Tag: campus

October Events Round-Up

Published on by Abigail Miller1 Comment

October Events Round-Up

If you and your family are looking for upcoming events to celebrate the beginning of the fall season, you’ve come to the right place. October holds many event opportunities in the Greater Lansing area for you to check out. Click the links below to explore future events and register if required.

Campus Events

Benefits Open Enrollment – MSU Benefits Open Enrollment is October 1-31. Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to review your coverage options and ensure you have the benefits that are best for you and your family as you head into the new year. Learn more on the HR Website and plan to visit the Benefits Fair on October 3 or one of the several Site Labs available throughout October.

October 2 –  Drawing Marathon: From 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., stop by this annual non-stop drawing event at the MSU Broad Art Museum with the MSU Department of Art, Art History, and Design. All skill levels and ages are welcome, and registration is encouraged for this free event. 

October 13th – Black Botany Weeds Tour: Join Angelica Bajos, Community and Sustainability Coordinator of the MSU Beal Botanical Garden for a deep-dive into the botanical exhibit, Complex Dreams. From 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., learn what weeds can tell us about our perspective on the values of plants and people as a part of the deep-rooted collaboration where art and plants intertwine. Learn more and be sure to register for this free event.

October 14th – 19th – MSU Homecoming: MSU will celebrate Homecoming 2024 with many activities for students, staff, alumni and friends of the university. This year’s theme is “Welcome Home, Spartans” to recognize that no matter where you come from, you have a home within the Spartan Community. The Homecoming parade is October 18th at 6:00 p.m., and the football game at Spartan Stadium against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes is Saturday October 19th. Single-game tickets are available for purchase on the MSU Athletics Website. There are also volunteer opportunities for those 18 and older, so be sure to register by October 3rd if you are interested in volunteering or looking to be in the parade!  

Learning Opportunities

October 15th – Cultural Competency: MSU prides itself on leading inclusivity and promoting full participation and a sense of belonging for all employees and staff. Join us in building cultural awareness and inclusivity skills that will last a lifetime, and learn about intent vs. impact, how to de-escalate tension, and identify self-awareness in the workplace. Enroll through EBS and join us from 1:00 pm. to 3:30 p.m. at the in-person class in the MSU HR building… 

October 3rd, 17th, & 31st – Implicit Bias Certificate Series: This Implicit Bias Series allows participants to examine the different factors of implicit bias through a series of models. Module one will go over identity, and discuss how we view the world. Module two will cover microaggressions, implicit bias, explicit bias and how we can address bias. Module three addresses systemic race in the U.S. context, and modules four and five discuss inclusive environments and taking action. Register for this three part course through EBS. 

Family – Friendly Events

October 5th – Family Day: FLY: The first Saturday of the month means Family Day at the MSU Broad Art Museum, and this month we are inviting you to make creative connections with our exhibits through a hands-on experience with interactive family fun. Explore Complex Dreams, an exhibit that places the experience of young Black girlhood center stage while forwarding a refreshing and resilient view of the power of Black women today. Registration for this free event is highly encouraged. 

October 6th – Totally Rad Vintage Festival: Join us at the Lansing Center from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to enter a time warp into the 80s, 90s and 2000s through vintage clothes. There will be vendors selling clothes, records, home goods, and more, and is open to all ages. There will be a free-play vintage arcade set up, Rad Relic Museum, nostalgic photo ops to fully immerse yourself into the recreated scenes of the 80s and 90s. Kids under 12 enter free, and you can visit our website for tickets and more information. 

October 25th – Trick or Treat on the Square: Save the date for Downtown Lansing’s annual Trick or Treat on the Square Event on Friday, October 25th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Local businesses will be passing out sweets, hosting fun games, and you will have the chance to get creative with Halloween crafts and activities. Be sure to dress up in your best costume and bring your candy bag!

October 1-31st – Michigan’s 4-H Children’s Garden Undersea Exhibit: If you are looking for something fun to do with your family, you should stop by the 4-H Children’s Garden to experience the Undersea Exhibit brought on by MSU AgeAlive! The gardens are open sunup to sundown until October 31st with free admission. Take a look at our website for more information on the 4-H Gardens and the exhibit. 

Farmers Markets Farmer’s markets are beloved events in many local communities allowing us an opportunity to support local farmers and small businesses and enjoy delicious produce, baked goods, and even homemade crafts and personal care items. Many Greater Lansing communities offer seasonal farmer’s markets. Find one near you at https://mifma.org/find-a-farmers-market/

Campus Resources to Reduce Stress

Published on by MSU Human Resources1 Comment

April is Stress Awareness Month! Everyday stress can take an immense toll on our mental health. While all of us experience stress, we all manage our stress differently. It’s essential to find ways to manage stress if we want to maintain our health and wellbeing. To help you make stress reduction a priority this month, MSU Human Resources has compiled this list of MSU campus resources: 

Activities 

  • Wellbeing Wednesdays: The WorkLife Office and Health4U are partnering to bring you Wellbeing Wednesdays. These weekly sessions are focused on wellbeing in its many forms: workplace wellbeing, mental health wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and more.  
  • Join them on April 12 for Art Therapy! Destressing sometimes means unleashing your inner child. This Wellbeing Wednesday will guide you in making some artwork. 
  • Campus Meditation Map: Beal Scholar, Anhad Viswananth, created this incredible meditation map to highlight the best spots to meditate around campus. 
  • MSU Campus Walking Tour: Taking time to be outdoors and exercise is a great way to manage stress. Health4U has provided a campus walking tour with maps of multiple walking paths throughout campus.  
  • Get Active this Spring: Warmer weather on the horizon means more opportunities to get outside! From sailing and stand-up paddleboarding to golf leagues and group fitness classes, there are tons of opportunities on campus and in the greater Lansing community to make exercise part of your weekly routine. Check out these opportunities and consider joining with a friend. 
  • Sleep: Understanding and Optimizing Your Nightly Reboot: Quality sleep is vital for our health, but it isn’t always easy to come by. This class will explore the science of sleep, the impact sleep has on overall health and wellbeing, and how to improve your sleep quality. Join this virtual webinar on April 18 to learn more.  
  • Rest with Music: The MSU School of Music, Abrams Planetarium, and Health4U invite you to take an hour out of your month to listen and simply REST WITH MUSIC. Join in-person at the planetarium or participate via Facebook live. 

Learning Resources 

  • Managing Stress and Work: This recorded Wellbeing Wednesday webinar shares tools and strategies for identifying stressors, prioritizing responsibilities, and managing stress throughout your career. 
  • Mess Makes Stress: This article will help you find ways to declutter your space, making for a less stressful environment.  
  • How to Recognize and Minimize Burnout During Uncertain Times: This recorded webinar will help you identify how burnout is affecting your work and personal life.  
  • Stress Reduction: Health4U provides different articles and resources that specifically target dealing with stress. 
  • Toolkit: Managing Stress: This resource on the Toward a Respectful Workplace website helps identify the stressors in your life and how to manage them. 
  • How to Avoid or Manage Burnout: This article will help you learn how to avoid burnout and what to do if you’re experiencing it.
     

Have another resource you’d like to add to the list? Let us know in the comments!

Sparty statue on a winter afternoon

Winter Events Round-up: Virtual and Socially Distanced Campus Activities

Published on by Megan MacGregorLeave a comment

Are you looking for socially distanced or virtual activities to attend in the coming weeks? From virtual performances to hiking trails, the following campus events will help keep you and your family entertained during the winter weeks ahead:

  1. The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum has four new exhibitions that are free and open to the public with social distancing and enhanced safety measures in place, including daily limited spots available. Please reserve your free tickets here.
  2. Hike the trails at the Kellogg Biological Station Bird Sanctuary! Enjoy the beautiful scenery as you make your way through the trails, which are opened during all four seasons. Additionally, check out their calendar of virtual events, including their upcoming Birds and Coffee Chat, Winter Twig Identification Zoom Workshop, and Nature Drawing: Blending Art and Science.
  3. The Wharton Center has a variety of virtual performances and education and engagement activities for both adults and kids.
  4. The MSU Library has tons of virtual events available for registration. These upcoming events look particularly interesting: Special Collections: Tunnel Books, Embroidery Maker Meetup, Super Science: The Legacy of Science in Superhero Comics, Special Collections: Fortune Telling, and Introduction to Gardening.
  5. The MSU Community Music School is offering online programs available for both adults and kids. Click on the program link to find all kinds of classes from private lessons to individual and group music therapy.
  6. The WorkLife Office has an extensive calendar of virtual events, including an IPF Home Improvement Series.
  7. You can still learn about and experience insects and other arthropods at the MSU Bug House with their two-part video tour.
  8. The MSU Health4U website has a variety of courses you can register for, including a virtual 5K run/walk training program, culinary cooking and concepts – curbside pickup, rest with music, and many more.
  9. SPARTANfit is offering a virtual, free five-week couch to 5k training program starting March 29 (register by March 24). You’ll get weekly workouts, tips and support to help you stay on track and accomplish your goals. The program ends just in time for the Spartan Arbor Day 5K on May 1.

We hope you all will remain safe and healthy and continue to practice social distancing until we are able to see each other on campus again. In the meantime, wear a mask, wash your hands often, and enjoy these campus activities.

Don’t forget about these summer activities on campus!

Published on by MSU Human ResourcesLeave a comment

Are you working on campus this summer? While campus may be a little slower, there are still things to do! From visiting the Dairy Store to grab a scoop of your favorite ice cream to enjoying free concerts at the Beaumont Tower. Whether you’re looking for something to do while you’re on lunch or something to do for the evening, there are a variety of campus activities held this summer.

If you’re looking for something to do on lunch, the Fresh Air Fitness series by MSU Health 4U Program offers a variety of activities during the week:

  • Monday – Tai Chi at the Summer Circle Courtyard
  • Tuesday – Yoga at the Engineering Courtyard
  • Wednesday – Yoga at the Wharton Center
  • Thursday – Pilates on the Green

If you enjoy music, you can find the MSU Carillon every Wednesday at the Beaumont Tower beginning July 3. (In case you’re not familiar with it, a carillon is a set of bells played in a tower.) If you’re looking for something sooner, you can attend Music in the Garden with Spartan Jazz at the Beal Botanical Garden. Make a picnic for the family and come out to enjoy the Music in the Garden: Spartan Jazz concert on Tuesday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m. You can also find a list of other free concerts held this summer at the College of Music website, including their Outdoor Summer Concert Series. Or enjoy music on your lunch break with Rest with Music at Abrams Planetarium. The Rest with Music series is every Monday from 12:10 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. You can find more information about this series, registration and featured artists at the Health 4U website. If you’re looking for another way to enjoy the outdoors take a walk to the MSU Dairy Store.

The MSU Dairy Store is the perfect place to grab a scoop of your favorite ice cream and enjoy the campus. MSU Dairy Store is open throughout the summer from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. during the week. They have  a variety of ice cream flavors from Banana Chocolate Chunk to MSU’s very own Izzo Malted Madness. You can get your own single scoop or maybe share a half gallon with the office. For a list of all flavors, regular menu items and drinks, visit the MSU Dairy Store website.

If you’re looking to travel this summer with the family or take a vacation by yourself, don’t forget MSU Benefits Plus can help you save! MSU Benefits Plus has a variety of discounts for theme parks, hotels, travel and entertainment. You can find deals from Six Flags, Great Wolf Lodge, Hotels.com and more! Find these deals and more on the MSU Benefits Plus website.

Whether you are traveling or enjoying the beautiful MSU campus, there are a variety of ways to get the most out of your summer!