(C) Common Dreams
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Tesla student recruitment event on MSU campus sparks protest against Elon Musk [1]
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Date: 2025-02
Protest group standing next to the Tesla Cybertruck at the Engineering Building during the career week on February 3, 2025
Musk, who has worked closely with the Trump Administration since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, currently serves as an adviser for Trump as well as the lead for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Students could speak with Tesla recruiters in the Engineering Building Tuesday to learn about the company and admire one of its vehicles, the Cybertruck. Not even 10 feet away, however, stood several protesters who opposed the very idea that the company — run by Elon Musk — was advertising to students.
His access to the federal government’s resources, and his actions, have prompted discussion on whether an unelected businessman should be allowed this much access to the government.
These doubts in the security of the federal government have in part led to the scene at the engineering building Tuesday afternoon.
Protesters held signs that read "Don't be a Musk-Rat!!" and "SUPPORT STUDENTS NOT FASCISTS!!"
These are not your typical campus protesters either. The organizer, rather than a young student living on campus, is an older alum of Michigan State University who lives in East Lansing.
Shelly Cichy said she and her fellow protestors took action after she was made aware of the Tesla Day event on campus.
Cichy wanted to use this opportunity, she said, to educate students about how Musk is taking advantage of our government, and make students think twice before participating in a recruitment event for his company.
"I have two degrees from here," Cichy said. "We have families that have worked here for 30 years; we're connected to Michigan State and we love the university, but this is jarring. Don't bring this truck in here."
Cichy also brought attention to Musk’s agency, DOGE, gaining access to sensitive Treasury data including Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems.
She said Musk, who is unelected, should not be able to possess this power and that she wants to bring this to the attention of any students who may be considering working for Tesla.
"Students have choices to make right now, and they're tough," Cichy said. "It's expensive to live; it is hard to buy a house. There's no health care. It's really hard and I sympathize with students, but they do have choices to make about where they go and intern and where they choose to work, and one good choice, if they want to choose ethically, is to not go to work or a company owned by a guy who is trying to dismantle their government."
Robbie Stapleton, another MSU alum and friend of Cichy who traveled from Ann Arbor to protest, agreed with Cichy. She said that she would rather push back against people like Musk and Trump than give in to the despair many others are feeling now.
"I know this won't change Elon Musk's or Trump's plan, but it makes me feel better to be part of the resistance," Stapleton said.
Alongside these MSU alumni, some graduate students and faculty also participated in the protest against Tesla.
Rachel Frisbie, an assistant professor of data science, said this is a matter of values.
"We are only as good as we can be when we include all the voices, so all the voices in engineering should be heard and uplifted, not just the ones represented by Tesla," Frisbie said.
Frisbie said she also finds Musk’s access to private information like social security to be unnerving.
She also believes that when students consider job opportunities and internships, they should think critically about whether or not the company aligns with their own personal values.
"The advice that I give students is that every decision they make should be based on their values, and so if your values are to uplift all of the voices and to have an inclusive perspective, like many of us do, then working at a company like Tesla isn't aligned with your values, and you can do a whole lot better," she said.
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The Tesla recruiters presenting at the recruitment event declined to be interviewed.
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[1] Url:
https://statenews.com/article/2025/02/protesters-gather-at-tesla-student-recruitment-event-to-oppose-elon-musk
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