LOCAL

 By: Annabelle Julien, Henry Mochida 

With several factors influencing the suspension of access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, millions of people in the United States — roughly 40% who are children — face the loss of monthly support to purchase food and maintain consistent access to nutritious meals ahead of the holidays.

The suspension of SNAP benefits not only puts a strain on American families who rely on them to meet their basic needs but also increases the strain on students and Michigan community members who experience food insecurity. The issue especially impacts first-generation, commuter and international students, as well as those without meal plans.

Are you food secure? Take the quiz to find out.

Students with limited access to nutritious food can experience disruptions to consistent, healthy eating habits and, in turn, can experience challenges to their academic success. In a strong show of support, over 30 campus units at Michigan State University are organizing to support various food and item collection efforts.

Here are food-related causes MSU units are supporting:

• College of Law: The Black Law Students Association, Triangle Bar Association and the People’s Law Collective present “Spartans vs. Hunger,” a campaign to tackle food insecurity through donations, drives and advocacy.

• Center for Community Engaged Learning is supporting the Refugee Development Center with a food and essential items drive to support newcomers and their families in the Lansing area.

• The College of Osteopathic Medicine and College of Human Medicine Pediatric Interest Groups are hosting a food drive to help kids in the Lansing area experiencing food insecurity.

• Undergraduate Education’s Pathways Programs Essential Needs Pantry ensures students who face unique situational challenges, including financial barriers, have access to food, hygiene products and other necessities. Qualifying programs include TRIO Student Support Services, Detroit M.A.D.E., First-Generation Leadership and Innovation Vanderploeg Scholars and Dow STEM Scholars.

• Prevention, Outreach and Education is collecting food items for the Greater Lansing Food Bank, as well as menstrual and personal care products (items often excluded from SNAP benefits), highlighting the hidden costs of poverty and the importance of inclusive support.

• MSU Women of Color Community is partnering with MSU Fostering Academics, Mentoring Excellence to support current students who have been or are caregivers, have experienced homelessness, or are otherwise on their own.

• Residence Education and Housing Services is running a “Pack Up. Pitch In.” drive for donating unwanted residence household goods, clothing, shoes, bikes, electronics, furniture and nonperishable food that will be sent to the MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center for reuse, thrift sales and student support programs.

• Several MSU units and departments have committed to supporting the MSU Food Bank, including the Biological Sciences Program; Center for Integrative Studies in Social Science; Chicano/Latino Studies; College of Music; College of Natural Science; Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Cultures; Digital Humanities; Division of Student Affairs; Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs; Institutional Research; Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact; Office of the Executive Vice President for Administration; Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities; Student Athlete Support Services; University Communications and Marketing; University Health and Wellbeing and more!

MSU is no stranger to mobilizing during times of need. Founded in 1993, the MSU Food Bank and Basic Needs Program is the nation’s first student-run food pantry. Originally created to support students facing food insecurity, the program is managed by University Health and Wellbeing, or UHW, and has expanded over the years and now has two Spartan Shelf locations — one at the MSU Union and another at Olin Health Center.

Open year-round, eligible individuals can visit once per week to access fresh dairy, produce, proteins, shelf-stable items, cleaning products and personal hygiene supplies. Each year, the MSU Food Bank serves over 6,000 students — many with families— and distributes over 110,000 pounds of food.

The 32-year-old program has seen a substantial increase in the number of students seeking assistance, particularly in recent years, highlighting the continued need for its services.

Once news broke that SNAP benefits would pause in November due to the federal government shutdown, the MSU Food Bank worked with partner organizations like the Greater Lansing Food Bank and student volunteers to keep its pantry shelves stocked.

Additional efforts, such as the 2024–25 Hunger Free Campus initiative, led by the Spartan Food Security Council student organization, have worked to establish a Hunger Free Task Force and explore how to keep students informed about resources, such as SNAP benefits, through the state of Michigan.

While campus food pantries can’t replace SNAP benefits, they help prepare for the lapse. The MSU Food Bank is available to all MSU students and employees and is open Tuesdays, 3 to 8 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Eligible students can walk in to receive a prepacked bag of emergency food essentials or schedule an appointment online to visit one of the Spartan Shelf locations. Beyond campus, MSU Extension has launched a Community Food Assistance website to connect Michigan residents with budgeting tips and local services.

The Spartan Food Security Council hosted an off-campus SNAP Benefit Workshop with the MSU Food Bank during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, providing information on SNAP eligibility shifts and helping students navigate application barriers. In a time of uncertainty for many, Spartans are working together to care for our community and ensure everyone has access to food and essential items. Go Green!

-courtesy story

By: Adilene Martinez-Carmona 

This story includes references to violence that may be sensitive to audiences. MSU observes Transgender Day of Remembrance, or TDOR, annually on Nov. 20. This day honors transgender individuals who have lost their lives to anti-transgender violence.

Transgender Day of Remembrance has been observed annually since 1999. The tradition started and was cofounded by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender activist, who held a vigil in honor of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who lost her life to anti-transgender violence in 1988. Her death served as a catalyst to call attention to the lives that have been lost to such violence.

Since 1999, the number of vigils and observances has grown; a tradition that began 25 years ago continues to resonate with the transgender community, as the collective work of honoring the dead, raising awareness and advocating for change is far from over.

Unfortunately, many crimes against gender nonconforming individuals go unreported each year and carry a heavy weight on the realities of the transgender community’s proximity to violence. Additionally, transgender women of color face disproportionate rates of anti-trans violence. There is an undeniable link between hate-based crimes and the vulnerable position of transgender women of color, who make up a significant proportion of the lives lost each year.

TDOR is a day of sorrow that memorializes the names, the humanity and the lives that have been taken by anti-trans violence. Every year, new names continue to be added to the list, bringing the trans community together to raise collective awareness and mourn in unity.

The Michigan State University community observes TDOR through the work of impactful groups on campus. The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center, or GSCC, is one of them and hosts a full week of events from Nov. 17 to 22, including:

• Nov. 17, 1–3 p.m., Student Services Building, Room 110: Trans Allyship Workshop
• Nov. 18, 1:30–4 p.m., Student Services Building, Room 302: HIV Testing in Student Services
• Nov. 19, 1–5 p.m., Student Services Building, Room 302: Buttons, Binding and Tucking
• Nov. 19, 1:30–3 p.m., Student Services Building, Room 110: Trans Allyship Workshop
• Nov. 20, 5:30–7:30 p.m., Multicultural Center, Room 103: Transgender Day of Remembrance Banquet
• Nov. 22, 7–10 p.m., Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, Big Ten Room A: Winter Gayla

The intention behind these events is to foster community, create an environment for collective solidarity and highlight the livelihoods of transgender individuals. The Transgender Day of Remembrance Banquet will take place on Nov. 20 and is an evening dedicated to recognizing and honoring the lives of transgender individuals. Programming for the event will include dinner from Woody’s Oasis, student and community speakers, a reading of names, the creation and presentation of community art, and a reflection period with Counseling and Psychiatric Services to support mental health and well-being.

As a new addition to this year’s events, the Winter Gayla is especially anticipated. The main coordinator of the event, the student organization TransAction, said it will provide community members the opportunity to come together after a time of mourning transgender siblings and celebrate queer identity. As a coordinator at the GSCC shared, “There has to be joy in the context of sorrow.”

The Winter Gayla will include a silent auction, with proceeds funding a memorial bench for trans and nonbinary MSU students. These events serve as a call to action and highlight the need to talk about anti-trans violence alongside the intersection of identity and within the context of creating a culture where transgender individuals are valued and safe.

TDOR is a day to hold space for the lives that have been lost to transgender violence. Honoring lives that have been lost goes beyond just one day. It is also a collective movement for change, advocacy and allyship. To learn more about resources and how to support, visit gscc.msu.edu.

-courtesy story