Editarian Report for November 22, 2019

On this chilly fall day, with the Lansing Center all decked out for the holidays, President Pat Hanes called the meeting to order at 12:25 pm.

 

INVOCATION—Julie Pingston delivered the invocation, invoking some Native American thoughts about the earth we share.

 

PATRIOTIC SONG: God Bless America

 

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITING ROTARIANS: Alexandra Souser

 

Chris Chamberlain introduced Gracie Bratz, who he is hoping to lure into Rotary. Their dads were friends as children and Chris and Gracie have also known each other for a long time.

 

Tammy Lemmer, of the Haslett Okemos Club, introduced herself. She will be receiving some grant money from the Club today on behalf of the Tri-County Office on Aging.

 

Kelly McClintock was introduced by Heidi McNaughton. Kelly is now an attorney with Grewal Law, having attended the University of Michigan for her undergraduate studies and the MSU College of Law afterwards. Her parents are Virg and Terry Bernero.

 

Becky Butcher, Andy Korest and Matt Stewart of Adams Outdoor Advertising were introduced by Alexandra Souser as her work family. They came to cheer her on as she gave her club speech and received her blue badge.

 

HEALTH OF THE CLUB: Diane Sanborn reported that the health of the club is good!

 

 

1. Cathy will give you a sticker for your parking ticket. Just raise your hand and she will come to your table.

 

 

First, Alexandra thanked her Rotary sponsors, Barb Lezotte and Rocco Rucinski. She then told us that she was born at Sparrow, is 29 years old, attended many schools in the area, and graduated high school from East Lansing before going on to LCC with a nice scholarship. After living in California for a while, Alexandra returned to Lansing where she now works for Adams Outdoor Advertising. Alexandra’s dad passed away when she was only nine years old. As a result, she was always very close to her mother’s parents, particularly her grandfather who taught her how to ride a bicycle and fire a slingshot. Alexandra always enjoyed attending Rotary with her mother when she was growing up and aspired to be a Rotarian always. Her mom, Rachelle Neal, is a past president of the club and an Athena recipient. According to Pat, Alexandra is well on her way to emulating her mother!

 

 

To date, the November birthday bunch has raised more than $725 with one week left to go. This is greater than 70% participation so far.

 

The November question was, “What is the most unusual food you have ever eaten for Thanksgiving?”

 

John Person stated that he is more adventurous when it comes to non-holiday dining.

 

John Pence said that his family always fought over who got the giblets… (His mother always got the neck…)

 

Kelly Miller called out canned pearl onions in cream sauce (an in-law thing!)

 

Ron Seely remembered his Grandma’s lima beans laced with sugar, onions, and bacon.

 

Dave Tratt recalled eating his first jelled cranberries—after which he came down with the flu, blaming the cranberries. As a result, he has never been able to eat cranberries in any form!

 

Tim Adams thought back to seafood fettuccini that he feasted on, on Ocean Drive in Miami—with his wife and children (sounds like a happy memory)!

 

Tammy Lemmer, a former Assistant Governor for Rotary, thanked John for the check, then spoke for a few minutes about her agency. Originally formed to provide information assistance to the elderly, the Tri-County Office on Aging now provides direct services, health and wellness programs, and encourages independent living through Meals on Wheels. This is an in-home service that meets an immediate need in the community. Every Monday through Friday, across all three counties, meals are delivered to anyone who might need a meal for any reason. This is not an economic need issue, including those who might have trouble grocery shopping or cooking for themselves. The socialization aspect of Meals on Wheels is important, too, since it guarantees somebody stopping in to say hello five days a week. There are even processes in place should nobody answer the door. In a sense, Meals on Wheels is an informal wellness check that could not succeed without the wonderful support of agencies like Rotary.

 

 

Ken Beachler introduced today’s performers. They included cast members from the upcoming YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN, to be performed at the Riverwalk Theatre November 29-December 1 and December 5-8. Songs sung included ‘My Philosophy’ and ‘Happiness Is…’ This is bound to be a great show!

 

TODAY’S SPEAKER:

 

Prior to handing over the microphone to Janet Lillie to introduce today’s speaker, President Pat gave Janet a well-deserved shout-out for the line-up of tremendous speakers this month. He even expressed his condolences to the chairs of the month for the next six months since they will have a very hard time competing with Janet’s performance! A nice round of applause followed.

 

Janet Lillie then introduced Michelle Pell, the Director of the MSU Union since August 2019. Her introduction included the following

 

 —Ninety-six years ago this week, a couple hundred faculty, students and staff literally rolled up their sleeps and started digging the foundation for the Student Union. They were tired of waiting. Students gave $5 apiece to help with its funding, an amount that is equivalent to $113 today.

 

—The Union is one of the most iconic buildings on campus, with its slightly worn steps and well-oiled handrails that generations of students have shared during their years at MSU. —In a sense, the Union bookends each student’s college experience. It is where tours for prospective students begin and where students pick up their caps, gowns, and tassels for graduation.

 

—While no longer at the center of campus, it is still central.

 

Michelle Pell then shared that she is a 2007 MSU graduate with a degree in kinesiology. She has lived in Delta Township for 12 years, married for ten years and has two children. During college, she was most appreciative of the Union for the wonderful naps she took there between classes. After working in cardiac rehab at a local hospital, a job that disappeared with the recession, Ms. Pell returned to the State Room as an assistant manager in 2009. After learning about the hospitality side of things, she ran the new Wells Hall Starbucks alongside 28 undergrads. (She was a shoe-in for the job having worked at Starbucks throughout her undergraduate years.) As Ms. Pell gained more experience with the expansion of Starbucks to other locations on campus, it was an easy next step to start managing the school’s food courts. After an eight year stint building/managing shiny new facilities on campus, Ms. Pell decided she was tired and ready for another nap. This led her back to the Union where she is now the Director.

 

The following are key points made by Ms. Pell about the Union: mpell@msu.edu

 

—Every school’s Union is like the campus living room. It should be cozy, welcoming, and offer a sense of belonging. It is the first impression of anyone visiting campus.

 

—Housed within the Union is the Union Activities Board, that organizes all non-alcoholic programming on campus to positively influence the Spartan experience overall.

 

—The history is something you feel when you walk into the building. Ms. Pell’s slide show shared some wonderful moments from the Union’s past, including the groundbreaking 96 years ago, the sculpture above the front door being installed, well-dressed students buying food and drinks in the bottom level food court, a billiards room that was for men only (Dave O’Leary’s wisecrack that followed almost had him ejected from the meeting!)

 

 —Today’s Bronz Sparty, located inside the Union, is now becoming an iconic cap and gown photo opportunity. This is part of an intentional attempt to build more memories inside the Union.

 

—Inside the Union are many businesses/opportunities, including an MSU FCU branch, an MSU Dairy Store, Biggby’s, Street Tacos, Sparty’s, Mosaic (that promotes the new president’s view of diversity, equity and inclusion), the Engagement Center (where students can go for tutoring, group projects, and counseling).

 

—Between 1200 and 1300 students a night go to the Union to eat.

 

—The new logo for the MSU Union says WHERE STUDENTS BELONG. One is a green sign with a Spartan helmet, a second is a pink one with ice cream.

 

—Ms. Pell’s goal is to return the Union to being a real meeting place.

 

—Pending renovations include the ballroom (a bookable meeting space that will be changed from its present dark burgundy to something brighter with a better aesthetic feel) and the north entrance that faces Target. She is also exploring designating one room for napping pod stations and transforming the hard-to-find bowling alley into an eSports gathering space.

 

—The annual craft show will take place on December 7-8. All money raised at this sale helps to maintain the Union, that apparently receives few other funds.

 

 

1. Ken Beachler asked if something could be done about the north side of the building where all we see are garbage cans and refuse? According to Ken, it is like the Union is mooning the rest of East Lansing daily!

 

Ms. Pell answered that she is actually working with landscape services to address this problem. Unfortunately, the solution may entail tearing down a fence donated by the Class of ’84.

 

2. Someone asked if the Union offers programming for students that involves mentoring from community members? Ms. Pell answered no, but perhaps this is worth exploring.

 

3. Irv Nichols asked if MSU was ever like the University of Michigan, where women were not allowed to enter through the Union’s main entrance. Nobody knew the answer to this.

 

4. Sarah Wietecha,  a present student at MSU, who came to Rotary today, suggested there be a designated performance room for open mike nights at the Union.

 

Ms. Pell said she is open to this idea and will consider exploring it.

 

5. What partnerships are there with nearby dormitories?

 

Late night dining and tutoring are offered to attract students.

 

In lieu of a speaker’s gift we will donate money to our Bio Sand Filter project to provide pure water to developing countries in the Dominican Republic

 

NEXT WEEK: We will not meet next week due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. December 6th will be our next meeting at the Lansing Center.

 

 

Pam Miklavcic's email is:  pam@thedaviesproject.org