We're not in Kansas anymore...

We are actually still in East Lansing, in fact, but the Michigan State University Campus is getting a revamp that may have some alumni wondering if there are still in the land of "green and white."
MSU is in the midst of several renovations, new building construction, and foundation reconstructions.
Brody Square may have had the most people talking, but there are other major projects around campus aimed at improving the face of MSU.
Dining halls are finding new innovative ways to spruce up and modernize the eating establishments.
Snyder Phillips cafeteria lead the way in the recent bunch of cafeteria renovations.
Case hall construction is underway with a design plan that is sure to result in an eye catching features while providing inventive and unique eating stations including a regional food station that will offer Michigan grown produce in dishes that are distinct to the Great Lakes Region.
A new art museum is underway along Grand River Ave. that will host over 46,000 square feet of art and add to MSU
Wells hall is adding another tier to its collection of buildings.
Formally 1 level of larger lecture halls for math, it will now hold class for the college of english and education.
Funding for these construction endeavors varies by priority of the College of agriculture and natural resources.

A Whole New Brody Complex

If you have ventured over to the northwest side of campus, you may have noticed the various fenced off areas and construction trucks dotting Brody Complex.
In the past few years, the complex has undergone an extensive facelift that may knock down and bulldoze old nicknames like "grody brody" or the "brojects."
It is the first major renovation since the complex was established in 1952; costing 49 million dollars, according the the State News.
It all started with the renovation of the old Brody Cafeteria that was famous for being the largest non-military base cafeteria in the United States.
Construction began in January 2009 and an first floor replacement cafeteria was used during construction that offered carry-out options to alleviate traffic in the downsized cafeteria.
As the 2009/2010 academic year unfolded, construction on the second floor and in the Dining hall yard grew more extensive.
The new Cafeteria, called Brody Square, opened to students in the fall semester of 2010 and surpassed many peoples expectation with numerous dining stations including a sushi/salad line, Boiling Point (a pasta bar), Homestyle, and Cayenne's (a station offering mexican options), and more.
Furthermore, the modern layout and architecture was quite contrasting to other dining halls around campus.
Next on the list of renovations will be remaking the residential halls that surround Brody Square into updated and more flashy halls.
According to Jeff Bonk, assistant director in design and construction management for residential halls, they are looking to have greater return of students living in Brody complex, so they are looking to spruce them up and make them livable by today's standards.
First residential hall to make the cut and lead the way for renovating is Emmon's hall.

No "Senioritis" for Emily MacLeod

Some seniors find they get lazy on the home stretch of the undergraduate career, but one senior has taken this year to show what she's made of, athletically.

Emily MacLeod, a member Michigan state University's cross country and track and field team, is running at top form to culminate her running career here at MSU.

She lead the team to it's third Big Ten Championship in school history, claiming the individual title in a time of 19:53 for the 6k.

She delivered another stellar performance when she won the NCAA Great Lakes regional, leading her team to a first-place finish at the meet.

Topping off her cross country season, she was awarded Big Ten Cross Country women's athlete of the year. 

She also showed her focus in the class room earning USTFCCCA  all-academic honors

When indoor track season got underway, she showed no signs of slowing down.

In the first day of the Big Ten Championships, MacLeod posted a first-place finish in the 3,000 meter race and the 5000 meter race (3.1 miles) in the second day, edging Betsy Flood of Iowa in both by less than .3 seconds in both.

Emily currently is preparing for her outdoor season, running around 60 miles a week, she said.
Teammate Carly Green credits MacLeod's success to her incredible work ethic and animal-like instinct she brings to the track.

Some MSU teams find success

MSU Football team Shared the title of Big ten champs. Women’s basketball recently took home the title as Big Ten champs. But there are other programs on MSU’s athletic team that, although often hidden from the spotlight, that have had their share of success.

Women’s Cross Country and Track and field have both found their stride on the big ten and national stage in recent seasons.

Women’s cross country raced passed competitors in the 2010 fall season placing high among their others teams throughout the regular season. 

However, when post season began, the team turned up the heat by topping the podium at the Big Ten Cross Country championship  with a first place finish by Senior Emily MacLeod. 

They followed up their victory at Big Ten’s by taking top honors at NCAA Great Lakes Regional with another first place finish from MacLeod. 

The Women’s Track and Field showed a strong indoor season with three first place finishes, including two from Emily MacLeod  and many top ten finishes at the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships and a fourth place finish 

Both teams were together ranked recently by the USTFCCCA as 21st in the nation. 

Colleges scraping away food waste

The world of buffet style cafeterias and "late night" options can be a college kids dream come true, but may be adding to food waste numbers across the nation, not to mention the waistline of students.
Many colleges in the US have decided to take the tray-less approach as a way to save money and cut this food waste epidemic.
Going tray-less can have multiple benefits including reduced chemical use from washing the trays, reduced overhead costs from buying new trays and less food waste.
Trays were invented as a tool to help students cary more food and helping to make less trips. These days, however, they are contributing to, in addition to food waste, laziness and obesity.
By opting out of the tray and taking just what you need, knowing you can come back for seconds if need be, could help students health, and cut down on waste and money spent for the dining halls, says Carla Lansiti.

Whats left on your plate?

Have you ever been to a buffet or a cafeteria where you can't quite seem to narrow down your options, opting to just sample it all and are left with a pile of food untouched?
You are not alone! 
According to data found by anthropologist, Timothy Jones, 40% of all food produced goes uneaten. 
Americans waste about an average of 1 pound of food a day.
Saving only five percent of leftovers in the US households could feed four million people a day, according Suite101.com.  
Here at Michigan State University, Residential Dining Halls are trying to do combat this problem, Culinary Services Sustainability Officer Carla Lansiti said.
Some of these methods include serving smaller portions, providing educational resources and offering volunteer tray-less options. 
MSU already has one tray-less cafeteria, Yakeley dining hall.
Not all cafeterias, however, can afford to go tray-less due to size and traffic of students, Lansiti said. 
Shaw hall, at the center of campus sees a lot of traffic during the day due to location and can serve up to 1000 people in one hour, said Lansiti. 

I love cake

Party was a success. Kids had fun and I have cake coming out of my ears plus leftovers to bring back to the roomies. I'm hoping it will be a good bribing tool.
It was a blast being "Uncle Elliot" for the afternoon because I'm away at school most of the time.
Madisyn was struttin' the toothless look as she lost 5 teeth in the last month. Lucky for her the tooth fairy brings $2 for every tooth. Looks like she's more generous these days. According to my niece, since the she has lost her teeth, she can't say "thistle" anymore. (didn't know 6 year olds said had to say thistle a lot haha) My nephew was very pumped for the day and greeted everyone at the door and showed off his favorite action figure.
About 20 people showed up for the big "horrah", and now the kids have a whole new set of toys as you can imagine.
We feasted on subway and my mom's famous chicken chili.
The biggest surprise was the cakes. This year the kids decorated the cakes, not my sister. They were still delicious. I mean you can go wrong with cake and ice cream.
The kids favorite gifts were for ballet shoes and a tutu for Madisyn and a Toys story remote control car for Landon.
All and all it was a great day, but I can't believe they are another year older.
Have a great day!

It's birthday season!

Come March, my family starts to gear up for the two "biggest" days of the year. You might say "Christmas is not in march!" and your right it isn't Christmas. It's my niece and nephews birthday party... Sadly my birthday got booted off the "biggest day of the year list" when these two tykes came along, but nows not the time to steal their thunder ;) . The whole family gathers for one day of combined fun for these two's birthday. The big bash is this Saturday and the stars of the show are Landon (left) and Madisyn (right). Landon turns the big 4 and Madisyn turns 6. What I'm looking forward to the most (outside of seeing the joy of these two seeing me walk through the door haha) is seeing and EATING my sister's cake. She loves making cakes for these types of occasions. She doesn't dilly dally around when it comes to their birthday cakes. Last year, she made a princess and cars cake. Let the partying begin!