The week in photos: Oct. 22–28, 2024

A student displays one of Michigan’s popular “I voted” stickers in front of Beaumont Tower. To learn more about voting on campus in the upcoming election, visit the MSUvote website. Photo by Brennan Mahokey.

Runners depart from The Spartan at the start of Alex’s Great State Race, an event that pushes rivalries aside to promote disability awareness ahead of MSU’s annual football game against the University of Michigan. Alex’s Great State Race, named after Alex Powell, a first-year MSU student who passed away from an aggressive form of cancer, takes ROTC cadets from both schools on a 64-mile run from East Lansing to Ann Arbor, delivering the game ball to the home team. Photo by Jonah Brown.

Participants gather at the Spartan statue for Alex’s Great State Race. Alongside ROTC cadets, student-athletes with disabilities, along with Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein, have joined the last few miles of the race since 2017. While the race delivers the game ball for the MSU vs. U-M football game, it also serves as an important event to recognize students with disabilities, and the resources at both schools — MSU’s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities and U-M’s Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services — which support accommodations and equal access to education services. Photo by Jonah Brown.

Hard hats and shovels stand at the ready for the groundbreaking of MSU’s new Plant and Environmental Sciences Building. The $200 million project, expected to be completed by Dec. 2026, will provide laboratory space for MSU scientists to conduct climate-critical research in plant and environmental science. Photo by Derrick L. Turner.

Members of MSU’s administration break ground on the site of the new Plant and Environmental Sciences Building. Photo by Derrick L. Turner.

Members of the Spartan Marching Band gather at The Spartan for “Sparty Watch,” a rivalry-week tradition dating back to the 1960s. On the week of the MSU vs. U-M football game, members of the marching band stand by The Spartan around the clock, protecting the iconic statue from vandals. Photo by Jonah Brown.

A member of the Spartan Marching Band keeps watch over The Spartan through the night. Though the Michigan State football team didn’t seize the Paul Bunyan Trophy at U-M this year, The Spartan made it through the week unharmed thanks to the hard work of the SMB. Photo by Jonah Brown.