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Ferris State University earned second-place honors in the “Institution of the Year” category in national awards from national collegiate esports organization, recognizing the program’s leadership in the field.
The Scholars is a collegiate gaming symposium created by the team behind the Esports Awards, an organization dedicated to showcasing top-class performance and innovation from players, teams, media, hardware providers, games, events, and personalities within the esports world.
Ferris State was nominated for Institution of the Year, with Jono Eaton among nine finalists for Program Director of the Year and Kyle Wilkowski among 11 finalists for Collegiate Student Leader of the Year. Professor Adam Antor was one of nine people nominated for the Global Impact on Collegiate Gaming Award.
Boise State University in Idaho earned first-place Institution of the Year honors, and Midland-based Northwood University earned the third-place award.
“I am very pleased to have Ferris recognized as one of the top esports institutions across the globe,” Eaton said. “Kyle and I have dedicated years to the growth and polish of Ferris Esports and we are very thankful that the industry recognizes what we have built. We still have one more rung to climb and our efforts this year will show we can be No. 1 in 2024. That said, I am very proud of this accomplishment, and it wouldn’t have been possible without all the hard work and dedication from our students. I’m glad we get to continue pushing Ferris forward.”
Ferris State in August unveiled it dedicated Esports Arena – the first purpose-built esports arena built in Michigan – to attract new students interested in competitive gaming, and the careers associated with the growing field.
The arena is the centerpiece of the new $32 million Center for Virtual Learning.
The state-of-the-art arena gives production teams enhanced opportunities to gather and present replays during competition and provides space for spectators accommodating 18 participating teams, consistent with the program’s growth goals.
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games, with participants squaring off as individuals or teams. More than 240 colleges and universities are fielding esports teams with more than 5,000 student-athletes, according to the National Association of Collegiate Esports, a Kansas City based nonprofit.
Ferris’ Esports program was organized in 2017, and Eaton said there has been steady growth to reach 500 club members. With the help of assistant Wilkowksi and a group of dedicated students, Ferris has pushed itself to the forefront of collegiate esports.
The university began its Bachelor of Science curriculum in Professional Esports Production in Fall 2022. Eaton said Adam Antor, a leading instructor and advocate for Esports on the regional and national scene, will join program chair Varun Singireddy.
The Center for Virtual Learning also houses the Information Security and Intelligence program and the Digital Animation and Game Design curriculum. Also, it hosts Digital Media Software Engineering instruction and offices for the School of Education and be home to Esports gaming and facilities.
A year ago, I wrote an editorial regarding the viral disrespect, which is prevalent in a portion of our society and how that disrespect has trickled down to our younger generations. I come to you again about this continuing problem and the lack of accountability and consequences which is present in some of our youth and in our juvenile justice system.
We are continuing to merely slap the hands of violent juvenile offenders. There seems to be very little in the way of concrete repercussions, allowing them to repeatedly be a nuisance and danger to our communities. Raising the legal age from 17 to 18 for individuals to be considered adults in our criminal justice system has exacerbated matters and has only compounded the problems we are having.
In October 2019, Governor Whitmer signed 18 bills into law as part of the “Raise the Age”, legislative package to raise the age of persons considered to be adults under the criminal justice system from 17 to 18 years of age. On October 1st , 2021, the change went into effect. Although there are some positives to this legislation, there are still problems that come with it, even though there were revisions which allow 17-year-olds who commit violent criminal offenses to be treated as adults.
Across the country and in Michigan, there have been reforms which call for the moving away from charging youths as adults and incarcerating them in adult prisons. I understand the logic of this premise and respect the fact that studies have clearly outlined the negative health and socioeconomic outcomes of this. The current change in our law requires teens charged with committing or attempting certain violent crimes, such as murder, felony assault, first-degree rape, armed robbery, firearm offenses and others, to be charged as adults.
Prosecuting minors as adults used to be more common. But the practice has declined amid increasing awareness that young people, whose brains which are still developing, may not fully understand the consequences of their actions, as well as documented evidence that suggest teens are more likely to commit additional crimes if they are prosecuted as adults.
The problem we are seeing in the criminal justice system is even in cases where 17-year-olds have been charged as adults, it is extremely difficult to find placement for these teenage offenders. We have had two occasions in the past month where we had 17-year-olds who, because of their prior criminal behavior, were under the jurisdiction of an adult court or the Michigan Department of Corrections and we could do nothing with them because of the circumstances. This keeps our community at risk and emboldens the undesirable and criminal behaviors which drew our attention to those individuals in the first place.
In the last month we have had a couple of investigations of a serious nature involving juveniles, who are repeat offenders, and if they had been adults, they would have been incarcerated instead of being out on the streets continuing to commit crimes and put the safety of our public at risk.
In November, our agency investigated a string of thefts from motor vehicles, with four firearms being reported as stolen. Through investigation, we were able to identify a 19-year-old female, a 16-year-old female, a 16-year-old male, and a 17-year-old male for being the responsible parties. After items had been recovered, including three of the four firearms, the 19-year-old female was arrested. However, due to the age of the others, and the fact we were unable to find placement in a juvenile detention facility for them, they were turned over to the custody of their guardians.
The concern to the law enforcement investigators from our office and the Michigan State Police was the 17-year-old male was on tether for an attempted murder out of Kent County Courts, where he had been bound over to adult court and was out on bond awaiting trial. That court was in no hurry to revoke his bond and Kent County would not accept him based on the new charges we had against him. The young man was an Isabella County resident and due current juvenile laws, would need to be placed through Isabella County Probate Court. However, they also declined to place him. We were able to get charges through the Mecosta County Prosecutor, however the facility we were looking to send him to, refused to accept him because they felt he was too dangerous for a juvenile facility.
The Mecosta County Probate Court had initially advised that the male could be placed in a facility in Osceola County but were then advised that he was too dangerous for that facility, and they refused to accept him. There was a lot of confusion and lack of answers throughout this process due to the age of the offender, his extensive criminal history, who had jurisdiction over him, and which adult court was supervising him. In the end, we were forced to leave a violent criminal, despite his age, on the streets, putting citizens at risk.
In December, our agency assisted in a vehicle pursuit on the east end of our county, which also involved deputies from Isabella and Montcalm Counties and troopers from the Michigan State Police. The suspect, a 17-year-old male under the influence of Methamphetamine, had been suspected of stealing several cars and been involved in previous pursuits in the past 24-hour in Gladwin, Gratiot, and Midland Counties. He was apprehended through a canine track after abandoning the stolen car he was driving in a field in Montcalm County. Detective Sergeant Mike Mohr and I had previously interviewed the young man in February of 2022 for thefts in Isabella and Mecosta counties. At that time, only barely being 16 years of age, he was already regularly using Methamphetamine.
In each of the instances to which I previously referenced; we had a difficult time in finding any kind of placement for the juvenile offenders. The problem comes down to a lack of availability for appropriate placement, as these offenders are sometimes too dangerous to be placed with other juveniles, but they are not of the age to legally be placed with adults. Prior to the law being changed, these two scenarios would not have been an issue. 17-year-old violent offenders would have been placed in one of our adult facilities as they were considered adults for the purposes of the criminal justice system.
We need to either begin taking a tougher approach regarding the juvenile offenders we are encountering, or there needs to be a better process and more facilities available to house violent/dangerous juveniles when necessary. The concern law enforcement officials have is that when we merely turn the juvenile over to the custody of their guardians who often times are not the juveniles’ parents, we are giving these offenders free reign to continue to terrorize the safety and well-being of our community which puts us all at an unnecessary and avoidable risk of harm.
Ferris State University supporters donated more than $10,000 to the Bulldog Basic Needs Alliance and more than $20,000 overall to programs supporting students on Giving Tuesday.
“We are humbled and deeply excited by the support from our community and campus partners for Giving Tuesday,” said Jennifer Shaw, associate vice president for Advancement. “These funds directly impact our students, and the projects donors care most about. The participation from faculty and staff on campus to our alumni and friends in the community, drives positive change across the university.”
The Bulldog Basic Needs Alliance at Ferris State provides emergency assistance to students facing food or housing insecurity that would otherwise jeopardize their ability to stay in school.
Maggie Walcott, chair of the BBNA committee, said the BBNA recorded a 340-percent increase in emergency assistance requests from 2021 to 2022. As the need continues to rise, the committee hopes to provide increased levels of support and promote awareness of the aid they offer students.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have raised over $10,000 for students with food and housing insecurity,” Walcott said. “Coming into the holiday season, knowing how our campus community stepped up and raised these funds to assist our students in need, is such a comfort. We are very grateful for everyone that donated to the Bulldog Basic Needs Alliance on Giving Tuesday.”
Giving Tuesday is an international day of philanthropy that takes place each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year marks the first time in the university’s history that more than $20,000 was raised during the event.
The Ferris State University men's basketball squad will return from the holiday break with a pair of home contests this week inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.
The nation's 17th-ranked Bulldogs, who are 9-2 overall, will host Fanshawe (Ontario) on Friday (Dec. 29) along with Kuyper on Saturday (Dec. 30) in Big Rapids. Both games are slated for 3 p.m. (ET) tipoff times.
Friday's contest is billed as Community Day with all local fans encouraged to come out and support the Bulldogs. The support is needed with FSU students currently on the holiday break.
Meanwhile, Saturday will be Kids Day and all youth ages 10 and under will get in FREE.
The Bulldogs won back-to-back regional matchups over Ashland and Cedarville prior to the Christmas Holiday.
This weekend's action marks FSU's final two non-league games of the season. Ferris State will resume Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play at home versus Lake Superior State on Saturday, Jan. 6.
Tickets for all 2023-24 home games can be purchased in advance online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com/Tickets.
On Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell saying the team needs to stay focused and not prolong celebrating the NFC North division title: “Yeah, I think he’s exactly right. We’ve got to move forward now. It was a fun 24 hours enjoying that, having a good Christmas, being able to enjoy the fanfare of all that was winning the division, but that’s over. That’s behind us now and now we’ve got another game to win in Dallas.”
On if he thinks complacency caused them to lose any of their earlier games this season and what lessons were learned from it: “I don’t think complacency caused us to lose any games. I think that’s what you get fearful of when you do win a division. And certainly, in our situation, won one for the first time in a long time and think the job’s done, and by no means is it. We’ve got a ton more goals ahead of us and everything is in our control, and we can go out there and do whatever we want to this year, just have to go execute.”
On Cowboys CB DaRon Bland’s ability to intercept and return passes: “Yeah, he’s very opportunistic. He makes those plays when they come his way and has seemed to take them all back to the house. It’s a good thing to do as a defensive back. But yeah, he’s played well, he’s made plays on the ball, he’s got great ball skills. And I think he’s got the NFL record, right, for most taken back? It’s incredible. It’s a good testament to what type of player he is and yeah, has great ball skills.”
On the value of having two running backs like Lions RBs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs that both add high levels of production: “Yeah, they’re both starting backs in this League for really any team and to have them both on the same team and have them both be able to complement each other so well, it makes us dangerous. And we try to use it to our advantage as well as possible. I think one of the biggest things I’ve noticed is how we’re able to keep them both pretty fresh throughout the game. It doesn’t feel like either of them get too tired because they’re able to rotate in and out, and when you can do that, it’s hard on a defense. And those two guys are special and we’re lucky to have them.”
On the challenges Cowboys LB Micah Parsons’s varying alignments presents: “Yeah, moves around quite a bit. I think that’s kind of their advantage with him is they can move him around. They can put him off the ball, they can put him on the ball, stand him over the middle. So, yeah, they do a bunch of stuff with him. He’s a dangerous player, he’s a great player, he can do a hell of a lot and we’ve got to be aware of where he’s at.”
On if playing well the past two weeks against two good defenses carries confidence over into this week: “Yeah, sure. I think it seems like every week for the last handful of weeks we’re just looking at every team’s defense’s turnover stats and how good they are on the ball and then we come in and we’ve had two games in a row now with taking care of the ball pretty well. And so, yeah, it’ll carry into this one certainly, but yeah, it’s something we’re always conscious of is taking care of the ball and giving our team the best chance to win. But this defense is good, and we’ve got our work cut out.”
On if Lions WR Jameson Williams is considered to be ‘one of the guys now’: “Yeah, no doubt. He’s worked himself into that role and trust him on really everything he’s doing now. And he’s done a hell of a job, man, getting himself there. And again, it’s just reps, just time and he’s still a young player and still learning and growing, but just keeps doing this every week. And it’s exciting for me, it’s exciting for our offense.”
On what caused the number of delay of game penalties in the game against Minnesota: “It’s a handful of things. It’s mostly us to just getting up out of the huddle and getting set and snapping the ball. Typically, that’s the issue with those and it was this week. I think I spoke it after the game, but that end of game sequence wasn’t our best and defense bailed us out. It was nice to have that, but we’d like to finish with the ball on the field in one of those last two drives and weren’t able to. But yeah, it was just poor communication.”
On if there is anything particularly challenging as a quarterback about playing at AT&T Stadium compared to other stadiums: “It’ll get loud. It’ll get loud like other places, but I just think they’re very comfortable there, right? That’s what it seems, and we’ve got to find a way to go in there and be comfortable as well and find a way to win. And they’re a great team. They’re really good at home like you mentioned and we’ll have our work cut out.”
On if they feel equally as comfortable playing on the road as they do at home: “Yeah, I think so. Yeah, we’ve won games on the road, and we’ve won games at home. And we’re a good road team and we feel good about in about pretty much anywhere. We went to Arrowhead earlier this year and won there and are much harder atmospheres to play in than that. So, yeah, we feel good about going in anywhere and find a way to win.”
On what the last 36 hours have been like since winning the NFC North division: “Yeah, it’s been fun. It’s been cool. You try to soak it in, you try to enjoy it. The old 24-hour rule, win or lose and try to treat it that way, and yeah, it’s been exciting. I think the city’s excited. We’re excited. I know the fans are thrilled we get a home playoff game at the very least, but with that being said, like I said earlier, we’ve got so much more in front of us that we want to accomplish and we’re very, very happy with winning the division, but by no means satisfied or content. Have got a lot to do still and it’ll be fun.”
On how valuable it is to play a playoff-caliber team like Dallas late in the season: “Yeah, it’s always good late in the year. You get teams – I mean you have Minnesota, Denver, those teams are playoff bound potentially, and Dallas obviously as well. You get teams like that you can kind of stack up with and see where you’re at. And yeah, these are the fun ones, man. Late in the year, another good team, at their place, can’t draw it up much better. It’ll be fun. It’ll be a good atmosphere. They’ll be ready to go, we’ll be ready to go. It’ll be a good game.”
On if the goal now is to get a better seed for playoffs: “Well, yeah, we’d like to win this game first, and if we win this game and then we win the next one, we would have the two seed I believe. But yeah, what we can control is winning this week and again, obviously a big one. They’re a great team. They’re fighting for their division as well, so it’ll be a tough one. But yeah, we’d like to win this one and continue our chance at a higher seed.”
On if they as players believe in the Cowboys’ mystic of being ‘America’s Team’: “Well, that’s certainly their nickname, right? I don’t know if that means anything. They’re a good team. Yeah, I don’t know. I didn’t play them in the ‘90s when they got that nickname, but they’re a great team and have been a great team for a long time and have a lot of really good players and are really well coached. Yeah, they’ll be a tough challenge for us.”
If you didn’t love the Lions at the multiple three-win or less seasons, you don’t deserve their NFC North Championship. In all seriousness though, it doesn’t matter if you were a fan yesterday, a fan today, or have been a fan your entire life, what matters is that the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan are alive and well. It may have gotten a little too close to comfort near the end of the game, but a win is a win and Detroit beat Minnesota when the clock hit triple zeroes.
With the Sunday win, the Lions clinched the NFC North, a playoff spot, and dare I say every single heart in the Midwest outside of Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The game was filled with highs and lows, but ended on the best high with an interception by Ifeatu Melifonwu to seal the deal 30 to 24.
The Lions did win the game and had four interceptions defensively, but that side of the ball played just above horrible. An effort like that won’t win us the game in Dallas this upcoming week and it sure won’t be easy against the Vikings again in the final regular season game. Our defense continues to diminish my confidence with each week.
On the other hand, our offense was pretty darn solid in all aspects. The run game was working; as Jahmyr Gibbs had 80 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns, and David Montgomery picked up 55 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown as well. Jared Goff had a pretty standard day too, chucking for 257 yards, 30 completions on 40 attempts, a touchdown, and no picks. Hopefully, he can carry that confidence in the pocket to Dallas this week too.
Detroit’s receivers were balling out too but didn’t have the big stats to prove it at first glance. Amon-Ra St. Brown led Lions’ receivers with 108 yards and a touchdown, Jameson Williams showed some improvement with ball security when getting hit hard after the catch, and Khalif Raymond took advantage of single coverage with a pair of catches for big gains. This Sunday will be a big tell on how our receivers and Goff can do against a stronger secondary core, especially since Dallas has pick specialist Daron Bland and hard hitter Micah Parsons. Yeah, they are scary.
Now, I am not worried about the offense at all for next week. I believe they’ll be able to match the output of the Cowboys, but it’s the defense that will win or lose the game. Against Minnesota, we had four interceptions, two by Kerby Joseph, one by Ifeatu Melifonwu, and another by Brian Branch. Keep in mind though, Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens, threw for a staggering 411 yards on 22 completions. If that happens with Dak Prescott, we are cooked.
Detroit was able to pressure Mullens pretty much all game, but were only able to take him down four times for sacks. That is a good amount for a game, but the problem is we could of had a lot more. Mullens was able to scramble out of the pocket even though he isn’t a running quarterback.
Regardless, we got the win and made franchise history. I have never seen so many Detroit Lions story posts on Instagram to celebrate the historic occasion. It was so good to see a city and franchise that has been struggling for so long, finally give us something we desperately needed.
The question is now, what are we even playing for? Well I’ll tell you: the number one seed in the NFC. Monday night saw the San Francisco 49ers lose to the Baltimore Ravens, which means that the 49ers, Lions, and Philadelphia Eagles all share an 11-4 record. These next two weeks are must wins for the Lions to earn the first round bye. The Cowboys also have a 10-5 record, meaning they’re no slouch and we have to keep an eye on them too.
The upcoming game is in Dallas. The Cowboys fanbase, in my opinion, is a top three worst fanbase in the league. This is the first time that they have been good since the 1990's, but each year they think they still have Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin to make a Super Bowl run. Instead, they have CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott, so really not as good in comparison.
Expect a high scoring affair this next Monday. Whichever quarterback cracks first is going to be the one that loses. Both teams have the ability to get multiple takeaways so the Lions need to play clean football for all four quarters. It sounds simple right? But, I don’t know what Detroit team is going to show up. Will it be a team that is fine with just a easy ride into the playoffs, or will it be the team that wants to fight till the end like last year?
Enjoy this week, enjoy this year, and enjoy every second you can people. We deserve this NFC North championship and it’s been a long time coming. This isn’t just a one time deal either, the Detroit Lions takeover is here to stay for many more years to come.
Corewell Health™ recently received $115,000 in grants from the American Cancer Society to fund transportation and lodging for cancer patients. The grants are part of $8.3 million awarded by the American Cancer Society to health systems nationwide.
“Not having access to high-quality cancer treatment due to where you live contributes to the disparities we see in cancer outcomes,” said Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer for the American Cancer Society. “It’s important to provide the funding and programming needed to keep a lack of transportation or the cost of a hotel room from impacting survival.”
Instead of opening gifts this year, MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) members and the community opened their hearts during the Credit Union’s annual Giving Tree initiative with local nonprofit organizations across Michigan.
Employees, members, and the community collectively donated 735 gifts toward this year’s Giving Tree partners, helping to provide holiday gifts to 151 individuals throughout the communities served by the Credit Union. This is a significant increase from last year when 220 gifts were collected for more than 100 families.
MSUFCU’s annual project to help make the holidays brighter for children and families ran from Nov. 1 through Dec. 1. The public could select gift tags from the Giving Tree displays at every full-service MSUFCU branch. Each tag contained one or more individual wish list items to purchase. The new, unwrapped gifts and tags were returned to the branch by Dec. 1 for distribution.
This year, MSUFCU partnered with Child and Family Charities of Lansing, Michael’s Place grief support center of Traverse City, Neighborhood House of Oakland County, American Indian Health & Family Services of Detroit, and Comprehensive Therapy Center of Grand Rapids to distribute the gifts to local families.
“This is one of our favorite initiatives as our collective participation reinforces one of our core philanthropic pillars ? supporting and strengthening the communities we serve,” said Arianna Ridderbusch, MSUFCU’s Vice President of Community Impact. “The Giving Tree embodies the Credit Union’s philosophy of people helping people, enriching lives, and spreading joy in the true spirit of the season.”
District Health Department #10 (DHD#10) offices will be closed Friday, December 22, 2023, and Monday, December 25, 2023, in observance of Christmas. DHD#10 offices will also be closed Friday, December 29, 2023 and Monday, January 1, 2024, in observance of the New Year.
All DHD#10 offices will reopen as scheduled on Tuesday, December 26, 2023 and on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. The DHD#10 Drinking Water Testing Lab will not be accepting water samples on Thursday, December 21, 2023, and will be closed on Friday, December 22, 2023 and Monday, December 25, 2023, in observance of Christmas.
The DHD#10 Drinking Water Testing Lab will also not be accepting water samples on Thursday, December 28, 2023 and will be closed on Friday, December 29, 2023 and Monday, January 1, 2024, in observance on the New Year.
The Drinking Water Testing Lab will reopen and begin accepting water samples as scheduled on Tuesday, December 26, 2023 and Tuesday, January 2, 2024.
For more information about DHD#10, office locations, or hours of operation, please visit https://www.dhd10.org/.
At 2:30 PM yesterday, Kent County Sheriff's Office deputies and Alpine Township Fire responded to the report of three people unresponsive at a home in the 4800 Block of Stage Ave NW.
When firefighters arrived they located high levels of carbon monoxide in the home. The home had to be exited and ventilated before police could safely enter. Tragically, an 86-year-old man, 81-year-old woman (husband and wife) were located deceased along with their 61-year-old son.
The Kent County Medical Examiner's Office will make the official determination on cause of death, but there does not appear anything suspicious to investigators at this time. It is possible that the deaths are related to high levels of carbon monoxide. Investigators will also work to determine the possible source.
As a reminder, please take time to check your smoke and CO detectors on a regular basis.