Perks of Being in Spartan Nation

When asked about the perks of being in James Madison, many students answer with "small class sizes, close relationships with professors, challenging academic work," etc. In this post, I want to talk about one perk of James Madison that is sometimes overlooked: the opportunity to be a part of the Spartan Nation.

I suppose this is really a perk that applies to every student who attends Michigan State, but I think it's important to mention in the context of James Madison students.

The student section fills the lower right corner of Spartan Stadium during a white-out game against Boise State

When people talk about Madison, they mention how the residential aspect of the college allows students to form a close-knit community by bonding over shared courses and experiences. Another way that community is formed at MSU is through the support of our sports teams. Even if you are not a huge sports fan when you come to Michigan State, it's hard not to be swept up in the electric atmosphere on big game days.

Members of the Izzone getting pumped up for a men's basketball game

For example, when MSU earned a place in the Rose Bowl by winning the 2013 Big Ten Football Championship, the entire campus was swept up in Rose Bowl hysteria. Even people who had not followed the football season closely were excited to be a part of such a historic moment for MSU. During the month of December, it just felt great to be a Spartan.

Me standing in front of the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA

James Madison is housed in Case Hall, which is right across the street from four sports venues at MSU: Spartan Stadium (football), Ralph Young Field (field hockey, track and field), Munn Ice Arena (ice hockey), and the Breslin Center (men's and women's basketball). Many other venues are within a fifteen minute walk of the building. Being so close makes it easy to support the Spartans and enjoy a game or a match. Most varsity sporting events are free for MSU students, too! The only events you have to buy tickets for are football, men's basketball, and ice hockey games. Even then, there are special student prices, so you don't have to break the bank in order to go!

Case Hall is the brown building at the bottom of the map. Red lines lead to (left to right): Breslin Center (basketball), DeMartin Stadium, Sechia Stadium, and Kobs Field (soccer, softball, and baseball), Munn Ice Arena (hockey), Jenison Fieldhouse (volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics, indoor track), IM West (swimming & diving), Ralph Young Field (field hockey, outdoor track), and Spartan Stadium (football).

Sometimes Madison students are guilty of spending too much time in Case Hall. While it's convenient to have most of our classes in one building, it sometimes gives us tunnel vision and we forget that the rest of MSU's amazing campus is waiting for us outside. Grabbing a group of friends and heading off to a basketball game is a great way to break up your week, get some fresh air, and spend a little time remembering just how huge and awesome MSU really is. It's also a great opportunity to meet some friends outside of Madison!

Becky
Senior
Social Relations & Policy
Accounting

Studying Abroad Through JMC

As my sophomore year began, and the talk of my friends' summers across the globe loomed through the air, I knew that I wanted to have that experience next summer. While in my STEPPS (Science, Technology, Environment and Public Policy) intro class, Professor Craig talked about a summer in Italy, starting in Rome and ending in Florence. The study abroad included a deep understanding of Rome’s history, by reading Livy’s masterpiece, The History of Rome, and then while in Florence, we dug deep into Dante’s works, including The Inferno. The thought of reading about the history of Rome, then going out onto the streets of Rome and seeing that history come to life was something that I wanted to experience. So, after that class I sent in my application and kept my fingers crossed. Knowing that studying abroad is not cheap, I knew that I still needed to talk my parents into letting me go, also since this was a PTCD study abroad rather than a IR study abroad I knew that persuading my parents would be difficult. However, after talking with Jeff Judge, he suggested that I use this study abroad as my field experience and also with the help of the study abroad office, along with a generous donation from an alum, I was able to cough up the money and fly 4,627 miles across the globe to Italy! After the long plane ride to Italy, a few of my classmates and I got off the plane waited for our luggage and made our way out of the airport. Luckily for me, my dad’s college roommate lives in Italy, so I was able to do a quick tour of the city before meeting up with the rest of my classmates. As the trip began to unfold I began to realize how lucky I was to be in Italy. Not only was I blessed with touring two of the most beautiful cities in the world, but also I made some of my best friends along the way. Studying abroad was truly the best experience I had as an undergrad thus far. Instead of just reading books or taking blue book exams, we got to immerse ourselves in what we were learning about by visiting historic sites in Rome and Florence. We got to fully dive into the culture and the people that surrounded us. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience. After graduation and we are in the “real world” we may not have the chance to do something like this, so why not do it now?

Lisa

Senior

International Relations

Science, Technology, Environment, and Public Policy Minor