MSU Facts

The National Food Safety and Toxicology Center is comprised of several different research institutes and departments, which include faculty from many different colleges within MSU from the more obvious (like the College of Natural Science or the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources) to the less-so (the College of Communication Arts and Sciences).

Not only does their research study the actual practices to make food more safe to produce, ship, and eat; it also studies the ethical side of the practices and the social aspects of food laws and regulations (such as fair trade and international standards).

There are two departments who find their home in the building - Food Science & Nutrition and Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, which also encompass the “Toxicology” part of the name while studying the effects of certain chemicals in food in the human body.

For more info, be sure to check out their website.

It sounds like you’ve already got off to a great start in terms of campus involvement!

I would recommend going to Sparticipation during the first week back and finding a few specific organizations that might interest you. Tons of groups set up tables and it’s a great opportunity to start out a year brand new. You can talk to members of the clubs (who usually have free stuff like candy and whatnot) and get an idea of the kind of events they do during the school year. If they peak your interest, you can sign up for their e-mail list without feeling any pressure and be notified of their meetings, etc. if you decide to get involved.

I also encourage you to explore your campus! One of my favorite places is the 4H Children’s Gardens, which is a great thing to do on a nice day. On top of just campus, the cities of East Lansing, Lansing, and their adjacent communities have a lot to offer. The Michigan Historical Museum is awesome (yes, my history geek is showing). Go to a Lugnuts game in the spring. Head down to the Capitol for Silver Bells in the City and enjoy some free hot chocolate while the electric light parade goes by.

Volunteer opportunities are also out there as well if you’re interested. The Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement can connect you with these types of experiences whether you need to do hours for a class or are just interested in giving back to the community you call home for at least 75% of the year.

Lastly (and I know this is a UAB event but it’s a specific one), go to Hayrides and History during Homecoming Week (this year on October 17) and get a tour from yours truly while enjoying some hot cider! It’s pretty exciting - in fact, last year my tour was filmed by Big Ten Network for an MSU special.

Hope this helps! Have a great sophomore year and keep staying involved - it makes a huge difference in your experience.

Benefactors Plaza is a fairly new addition to our campus - it was officially dedicated on October 5, 2007 and is an extension of the Donor Wall of Honor in the Kellogg Center, which began to run out of room for additions around 2000. To begin honoring significant donors of the 21st century, the Benefactors Plaza was developed. There are 14 columns along with a centerpiece to the corridor, which many students walk through every day on their way to and from class. Several columns have placeholder artwork where future donors can be given recognition.

Photos by Eridony; more information about the art direction of the plaza available at the University Development blog.

Awesome! I’m actually embarrassed to say it’s one of the few buildings on campus that I’ve never been in. Since I only do undergraduate tours, I’ve never even really put much thought into it, but now I definitely want to check it out!

Interestingly enough, MSU’s College of Law did not begin its history as a part of MSU at all. For more than a hundred years, it was known as the Detroit College of Law and was unaffiliated with any undergraduate institution. In fact, the Detroit College of Law was founded by law students themselves in 1891. With a woman graduating in the first class and an African American in the second, the College of Law has stressed diversity from the start and that continues to this day.

In 1995, the College of Law became affiliated with Michigan State University, one of only two private law schools in the nation to have a special relationship with a public research university. In 1997, the move was made from Detroit (where the former building was taken down and replaced by Comerica Park) to East Lansing (conveniently located on campus near the CATA Station, Shaw Hall, and Business College).The name was officially changed in 2004 and though it remains private (meaning it does not receive funding from the state of Michigan or MSU), it still benefits from the research environment and other opportunities of being a part of a Big Ten School.

Though MSU isn’t particularly known for its law school, it does rank in the top 100 in the nation, according to US News and World Report.

There are some notable alumni, but the two most well-known are both fairly controversial (former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and lawyer Geoffrey Fieger). The latter has donated millions of dollars to the college and helped create a trial practice institute where law students can recreate the experience of a real trial, the first learning center of its kind in the nation.

Hope this helps! I actually learned a lot as well!

Well, first of all (as a fellow resident), welcome to West Circle!

What might be interesting to know right off the bat is that the current Williams Hall was not the first to bear that name.

The original Williams Hall was built in 1869 and named for Joseph R. Williams, the first president of the university. It stood near the location of the Museum today and was the second dormitory built on campus, allowing the university the ability to expand its student population. As the city of East Lansing was yet to exist, students’ only option was to live on campus and enrollment was directly tied to the amount of beds provided by the university. It was initially just called “the new hall” until 1876 when the next dormitory was built. At that time, it was formally named for Williams.

For many years, it played a large part in students’ lives, its bell chiming to wake the students in the morning and doing so again at the end of the day. The basement cafeteria provided food for the entire student population and many student clubs used its meeting rooms.

Like many of the original buildings in the university, the first Williams Hall burnt down in a spectacular fashion on January 1, 1919. Luckily, it was over winter break and no one was in the building!

The current Williams Hall was built in 1937 and actually bears a slightly different name than the original - the building you’ll be calling home in the fall is named for Williams’ wife, Sarah Langdon Williams. All of the West Circle residence halls are named for notable women in MSU’s history and Sarah Williams is no exception.

A great supporter of her husband’s work, she also make great strides herself for women’s suffrage and other causes. She founded and edited The Ballot Box, the official newspaper of the suffrage movement and called both Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton friend. She spent the years directly following the founding of MSU serving as a battlefield nurse in the Civil War and was always a strong supporter of Michigan State and all it stood for.

As for the building itself, it was yet another tied to the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. Its famous glazed terracotta sculpture, entitled “Children Reading” depicts three young girls studying from a book. As a symbol of women in education, it perfectly fits the once all-female dorm. The fish spout directly below adds a bit of whimsey to the front courtyard that faces Michigan Ave.

As part of the Kresge Art Museum’s WPA Walking Tour, videos are available detailing more about the sculpture here and here.

Today, Williams Hall is unique in that it allows students to conveniently live on campus without a meal plan (though they can also buy limited ones if needed), providing community kitchens and yes, a Great Hall for events like weekly ballroom dance lessons and annual West Circle occasions like the Soul Food Dinner and Casino Night.

Many international students call Williams home, as it provides them the opportunity to eat food that they might feel more comfortable with and can not be found in the dining halls. Overall, as one of the more unique living opportunities on campus, Williams provides a balance of independence and convenience.

Good luck with move-in later this month! Hope that was comprehensive enough for you!