College Coaches Part Two

College coaches have a lot to deal with on their plates: meetings, publicity, practices, games, meets, and so on. Many people are aware that they are busy; however, some coaches have a little more to add on to their list such as family time. LaKita Gantz, the head women’s basketball coach at Oakland Community College has a nine-year-old son with whom she makes plenty of time for and even schedules special things on the weekends, she said. Gantz said she brings her son to work with her so she does not spend too much time apart from him. “I’m happy to have a job where I can bring him; he’s with me the majority of the time,” she said. Some athletes may learn something from having their coach's family around at practices and games.  DanielleCrandall, a senior on the GVSU women’s basketball team, said via email, “Seeing her (the coach's)  family helps me personally to feel more comfortable. She(the coach) trusts her kids with us and that’s huge.” Crandall said she enjoys when her coach brings her family to practices. “I feel comfortable in this family and I would think that her immediate family feels comfortable with us,” she said. Follow the story on this Twitter page for more information.

College Coaches Part One

Student athletes are not the only ones on campus who have to worry about balancing their social lives, work, and sports. College coaches also have to find time in their schedules for families. Specifically coaches who have children at home. Grand Valley State University head women’s basketball Coach Janel Burgess said she has a 10-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl at home. Fifteen years ago she started coaching right out of college and has been learning how to balance time ever since, Burgess said. “As a student-athlete and a coach you always have to learn how to time-balance,” she said. MSU Director of Coaching Education Larry Lauer, an expert on coaching development said via email “(As a coach) you're not going to have as much time for family unfortunately so if the family is prepared it makes it easier. Also, the more you can involve the family in your team environment it helps them feel connected to what mom or dad is doing.” Follow more on this story on this Twitter page.

MSU Tuition Costs (2)

MSU students have expressed concerns about what the cost of tuition is actually covering and about what they have to pay outside of tuition. In response to their concerns some MSU officials have addressed these concerns. Students such as civil engineering sophomore Tyler Frederick, have heard rumors that they are paying for up to 90 meals a week. In response to this, MSU Culinary Services Communications Manager Jenna Brown said via email, “A student did try to see if the dining plan would max out, however, and he found that the exact number is 99 per day.” Though this seems like a lot of meals for anyone, the students are not paying for every single meal. Associate Director of Residential Dining Bruce Haskell said via email, "The meal plan is about accessibility and flexibility, not quantity. It gives you the option of food service from 7 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, plus the combo-x-change five days all for one inclusive price." Haskell said that if one were to calculate the actual cost it would be about $4.60 per meal without having to purchase food, cook, or wash dishes. Another concern students had that university officials responded to were parking-related. When asked what he thinks the parking ticket money goes toward, Cameron Cummings a median information sophomore said he just assumes the parking department pockets it. In response to this, MSU Parking Operations Manager Lynnette Forman said the money made from parking tickets goes toward parking, traffic, and pedestrian- related issues.She said the money is used for things like speed bumps, and the monthly phone bill for the green lightemergency telephones placed around campus. Forman also said the money helps prevent accidents by funding the talking crosswalk signals in order to help the visually-impaired.
 Stay tuned to the twitter posts which will break down this story and view this video on the story.

MSU Tuition Costs

Some MSU students living on campus have voiced their concern about what specific costs their tuition is actually covering. Undergraduate students who choose to have a dining plan often have heard rumors about how many meals they pay for in a week. Elementary education junior, Elizabeth Mendez and zoology freshman, Janet Bautista, both were shocked when they were told how many cafeteria meals their dining plans include. Mendez said, “That’s a lot. Bautista said, “That really is a lot.” Along with costs included in tuition, some students are also concerned with what costs they pay for outside of tuition such as parking and school supplies. Some students like Cummings have experienced the campus-wide distaste for MSU parking issues such as receiving several tickets.  “I have three right now that I haven’t paid in a long time,” Cummings said. Mendez said the school should give a list of fees not included in tuition to students prior before their arrival to campus. Stay tuned to find out campus official responses to these concerns and to discover how many meals students are actually paying for. Also follow this page to find more on this topic.

Seamus Belill Eats Again Recap

After a long day of classes and a strenuous workout, Seamus Belill, an advertising sophomore at MSU, says he often cannot wait to eat dinner. Wednesday night, Belill said he was a bit disappointed to find that he would not be eating his favorite meal which is a spinach wrap full of meat and veggies. Almost every Wednesday, Belill stops into Snyder Phillips Hall to get dinner at The Gallery. His usual meal consists of a toasted spinach wrap and blue Powerade to drink. However, Belill was forced to get a wheat wrap because they had run out of spinach wraps. At dinner, Belill said that it was not as good as the spinach wrap and he was not very happy with it. Belill also got a salad to eat and instead of drinking blue Powerade, he switched it up and got an ice water and orange juice. Belill says "I hope next time they have spinach wraps."

Seamus Belill Eats Again Preview

On a typical Wednesday afternoon, Seamus Belill, a sophomore at Michigan State University, heads to Snyder Phillips hall. Once he is finished with classes and gym time, he goes to the Gallery to eat dinner.  He has been going to school here for three semesters and enjoys visiting various cafeterias on campus. Belill lives off campus so he buys meal passes just so he can eat on campus. Wherever he ends up, it is very rare that Belill does not get a toasted spinach wrap with salami, cheese, various veggies, and ranch dressing. With his dinner he normally drinks water and blue Powerade . Belill is a fast eater and often finishes first out of the people he sits with. Follow this link tonight to watch live feed of this event.