Paperback > iPad

For two MSU students, paperback beats out iPads. 

Sociology junior Erin Simmons and English junior Siobahn Jones both love books. Simmons said her favorite book is the Persepolis series. For Jones, her favorite is The Time Traveler's Wife. Jones said she visits Barnes and Noble once at least once a week even if she doesn't buy anything. Simmons said smart readers such as the iPad (which has various book applications) would be "distracting" and sticks to paperback. 

“I like the smaller chain because there are a lot of books there that the larger stores may not have,” Simmons said.

Curious Book Shop manager Mark Vojcik said they receive a lot of student customers when they realize the store's existence. 

Big Store Selection with Independent Attention!

The tug-of-war between personalized small store customer attention and big chain store glamor is fittingly exemplified in the 1998 film You've Got Mail. Besides being another Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan rom-com, this film puts independent store attention at ends with the then booming popularity of large chain book stores. (In the film, Ryan's small shop The Shop Around the Corner is at ends with Hanks' Fox Books). Fast forward 13 years and swap mega-stores for smart e-Readers and the fight remains the same. 


In the fight between technological advancements and small independent bookstores, will hardcover classics beat out touch screen display?


Curious Book Shop and Archives Book Shop--both located on East Grand River Ave.--have been a staple in East Lansing since they opened in 1973 and 1987, respectively. Store owner Ray Walsh began selling books in 1969 as a student at Michigan State University and said his stores offer customers "odd things" that the bigger book store chains don't have. Things such as vintage magazines, original edition comics, and old maps. 


In a time when big chain bookstores such as Barnes and Noble are struggling to maintain customer interest and Borders locations are closing around the country, these small stores have stood the test of time. 


Promotions Coordinator at Schuler Books, Whitney Spotts, said the store lives by their motto "Big Store Selection with Independent Attention." She said the store is keeping their eye on technology and is trying to get their foot in the door.  


Digital Lead at Barnes and Noble, Joe Schmidt, said electronic selections are cheaper than regular books and products like the Nook offer customers convenience. 

Making the Move

Transitioning from one place to another can be as easy as walking from the kitchen to the bathroom, or as complex as going from high school graduate to college freshman. For finance sophomore Tiana Vinson, making the move from on-campus living to life at Chandler's Crossing is one she looks forward to because of the amenities offered. 


She said life at Brody Complex was convenient because of its nearness to campus, prepared meals at Brody Dining Services, and easier time management. The renovations at Brody Complex, which includes the construction of new dorms and multi-million dollar cafeteria which opened in August. The question is, will these costly projects keep students coming back? Sure, freshman are required to live on-campus but what about students like Vinson who've already signed apartment leases and are ready to pack up their U-Haul and go?


Residential Life Director Paul Goldblatt said on-campus living is essential to the college experience. Pam Davis, the manager at Cedar Village said they have received 1,000 applications in the last four months alone. In the tug-of-war between student residence halls and off-campus leasing offices, a vast majority of students are choosing to leave. However, 14,500 students remain on-campus. 


 Vinson said she has lived on-campus in Brody Complex (Butterfield Hall) for the past two years and added that she's moving off-campus because it's cheaper. Vinson is from the windy city of Chicago which means she is an out-of-state student and must abide by out-of-state tuition regulations. After tallying up the prices and comparing her expenses of on vs. off-campus living, Vinson decided to go with Chandler's Crossing. 

Life Off-Campus

Where do Spartans choose to lay their helmets after a hard day's work? For about 12,000 MSU students that place is off-campus apartments or homes. 


Advertising junior Will Harrell said he moved off-campus last May because the cost of living was cheaper. Aspects such as bigger space, a kitchen area, and a personal bathroom allow him to have a space of his own for less. Harrell said he lived in the residence halls his freshman and sophomore year (Bailey Hall and West McDonel Hall). This trend of students flocking off-campus after their freshman year provides business for the East Lansing Community. There is the Apartment Store located inside of SBS Bookstore, housing fairs in which students decide whether or not they want to move and business such as DTN Management (who owns a good portion of off-campus housing). 


Another perk of off-campus living? Pets! Upon interviewing, Harrell showed off his pet snake D-Bo, a Royal Python. He said residence halls only allow pet fish inside the dorms and Chandler's Crossing allows him to have his cold-blooded companion.


In January, shootings were reported by The State News in an apartment complex near where Harrell lives. Being a native-Detroiter, Harrell said he wasn't phased by the shootings and shrugged them off as less prominent than in his hometown. 


Whether prompted by the idea of pet snakes or the allure of having a space free from dorm chatter, MSU students such as Will Harrell are making the move from cafeteria food to home-cooked meals. 

Original Song ~ Glee - 2

Creator Ryan Murphy has been commended for continuing to push the envelope and challenge the common beliefs of homosexuality, bisexuality and high school. The stand out moment in the Wednesday night episode (besides the song and dance) was the kiss between Kurt and Blaine. Twitter went wild with all caps hashtags such as THEY KISSED and shared sentiments over what this action meant not only for the two boys, but what it meant for audiences to be watching it. 

Past television shows such as Will & Grace and My So-Called Life have touched on homosexuality but the climactic moment in Glee's "Original Song" was the cushioning to Kurt's long emotional rollercoaster ride that he's experienced all season. His dad had a heart attack and landed in the hospital. A school bully threatened his life. He was forced to leave his friends and transfer schools. Most of the aforementioned things are not glamorized fanfare meant to boost ratings and grab attention, they happen to real kids in real life. 

The relationship between Santana and Brittany has also escalated this season. The girls went from best friends to confused lovers in all but five or six episodes. While this may seem like a contrived plot devise to contrast Kurt and Blaine's budding romance, Murphy and the Glee team gave these girls heart and realistic character growth. 

Original Song ~ Glee

Wednesday night's episode of Glee once again proved why the show is so widely popular. Sure, there were the predictable angry rants from Sue. But there was also emotion, creative storytelling, and the belief that these 20-something actors could actually be mistaken for high school students. Over the years, countless TV shows have depicted teenage life through the lens of adult actors. Adult actors that look as if they should be college alumni. Glee, however, has been awarded with both Emmys and Golden Globes for breaking this cycle. Yes, the actors are adults but they transform themselves into believable teenagers. From love triangles to high school bullying to the geeky Glee club, this show doesn't just create a mirror of high school life...it reflects the taboos often left silent in real high school hallways.