Staying Informed
Keeping up with what is happening in your community and your local government is very important. The decisions that local community and government leaders make can have the most direct impact on your life and the places that you live. However, it can be very difficult to find reliable sources that report on local issues. Oftentimes, these local issues can be overlooked and do not gain as much attention as national media. East Lansing and Michigan State University have several outlets that report on local news.
East Lansing Info
East Lansing Info is an online news outlet that reports stories that exclusively relate to East Lansing.
The State News
The State News is the Michigan State University newspaper, which writes mostly about issues on campus, but will also include stories that impact the East Lansing Community.
Lansing State Journal
The Lansing State Journal is a Lansing based newspaper that covers national, state, and local politics, but will often write about issues that impact the university, and East Lansing.
City Pulse
City Pulse is a weekly Lansing based alternative newspaper that focuses on issues in the Lansing area and on a national level.
Dialog
Dialog is a local City of East Lansing newsletter. They have a weekly, monthly, and seasonal newsletter that is free to subscribe to. You get access to it by having it delivered by mail or online.
Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia is a website that offers articles and background info on political issues, candidates, and elected officials. Some of the candidate profiles are slim but it can be a good resource if you would like to know more about who represents you.
The East Lansing Public Library
Libraries are great centers for learning about our democracy while also providing free information for students and the community.
The East Lansing Public Library offers many ways to get involved and to learn about the community. The public library of the city has its own board that meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month in order to ““set policies concerning the management, supervision, and control of the library facilities,” as said on their website. For students who are scared to engage in local political meeting, attending the meetings at the library serve as a great tool for a first time meeting. The Board of Trustees has 7 trustees who are appointed for 5 year terms. Meetings can be found on the East Lansing website agenda, as well on their own website.
If you are an MSU student- you can use your student ID as a library card- giving you access to all the books and online resources at the East Lansing Public Library.
The mission behind the board and library is to “inspire, serve, and evolve as a source of knowledge, connection, and growth.” The board emphasizes how they want the community of East Lansing to always feel welcomed to come to the library whether for resources or just a place to visit. By being a part of the library or even getting a library card, it allows citizens to check out books, see online resources and databases or even access films or music. The library also holds regular events for both students of MSU and for the students of the area.