MSU Wants Tosh.0 to Film an Episode On Campus

        Many Michigan State University students have created unique video entries in response to Daniel Tosh's competition to decide which college campus at which to film a live episode.

        Two entries urging Tosh to pick MSU have been particularly popular online and seem to be Michigan State's biggest chance for success.

        The first entry, coordinated by sophomore Erin O'Donnell, features over 100 students dancing in a choreographed routine at the MSU Union. The video has received over 6,000 views.

“I was looking at the other videos submitted, and they were just really pathetic. They were a bunch of drinking videos, so I wanted to make a really coordinated video that followed the rules of the contest,” O’Donnell said. “I wanted to make a nice video that would show MSU has fun together, but that we don’t need to degrade our school in order to do so.”

The second entry, features student Nicholas Dressel comically challenging Daniel Tosh to a fight. The video has received over 4,800 views.

1.               “It was not pre-planned. There were people in the hallway saying, “Hey, would you like to make a video challenging Daniel Tosh to fight you?” And instantly I did want to challenge him to fight me, and for someone to just ask me that was like a dream come true," Dressel said.

            Both O'Donnell and Dressel said even if their specific entry doesn't win the competition, they'll be happy if a fellow MSU entry does.

Tosh.0 Holds Campus Invasion Competition

According to the show's official blog, Daniel Tosh of Comedy Central's show Tosh.0 will be filming a live episode on a selected college campus. The campus will be chosen based on the winner of a video competition, in which people affiliated with a college in the United States must send in a creative video entry explaining why Tosh should select their school.

"Which school gets to be graced by my presence? That's up to you," Tosh said. "Anyone at or affiliated with your college should upload a video convincing me why I should come. Hot cheerleaders, parties, money, hot cheerleaders... If your case is strong enough, we'll film Tosh.0 live from your crappy campus."

The official rules of the contest state the video entries must be under a minute long, and cannot contain things such as obscenity, nudity, illegal alcohol or drug abuse, or hard liquor, among other things.

Video submissions were first accepted on March 15, 2011, and the last date to enter new submissions is July 31, 2011. The chosen school will be notified of their selection on or after August 15, 2011.

Underage Drinking at MSU

    According to health educator Rebecca Allen, who works within the MSU Health Education Services for Alcohol and Other Drugs Program, underage drinking is not as large of a problem as many people think. Research for MSU Social Norms statistics show that many students are responsible about consuming alcohol. “What we’ve seen is that by and large most students drink responsibly most of the time, regardless of age. If they’re under the age of 21 that certainly places them in a greater risk of harm," Allen said. "They need to understand that, but I would say that doesn’t mean that they can’t drink responsibly."
     MSU Police Department Sergeant Florene McGlothian Taylor agrees with Allen, and said that the underage drinking problem on campus is not horrible. Taylor acknowledged that many students drink underage and do so without major harm, but stands firm that, "The law is the law."
    Taylor said that when police are out patrolling, they look for students causing trouble as opposed to any minor that's been drinking peacefully.

Minor In Possession Charges

     According to Michigan state law, any person under the legal drinking age of 21 caught with alcohol in their possession can be given a Minor In Possession misdemeanor citation. For the first offense, consequences for an MIP charge include fines up to $100, community service, and substance abuse screening at the minor's expense under probation. More often than not, many minors with an MIP get it expunged from their public record after they've completed all of the court's orders. According to MSU Police Department Sergeant Florene McGlothian Taylor, employers are generally pretty lenient about applicants with an MIP charge, and having a charge will not severely hurt their chances for success.
     However, young people who are given more than one MIP charge may have reason for concern. The second offense can result in fines up to $200, probation with substance abuse screening, community service, a 90-day driver's license suspension, and 30 days in jail upon violation of probation or failure to pay fines. The third offense has even more severe consequences. According to Taylor, one of the biggest problem for minors with multiple offenses is a potential addiction to alcohol.

Bhangra

Bhangra is a traditional form of Indian dancing that originated from the Punjab Region.  Bhangra is characterized by upbeat music, colorful costumes, and high-energy coordinated movement. Traditionally, males participate in the dance more than females, though it's very common for routines to include female dancers. Some teams, such as Michigan State's Bhangra team, is comprised of all female dancers, but this is uncommon. Although it's dominated by Punjabi Indians, many non-Punjabi people participate in the form of dance. "Dance and music breaks all cultural and racial barriers. There's definitely no limit to who can try out and who's on the team; if you're really good, you're really good. They tend to be mostly Punjabi, but it's getting diversified. Everyone is welcome," said MSU Bhangra captain Sharmila Kulkarni.

MSU Bhangra's Upcoming Competition

The MSU Bhangra Team will compete in the Bayside Bhangra competition this Saturday, April 2nd in Tampa, Florida. The team is leaving for sunny Florida Wednesday and will return to East Lansing on Sunday, ideally with a trophy. After winning first place in their last major competition, Raas Rave and Bhangra Blitz, the team is hoping to achieve similar success. The winning team will be awarded $3,000, with second place receiving $1,500 and first place receiving $750. This competition will be the team's last one of the year. Their season will officially end this Sunday, putting an end to their recent 6-hour-per-day practices. "It's my first competition. It's one of the biggest ones too so far, so I don't know what to expect, but I'm excited!" freshman and team member Navmeet Dhillon said.

Beauty and the Beast: Romantic or Abusive?

Beauty and the Beast is a children's animated Walt Disney film celebrated for it's beautiful love story. Belle, a woman gifted with both beauty and brains, turns down the most handsome and sought-after man in town because of his arrogance and conceit. She becomes the prisoner of a terrifying beast to save her father, and falls in love with him despite his monstrosity. Belle looks past the beast's bad qualities to see the good in him. At first glance, the story is seemingly inspiring and contains a good message for children. After watching the film more carefully, however, we can see signs of an abusive relationship, such as the beast's possession of Belle and the harsh way he speaks to her when he loses his temper. This message is potentially dangerous for the film's young viewers; as Belle forgives the Beast for his abusive behavior and focuses only on his positive qualities, she is encouraging other girls to forgive an abusive spouse for unacceptable behavior. While we're on the topic of potentially harmful messages in Disney films, doesn't the ending of Beauty and the Beast undermine the whole moral of the story? Belle falls in love with the beast for his personality, not his looks. However, he turns into a handsome prince once he wins her love. While it may shatter the moral, at least they're both human at the end. Bestiality isn't what we should be preaching to our kids.