OOC#5 Review

College students have many unique tastes in music, but many of them share the same love of the popular yet controversial hip-hop genre.

Demetria Webster, who said her favorite rappers are Drake, J Cole, and Future, said she is a fan because the lyrics are relatable and the beats are good to vibe to.

Demarco Jackson said he is a fan of the genre because it brings a lot of emotion and deals with everyday life issues.

Both Webster and Jackson said the fact that Kendrick Lamar’s latest album, To Pimp A Butterfly, received 11 Grammy nominations is a good thing for the genre.

Jackson and Webster said they both understand the violence that comes from hip-hop, but Webster said that the genre is necessary for people because it is relatable and that it is something that they can call their own.

OOC#5 Preview

Hip-hop may be a controversial genre of music, but it has its share of fans, especially within the teenager and young adult audience.

Some feel the genre makes theses teenagers and young adults do criminal activities that they wouldn’t normally do, while others see the genre as a way for people to express issues in the black community and in the world around them.

But what makes the genre so popular among the younger audience? 

Does this young generation see hip-hop as a way to find a path toward violence, or do they understand the subjects and problems that rappers talk about in their songs?

OOC#4 Review

As protests are happening around college campuses around the United States, some students have their own opinions about them.

The University of Missouri has been at the center of this controversy after students held protests due to the university’s inability to punish students for racial behavior.

Michigan State University students Kayla Hopkins and Armando Ortiz have heard about the student protests.

Ortiz said the students have good reason to protest, since they are the only ones who can help and defend each other.

Hopkins said that those who might not agree with the movement should at least support it and show effort towards helping others.

OOC#4 Preview

Protests that are happening on campuses across the United States are having bigger effects than what others have been seeing them as.

On campuses like the University of Missouri, protests have been started over the treatment and punishments of those that use racism and bigotry on campus, and the protest in Missouri has led to the university president stepping down.

These protests are starting to spread around the country and to different campuses, with similar

racial problems surfacing like the ones in Missouri.

Some believe these protests are disturbing the peace and education of those that may not be affected by the issues, but others argue that these protests have a purpose regardless of the inconvenience it brings towards others. 

MM#3 Review

Many students at Michigan State University are looking forward to Thanksgiving break.  Some students, however, are unable to travel back home.

Katie Palmer, a MSU graduate, said she used to be an out-of-state student when she went to a different university, and remembers how it felt when Thanksgiving break came along.

She said that although she was able to still visit her family for Thanksgiving, it was her first time seeing them during the semester, and said she felt homesick in that time.

Homesickness is a big issue for college students, especially for those in their first year of college.

In a study done by Shelby Winn at Concordia University, in a survey of 101 first-year college students, 60 percent of them reported homesickness.

But, for those that can’t see their families on break, there are alternatives, as said by Dooeun Lee, a senior at MSU.

Lee said some students travel to places like New York or Disneyland, and some students’ even travel to their friends’ home for the holiday.

MM#3 Preview

For students at Michigan State University, the first semester can be long and stressful, which is why a break from the school work is needed.

Thanksgiving break gives MSU students the chance to see family members and friends while being able to relieve the stress of college before finals.  However, some students are unable to feel the full effect of this break.

According to a report from the MSU Office of the Registrar, 71 percent of the student population resides in the state of Michigan, with the remaining percent labeled as out-of-state students.

For some of these out-of-state students, they may be unable to travel home due to being too far away, leaving them on-campus.

For these students, how do they feel about being unable to see their family, and what do they do while on campus?