, many guys as young as eighteen feel that dating in college should be casual and that if something is meant to work out, it will.

“Dating in college is somewhat unrealistic. Everyone is overwhelmed with school work and when I do meet a cool girl, she becomes too attached to the idea that we’ll be together forever. I am not worried about finding a girlfriend though, three more years is a long time, and there are plenty opportunities to meet new people,” said sophomore Josh Kaplin.

After wondering “what had happened to all the guys here at MSU,” I made my way home and realized that maybe I just need to relax. Sure, we might not like dating younger guys and may be getting older, but I feel females should sometimes compare dating to old Chinese proverbs. In this case “Patience is a virtue,” in the sense that to eliminate that pressure, all students should be patient with having a relationship.

Attempting to please our parents, friends or even yourself by jumping into this committed liaison may end in shambles because of pressure buildup and by simply not being ready to completely share yourself with another person. Some of the best relationships begin when people are not even looking—best friends falling in love or lab partners turning a study date into a romantic one. Being patient is important because romance seems to hit people when they least expect it.

Being in a relationship is like opening a book for the first time and finding it filled with boundless dialogue in a foreign language. You may never know if you will end up understanding the context or if the ending will be happy or sad. So, instead of trying to find that book too quickly and then struggling through those pages, females who feel that pressure of finding the right guy when they’re young should be patient.

When you do feel that anxiety and hear those dreaded questions about why you’re still single, use the other functional aspect of that book by whacking that person across the head with it. This will usually get them to be quiet and you’ll probably get a good laugh out of it.

By Alex Tekip

Sports are a constant cultural machine in the United States. They posses both the power to excite and the power to disappoint, but also have the ability to unify – to bring an entire school, city, state or nation together. Occasionally, that power travels, crossing borders, oceans, and cultures in the process. International sports have experienced growing popularity in the United States, and the East Lansing are as well as the campus of Michigan State University are not exempt from this trend.

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

There are plenty of clubs at MSU that promote awareness of international sports. One such club is the Kendo Club, whose members practice a historical and popular Japanese martial art and compete against other schools.

The basic idea of Kendo is to strike the top of the head, wrists, throat, or abdomen of an opponent with a bamboo sword called a shinai.  In the competition version of the game, each hit earns a player two points, and the player with the most points at the end of a match wins.

The competitive nature of Kendo makes it very popular in its native country.

“In Japan, [Kendo’s] popularity is similar to that of football in America, with about a million people practicing the art,” said Ron Fox, the club’s adviser, who also works as a physicist at MSU’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.

Despite its popularity abroad however, Fox said that kendo hasn’t quite caught on yet at MSU.

“At MSU, only 25 people practice the club, in addition to an introductory one credit class that about 40 people enroll in each year,” he said. “We don’t have much of a fan base.”

Although he wishes more students were currently participating, Fox continues to promote his club and push his students to their full potential.

“[The club’s] participation rate looks to be increasing over the next few years,” said Fox. “We hope that our fan base will increase as well.”

The Kendo Club organizes a yearly tournament held at Michigan State every year: the Midwest Kendo Federation Student tournament, and Fox encouraged those interested to attend.

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

Another international sports club at MSU is the Polo Club, which boasts a slightly larger population.

“Our club has almost forty members, the biggest program for a university in the U.S. We have a strong fan base as well,” said club vice president Cassie Scarfone, a senior majoring in human biology.

Scarfone said the club hosts a yearly benefit match against the University of Michigan that “draws in quite a crowd.”

This match, called Poloat the Pavillion, benefits both the polo clubs of Michigan State and the University of Michigan. It is the biggest match of the year for both clubs, and usually provides the polo club with their highest attendance of the season at an affordable cost – tickets are just $5 for students and $10 for other guests.

International sports are also drawing interest in the East Lansing area. West Michigan Capoeira, a martial arts studio that practices an ancient Brazilian sport, has branched off into East Lansing with hopes of sparking an interest wider than just the undergraduate community at MSU.

Capoeira is an art form based on an ancient Brazilian war dance. Individuals who practice capoeria begin by forming a “hoda” circle, then proceed through a series of motions that combine rhythmic dance and martial arts, often in formation with others.

“Right now, we have about ten participants, and most of them are grad students,” said instructor Show Grande . “I’m hoping that eventually interest will spark, and people will investigate and look into capoeira.”

Grande’s biggest wish is that individuals interested in capoeira will have an “epiphany” moment, similar to one he had when he was younger.

“I just walked into a capoeira studio and was amazed at the gracefulness of those involved,” said Grande. “I was so entranced that I had to keep reminding myself that the sport was real, and ever since then I’ve been blown away.”

While international sports clubs are always working to improve their fan base and gain awareness amongst the student body, they are also invested in the passion and drive that team members have.

“I tell my team, ‘Just shut up and do it’. They are all dedicated to the art, and open to what the sport can offer them,” Fox said.

This passion and drive is mixed with a willingness to cross cultural borders. International sports clubs have both American members as well as many who are, of course, international.

“We have had many international students in the kendo club; this year, we have several Japanese members” Fox said.

Many international members are drawn in by their native loyalties to the sport, or want to contribute to bringing the sport into light at MSU, in Michigan, or even the nation, and fight to raise cultural awareness of the sport by changing stereotypes.

“Currently, the polo community is trying to change the stereotype of the sport as an ‘elitist’ game,” said Scarfone. “In reality, anyone can become involved [in polo] and it can be much more affordable than one might think.”

According to Grande, “Investing in an unknown sport is like continued learning.” International sports can help broaden the cultural horizons of students at Michigan State, and, much like American sports, they have the power to bring us all together as one globally united city and campus.

“Practicing a difficult sport gives students confidence in everyday life,” Grande said. “When we all feel like we are accomplishing something together, we become united.”

For more information, contact:

Michigan State University Kendo Club: kendo.msu.edu

Michigan State University Polo Club: msupolo@msu.edu

West Michigan Capoeira: CDOWestMichigan@gmail.com