This week has been surreal for me, and for my family.
When I learned of the shooting at Michigan State University, I was in a meeting half a world away. Minutes later, I got a text from my wife asking me to call her.
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Bryan Newland
@RealBNewland
Personal account of mine. Father from Bay Mills Indian Community (Ojibwe) on Lake Superior. Also a miserable & insufferable Detroit Lions fan.
Michigan Joined January 2014
Bryan Newland’s Tweets
Speaking of tough, Jimmy Butler may be the toughest playoff player this century.
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The Warriors often get branded as a finesse team. But, that's wrong. Those guys are tough in every way.
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When I was a student at Michigan State two decades ago, this was the dream of a lot of us on campus. I'm so glad that this has finally come to fruition, and was proud to see that my good friend from college Don Lyons spoke at this event.
Congratulations, Spartans.
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lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/202
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Xavier Tillman is one of the best dudes in the Association.
Also, MSU hoops fans knew he would carve out a space in the NBA. He is too smart and talented to not make an impact on the court - he has a lot of the same basketball intangibles as Draymond Green.
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How very sad. His music has been a soundtrack to my studying and reading for a long time (esp. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence").
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Breaking News: Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Oscar-winning Japanese composer who scored films including “The Last Emperor,” “The Sheltering Sky” and “The Revenant,” has died at 71. nyti.ms/40yxI2Q
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Can someone tell me what happened at the end of that game? I didn't see because Hulu crashed.
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Great game. Tough ending.
Thank you to the MSU hoops team. After a very tough few weeks, you've made us all proud and gave us some happy memories.
As always, you guys make us proud.
Go Green.
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This first time I moved to the DMV, I was shocked to see that spring is an actual season unto itself.
In the Yoop, we have snow, then dirty snow, then mud, then it's summer.
I love the spring time here.
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The #CherryBlossoms in #WashingtonDC are in bloom now! #Spring @CherryBlossFest
@NationalMallNPS @capitalweather @NatGeoPhotos @StormHour @Wx_Max @Ginger_Zee
@ThePhotoHour @spann @JimCantore @camdenwalker @JustinWeather @PoPville
@washingtonian @chesterlampkin @hbwx @hhowardWTOP
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Must be March
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Most Sweet 16 appearances, in last 25 years:
Duke
@MSU_Basketball
Kansas & Kentucky
#B1Gstats x #MarchMadness
Duke
@MSU_Basketball
Kansas & Kentucky
#B1Gstats x #MarchMadness
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Sweet Sixteen.
Go Green!
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Two Oscar winners + Sean Astin
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Now that Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan have won Oscars, it’s time to put more respect on “Encino Man.”
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Congratulations Coach Izzo on setting the NCAA record for most consecutive tournament appearances by a head coach.
We don't take any of this for granted.
Go Green!
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Last week, I joined and Ambassador Kennedy on a visit to Australia. We traveled to Perth, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and Canberra to learn more about approaches to our work at home and to strengthen our partnership with Australia.
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NEW from me: After centuries of stealing land, the U.S. government is actually inviting tribes to help manage it.
"A defining moment for reconciling its past."
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This is all class, U of M. All class.
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Michigan student section the Maize Rage gives the MSU basketball team a standing ovation and applauds as the Spartans take the court with a little under 30 minutes before tipoff. Very classy gesture in a night expected to be filled with them from U-M.
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That fact makes me angry. I don't accept that this is just a normal thing that happens. I don't accept that some of you have experienced this, and many more of you will.
This cannot be a part of life in America.
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I'm not sharing these thoughts to make this about me. It's not.
Sadly, I've just experienced what thousands and thousands of parents experienced this week (and every month).
The saddest and most maddening part of all is that our family, and the MSU community is NOT unique.
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In the end, my son wasn't close to where this all occurred and wasn't at risk of physical harm.
But we didn't know that at the time. And it sure feels like there will be some sort of lasting emotional and mental impact on him - and on all of us.
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The shooting had ended, and three young people have lost their lives. My heart aches for their families and friends. Other students are still fighting for their lives. I am praying for them.
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I wish I never had to write this.
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/
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I was also able to have a video call with my wife and daughter. None of us had much to say, and we just stared at each other through our screens.
It was a poor substitute for being together and holding each other.
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The next morning, I was finally able to have a video call with my son. I just wanted to see his face and hear his voice.
As soon as he popped up on my phone, my voice cracked and my eyes filled with tears (I hate when my kids see me cry).
I felt every emotion at once.
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After several hours, I got the news that the shooting had ended. I wish I could say that I felt relief, but I didn't. I was still worried for my family far away.
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After we spoke, I really didn't know what to do. I kept refreshing the news, Twitter feed, and others. I also tried to not push my feelings on to my colleagues at that point.
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It's a hard thing to try to comfort your own kid over the phone from far away when you're terrified. It was awful.
But we did our best to keep our minds busy.
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He told me that he loved me, that he was safe, and that he was scared. He was listening to the scanner, and that people thought there might be multiple shooters around campus.
He asked if we could just talk. So we did.
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I texted my son to check on him, and he texted me that he and his roommate were locked in their dorm room and had barricaded the door.
Not long after, he called me.
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She wanted to let me know about the shooting, and that she didn't know anything more than the fact that this whole thing was ongoing.
I felt incredible guilt for not being with her, and for not being with my son. I also felt helpless and scared.
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It took me 60 seconds to excuse myself and call home. That short time was a lifetime, and I can't really describe the way my stomach turned and the fear I felt. I was terrified to hear my wife's voice on the other end of the line.
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The students, staff, faculty, & Board of Regents of Bay Mills Community College mourn along with our colleagues, friends, & family at Michigan State University, our sister land grant institution. (1/2)
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Andrea Ferguson’s daughter survived the Oxford High School shooting in 2021, and she’s now a freshman at Michigan State University: “I never expected in my lifetime to have to experience two school shootings.”
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We've all become part of the very large group of people impacted by violence and mass shootings. It's sad how large this group has grown to become.
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So many people in the Spartan community will now begin the hard work of healing, and trying to regain a sense of normalcy & safety after yet another senseless shooting.
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Like thousands of other parents, I've spent much of the past 12 hours worried about my kid barricading himself in his dorm room at Michigan State University. I'm incredibly grateful that he is (physically) safe.
That is a blessing that some parents don't have this morning.
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I've done repeat, no-skip listens to the 2022 albums from Kendrick, Beyonce, Harry Styles, and Bad Bunny. All four were really good.
I find myself going back to Un Verano Sin Ti the most. It's so unique and fun.
It was a great year for music.
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I was sad to learn that Prof. Alex Skibine has passed on. I didn't know him well, personally - though he was always kind when I met him.
Prof. Skibine was a brilliant scholar who advanced the law to help Tribes, and he helped pave the way for many Natives to become attorneys.
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We're incredibly sad to share the passing of Prof. Alex Tallchief Skibine. Alex was a pillar of our community—and was a trailblazer and leading scholar in the field of Indian Law.
Read Dean Kronk Warner's statement:
sjquinney.utah.edu/news-articles/
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