Issue 15

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GRAND VALLEY’S STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER

Grand Valley Lanthorn WWW.LANTHORN.COM

T H U R S D AY , O C T O B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 0

GVL / Matthew Raupp

Candlelit comfort: Hundreds of students, faculty and community members turned out Tuesday in remembrance of seven LGBT teens who recently took their own lives to escape discrimination.

GV hosts vigil to honor LGBT youth

INSIDE

Swimming & Diving

teams set to begin season

By Hope Cronkright

>> See B2

GVL Staff Writer

About 400 people gathered around the Cook Carillion tower for a Candlelight Vigil Tuesday night to memorialize the seven lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth suicides in the past two weeks. Those in attendance honored the lives of the seven youth suicides with a silent walk around campus with candles in hand, symbolizing a

Harvest Ball

hosted by Civil War Club

recommitment to promoting awareness and acceptance of the LGBT and other marginalized communities. GVSU counsel Tom Butcher spoke on President Thomas Haas’ and Vice President JeAnne Arnold’s behalf saying, “Our institutional mission is to educate students to shape their lives… and diversity must be valued as an integral part of that education.” “The message is clear from the

President’s office down and reflected in our policies.” said Colette Seguin Beighley, assistant director of the LGBT Resource Center at GVSU. “I can say that Grand Valley State University is committed to inclusion of ALL our students -- including the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgen-

SEE MORE

See Vigil, A2

Editorial, student opinion on discrimination against LGBT >> See Page A5

“The message is clear, from the President’s office down and reflected in our policies. I can say that Grand Valley State University is committed to inclusion of ALL our students.” -Colette Seguin Beighley LGBT Resource Center Assistant Director

Intolerance not tolerated

>> See A3

Homecoming inspires ‘Laker unity’ By Anya Zentmeyer

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GVL Assistant News Editor

etween events such as the campus-wide LipDub, dodgeball tournaments, Renaissance fairs and other student-focused events, the Grand Valley State University campus has spent the last few weeks alive with energy and good will, all culminating this past weekend during the final homecoming celebrations. Students and staff alike received the GVSU 50th anniversary homecoming with open arms, appreciating the pull of community offered by the busy week. Data collected by Alumni Relations shows the total tailgate numbers at 927, pancake breakfast attendance at 48, Jason Derullo alumni ticket sales at 66 and the 5K run at 255 total participants. “Two words: Laker Unity,” said junior Thom Hunt, business major. “The best part of homecoming was the school spirit that emanated across the campus. Especially, specifically, during LipDub.” Writing major Victoria Westman agreed that homecoming and LipDub not only brought students together, but the entire GVSU community, to boot. “I feel like homecoming really brings everyone together for the rest of the year,” she

See Homecoming, A2

GVL Photo Illustration / Eric Coulter

All inclusive: Grand Valley State University takes a stance of inclusion for all of its students, but cyber bullying and other forms of discrimination still exist and have recently drawn attention.

GV reaffirms stance against cyberbullying, other forms of discrimination in wake of LGBT suicides

By Samantha Butcher GVL Senior Reporter

In the wake of seven recent LGBT youth suicides, the Grand Valley State University campus has united in a show of support for the LGBT community. In the past month, seven LGBT teens across the country were reported to have committed suicide as a result of bullying and intolerance. In Michigan, Assistant Attorney General An-

drew Shrivell took a voluntary leave of absence last month after harassing an openly gay University of Michigan student body president on his blog, “Chris Armstrong Watch.” Amy Simpson, president of Out ‘N’ About, said national issues such as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; the Defense of Marriage Act and insufficient anti-discrimination laws also weigh heavily on the community. “People need to be given a reason

to have hope for their future, and there are a lot of forces in this nation fighting against the rights of these kids,” she said. The university’s anti-discrimination policy bars discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender, which includes gender identity and expression. Last year there were 27 bias incidents on campus, 16 of which targeted some-

See Bullying, A2

Internet scams pose serious threat By Chelsea Lane GVL News Editor

GVL / Eric Coulter

Identity theft: Hackers can gain access to personal information through several different methods, including e-mails and malware.

INDEX

A

Modern technology makes it easy for students to keep track of personal information with just the click of a button, but it can be just as easy for someone else to access that information and use it for identity theft or other scams. “All they really need now is your name, your home phone and your work phone,” said

News........................................................................A3 Opinion.........................................................A5 Downtown...................................................................A4

John Wezeman, Grand Valley State University help desk supervisor, of identity theft. The help desk or IT will never ask students for passwords or any other personal information without verifying their identity first. Associate Director of Academic Systems John Klein said the anonymous nature of Internet interaction makes it an especially attractive tool for scam-

See Online, A2

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“The information that you give somebody on Facebook, is that information you would be willing to stand up in front of 300 people and shout over a PA?” -John Wezeman GVSU help desk supervisor

Sports...........................................................B1 Marketplace................................................B3 A&E.........................................................B4


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