THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6
Lanthorn
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GV commits 22 football recruits
G R A N D VA L L EY
SPORTS, A7
ST U D E NT- R U N P U B L I C AT I O N S L A NT H O R N . C O M PRINT . ONLINE . MOBILE
NEWS, A3
GV KICKS OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH POLITICAL STRATEGIST
GV student admits to graffiting donor plaque of the video,” DeHaan said. “Community members The Grand Valley Police stepped forward in helping Department has received a to identify this individual. confession from a Grand We applaud those that conValley State University stu- tacted police to aid and asdent for the vandalism at sist this investigation.” The case is the Mary Idema now being rePew Library. ferred to the During an Dean of Stuinterview with dents Office police on Tuesday morning, The individual for a violation of student code the individual said he was and will be reclaimed responsibility for the remorseful for ported to the Ottawa County five incidents. his actions. Prosecutors Of“The individual said he BRANDON DEHAAN fice. The university will be was remorseful GVPD CAPTAIN seeking crimifor his actions,” nal charges for said Capt. Brandon DeHaan, assistant di- malicious destruction of rector of the Department property and is still assessof Public Safety. “Once the ing the cost of the damages. “Based on the police deinformation was brought forward, he understood the partment’s investigations, implications of his actions.” the prosecutor’s office will Police released video foot- determine the charges, if age of the individual on Mon- any,” DeHaan said. The student’s name will day. It was played throughout the day in the Kirkhof Center not be released pending criminal charges. If there and the library. “Police began receiv- is an arraignment the name ing tips from the student will become available to the body following the release public. BY CARLY SIMPSON
GVL | ROBERT MATHEWS
NEWS@LANTHORN.COM
Tale of a nerd: Gov. Rick Snyder addresses a crowd in Grand Rapids as part of his re-election campaign tour. Grand Valley State University’s College Republicans group was in attendance to support his intention to take a second term.
TO GRADE A NERD GV’s College Republicans support Snyder’s bid for second term BY CARLY SIMPSON NEWS@LANTHORN.COM
Applause filled the Downtown Market in Grand Rapids on Monday as Gov. Rick Snyder announced his intent to run for re-election. Among those cheering in the crowd was the student organization College Republicans. The organization members were easily identified by their neon green “I’m with the Nerd” shirts and included about 40
students and recent graduates from Aquinas College, Grand Rapids Community College and Grand Valley State University. The group volunteered at the event, greeting and directing guests and collecting signatures for Snyder’s nomination petition. Evan Wallace, a member of the group and a freshman at GVSU, said he is hopeful that Snyder will be re-elected in November.
“One of the bigger issues for college students right now is job prospects after graduating,” Wallace said. “Snyder has been creating thousands of jobs in Michigan and is creating opportunities for students to stay here rather than moving to another state to find work. I think that’s a big incentive for students to vote for him.” SEE SNYDER ON A2
GV project puts a face to faith
Ravel/Unravel interfaith initiative to encourage GV community to discuss religion BY STEPHANIE BRZEZINSKI SBRZEZINSKI@LANTHORN.COM
To celebrate the diversity of religious identities on campus, the Kaufman Interfaith Institute and University Libraries will bring the national Ravel/Unravel Campaign to Grand Valley State University. Katie Gordon, the program manager at GVSU’s Kaufman Interfaith Institute, said the group will hold events March 13 through March 19 in the community and on campus “to promote interfaith understanding.” This year is the first time Ravel/Unravel will be at GVSU. In 2010, the non-
profit organization Project Interfaith began filming interviews in Nebraska of people discussing their faiths. Today, it has more than 1,000 videos of people from around the country. “We want to encourage talking about important issues of your own religious or spiritual identity,” Gordon said. “We are making it a more open conversation that people aren’t afraid to talk about.” Gordon stressed that the project is open to anyone at the university: faculty, staff and students. People of all backgrounds, whether they’re religious or not, are
encouraged to attend. “Grand Valley is just the “The goal is to build an beginning,” she said. archive of Grand Valley Interviewees will be faith or nonasked four faith stories,” questions about Gordon said. their religious “The whole or spiritual point is to get identity. GVSU We are over stereofilm students types, put a making it a will capture face to faith and more open their short anovercome peoswers on video, ple’s miscon- conversation... edit them and ceptions of reliupload them to KATIE GORDON gious groups.” YouTube. They Gordon said PROJECT MANAGER will also be this campaign is featured in the specific to GVSU, but in the learning alcove located on future, she hopes to extend the first floor of the Mary it to other universities in Idema Pew Library. the Grand Rapids area. Erin Fisher, library pro-
gram manager, is also involved in sponsoring the Ravel/Unravel Campaign at GVSU by supporting the production of the videos. Fisher said the main reason the library got involved is because of the learning alcove, which is meant to be engaging but also intellectual. “We want to foster serendipitous learning and discovery,” Fisher said. “Our mission is to capture stories from Grand Valley that open your mind. The video platform adds unique value and allows a conversation to live on online.” Fisher said the project is
important because it invites interaction and allows the audience to become “cocreators” rather than passive consumers of information. Sharing stories, she said, helps us understand and appreciate religious diversity on campus. She added that the ultimate goal is to create 100 videos. The MIP Library and Kaufman Interfaith Institute funded the project together, relying on their resources and Project Interfaith for support. Fisher said there were no financial SEE RAVEL ON A2
GV expands housing options for large student organizations
Construction begins on innovative project to accommodate fraternity, sorority community living off campus The organizations will be joined later by Alpha Sigma Tau, Sigma Kappa and Alpha Construction has begun on the “Grand Vil- Sigma Phi. The houses on the Pierce Street lot lage,” a multiphase project set to house Grand will be ready for students to move into at the Valley State University registered student or- beginning of the fall 2014 semester. Santiago Gayton, the fraterniganizations. The first phase of the ty and sorority life coordinator, project is implementing housing has been working with the Office for select GVSU fraternities and of Student Life on the task force sororities. that has been planning the projOut of the five Greek organiect. Gayton said that traditionalzations already living on campus, It’s a great ly, housing for registered student three of them (Gamma Phi Beta, opportunity organizations is owned by a uniAlpha Omicron Pi and Phi Sigma versity and a resident assistant is Sigma) will be relocating to the for these present to overlook the students new lot at 5050 Pierce St. adjacent groups. living there. Off-campus housing to Copper Beech Townhomes. is generally owned by the organi“It’s a great opportunity for KRISTEN EVANS zation, itself. these groups,” said Kristen Evans, HOUSING MANAGER The new model at GVSU is the occupancy and assignments manager of Housing and Health Services. owned by a private developer, Alan Hoffman, “And the departures (from the Allendale and will be leased to organizations. “It sounds like a subtle difference, but Campus) provides us additional space to accommodate the growing demand for upperSEE RSO ON A2 class housing on campus.”
BY ERIN GROGAN
COURTESY | GVSU
EGROGAN@LANTHORN.COM
Home sweet home: The “Grand Village” will be located on Pierce Street and will provide housing for larger campus organizations, such as fraternities and sororities.
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