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POLICE
WORLD
GVSU to spend $3 million on updated surveillance system BY LAUREEN HORAN ASSOCIATE1@LANTHORN.COM
Security is a priority for public and private academic institutes everywhere and Grand Valley State University is no exception. Grand Valley Police Department intends to increase safety measures across the Allendale, Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Holland campuses by adding hundreds of exterior surveillance cameras while also improving the software and infrastructure through which these devices operate. The nearly $3 million project could take up to two years to complete. According to Grand Valley Police Capt. Kourosh Khatir, it was the quantity and location of surveillance cameras at Central Michigan University that led officials to the location and perpetrator of a double-homicide on campus the morning of March 2, 2018. “For the last few years, there’s been a hodge-podge of cameras around campus in various buildings that installed their own setup. The software and equipment is different in each location, so there’s certainly a lack of infrastructure as far as surveillance,” Khatir said. “We are too big to have a lack of infrastructure in this area… We aren’t investing all this money just to be ahead of the game — we want to catch up to where we need to be.” Khatir isn’t the only one who believes so. Many students and faculty members, including GVPD Capt. Jeff Stoll, agree that the addition of more cameras is not only practical, but necessary. “As we’ve seen technology increase over recent years, we’ve seen other universities increase their cameras on campus. We do have a lot of cameras now, but they’re not consolidate into a master plan,” Stoll said. “GVSU was a little bit behind in this regard so we knew it was time to have this discussion.” SEE CAMERA | A2
STANDING IN SOLIDARITY: Addressing the crowd, Muslim Student Association President Maisha Sharif gives a speech about when she first learned of the events in New Zealand. Other MSA members shared their experiences alongside speakers from the Provost’s office, AEPi and Campus Interfaith Resources. GVL | DAN PACHECO
Community mourns Christchurch terrorist attack with clock tower vigil BY NICK MORAN NEWS@LANTHORN.COM
Grand Valley State University’s Campus Interfaith Resources and Muslim Student Association (MSA) held a vigil March 21 beside the Cook Carillon Tower to honor the 51 lives lost during the Christchurch, New Zealand terrorist attack nearly a week prior. Students, faculty and community members listened to speakers, held a moment of silence and supported each other through the attack on the Muslim community. MSA President Maisha Sharif said that the lives lost in the attack included Muslims in their vulnerable state of Friday prayer. “Although words can never begin to explain the amount of emotion we feel during this tragic event, no amount of words are enough to condemn this heinous act against innocent lives,” Sharif said. “It is also impossible for us to remain silent and mute.”
The event features speakers from MSA and others campus Muslims. Mohamed Abdirahman told the crowd about when he learned the story of a three-yearold child killed in the shooting as he was attending prayer with his father and older brother. “At a young age, I grew up around the mosque a lot — my dad would bring me in,” Abdirahman said. “You’d walk in there and you would expect that my dad doesn’t have to worry about me… To walk in with your father and for the father to just walk out with his older son, nobody should have to go through something like that.” Also at the vigil were members of AEPi, the Wesley Fellowship, Calvin Interfaith and Campus Interfaith, who read the names of those killed in the shooting. AEPi brother Ben Friedman, who previously spoke at the Pittsburgh attack vigil in November, recited other attacks on religious communities in the past seven years.
Speakers also included Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Maria Cimitile, who spoke about her admiration of New Zealand’s prime minister, who both supported the community and took actions to prevent another attack. These actions set an example, as she said the community needs to take more steps now compared to following tragedy in the past. “When I was in college 35 years ago, we called for tolerance; that was a huge step for that era,” Cimitile said. “But it is so not enough today. We must choose knowledge. We must choose understanding of all cultures, of all religions of all practices. It is only then that we will get to what makes us all human and to understand the value of human life.” Following a moment of silence, Imam Morsy Salem recited a portion of the Quran, recalling verses that encouraged prayer, patience and community. He also told a
story about an old man who tried to teach his sons a lesson during the final hours of his life. “(The old man) gathered all of them and he gave each one of them one stick and told each of them to (break it),” Salem said. “Everyone… broke it easily. He brought other sticks together, in one group, and he gave it to each of them. They couldn’t (break it). This is my lesson for all of you today: if you stay together, no one will be able to break you.” Sharif said that if she could impart one message with the campus community, she would encourage students to reach out to GVSU’s Muslim community and learn about the faith. MSA has certainly felt the overwhelming support so far, she said. “It really meant a lot to us that there were so many people from so many different practices (and) religions came out, especially in this cold,” Sharif said. “This is what we need: for people to come together despite all of our differences.”
GOVERNANCE
Student senate votes to discontinue Battle of the Valleys fundraising competition BY NICK MORAN NEWS@LANTHORN.COM
CUTTING THE COMPETITION: Hoisting the Battle of the Valleys trophy, representatives from Grand Valley State University’s student senate and Saginaw Valley highlight fundraising competition successes at the annual rivalry football game. GVL | ARCHIVE
Grand Valley State University’s student senate voted in favor of withdrawing from the annual Battle of the Valleys fundraising competition against rival university Saginaw Valley State University. The decision was made during the senate’s March 21 general assembly and will be effective as of Fall 2019. Student senate Vice President of Campus Affairs Carter Engler said that a main reason to drop the fundraising competition was due to the copious amount of time and energy required by an already busy senate. Laker Traditions did not help organize 2018’s fundraising battle, leaving most of the work to fall on Executive Vice President Morgan Mattler and Engler. This resulted in preparation throughout the summer and multiple meetings a week. Even with the additional help of other student senators, Engler, who has been closely involved in
the planning of the competition for the past three years, said Battle of the Valleys’ execution will continue to be too much work for the body to handle. During this year’s competition, Engler said he felt the drain of the planning on his work as the fall semester began. “There was a lot of separation between what we were trying to do for our committee and then what we were trying to do for Battle of the Valleys,” Engler said. “When I had multiple senators come on to my committee… I had a hard time relating to them right off the bat, making sure they were comfortable and set with their projects. I had to focus more on Battle of the Valleys.” Mattler said that over the past year and a half, student senate has made a long list of changes that directly impact the student body. By freeing up time and not organizing the Battle of the Valleys fundraiser, he said students will feel that senate productivity will be up through more changes around the university. SEE BOV | A2
MARCH 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS
A2 | NEWS
CAMERA
NEWS BRIEFS STUDENTS SHARE VIEWS IN OPENLY SECULAR ALLIANCE MEETING
Grand Valley State University students attended Holland’s Openly Secular Alliance meeting March 23. Members from the secular student group attended the alliance’s meeting, which was titled “Secularism: Our Contribution to a Better World.” The students spoke about being openly secular in their beliefs, how they fit into life on campus and how they contribute to their community. “To come out (as secular) here in Holland, there are factors at work in this community that would make it a challenge for folks professionally and students have been bullied from their classmates,” HOSA co-founder Patricia Reilly said to the Holland Sentinel. Reilly also said that the student participation will be used to demonstrate changes in being openly secular in west Michigan throughout various generations.
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Elementary Education student Tori Fowler recognizes that extra safety measures are never a bad idea, even for campuses with a tight-knit community like GVSU. “I feel extremely safe here. If I’m (at work on campus) or in the library, I’m not worried about leaving my phone or laptop unattended for a moment, but I think that layers of precautions are what help keep campus safe,” Fowler said. “I think if people know there are more eyes watching them,
that could prevent a lot of incidents.” According to Khatir, about 300 cameras currently exist between the Allendale and Grand Rapids campuses, but at least 1,000 more cameras will be installed across the various GVSU campuses in the next two years. The cameras will primarily be installed outside the entrances of buildings and in parking lots, along with other common areas that require better security. “Cameras will be located at exterior access points of all buildings. Our emphasis is not necessarily interior areas, but to be able to see who comes in
and out of buildings,” Khatir said. “Coverage on the Allendale campus will increase from less than 10 percent to roughly 85 percent — if someone commits a crime in one of our buildings and then tries to get across campus or to the parking lot, camera footage will give us a better chance of identifying suspects.” Another key element to this project is the software and infrastructure of the cameras. Khatir said that the goal is to have a universal system in which the footage can be linked to other campuses and devices as needed. The software will be
able to pick up various elements in a frame of footage and seek out other clips that could contain identifiers. Of course, when considering surveillance and data transmission, the question of privacy always comes into play. Khatir explained that access to the infrastructure will be limited and codified so that footage cannot be used for any malicious purpose. To maintain server capacity, footage older than 30 days will be erased. Installation of the cameras is expected to start soon and continue over the summer when the the campuses are less busy.
GVSU HOSTS ANNUAL FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION 40 west Michigan high schools took their robots head to head in Grand Valley State University’s Fieldhouse Arena March 22 and 23 for the annual FIRST Robotics competition. In the competition, robots were designed by teams to tackle the same prompt: build a robot that can pick up as much cargo in a time limit as possible. The event was live streamed on a FIRST Robotics Twitch channel. The FIRST Robotics competition aims to provide competitive, varsity-level experience for high school students interested in pursuing engineering, coding, marketing and other subject areas related to building a robot, according to FRC’s website. GVSU students and alumni also volunteered to attend the event and promote the pursuit of STEM programs as the students transition to college.
GRCC NAMES MAIN BUILDING AFTER PROMINENT GVSU DONOR, GRAND RAPIDS PHILANTHROPIST
Grand Rapids Community College announced that its Main Building will be revamped and renamed after Raleigh J. Finkelstein following a donation to the college. Finkelstein is known at Grand Valley State University for his philanthropy. The donation will include a building redesign starting as early as 2021, which will better accommodate students attending classes, counseling areas and increase support for veteran organizations. Finkelstein’s name is most prominently known at GVSU through the construction of Finkelstein Hall, a recent building constructed in downtown Grand Rapids bearing his name. Through the support of Finkelstein and over 1,000 other donors, the health sciences building was constructed last summer. Finkelstein is a historic supporter of encouraging students to attend Grand Rapids Community College before transferring to GVSU to finish their degrees. He is also known for his extensive support of west Michigan business, specifically in his hometown of Grand Rapids.
EYES ON SAFETY: Monitoring the Kirkhof Center, two security cameras connect Grand Valley Police Department officers with campus. The university is spending $3 million on increasing the presence of cameras, specifically ones targeted toward outdoor areas. GVL | BENJAMIN HUNT
BOV
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VOL. 53
NO. 28
Lan thorn EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-Chief BRADY MCATAMNEY Associate Editor MCKENNA PEARISO Associate Editor LAUREEN HORAN News Editor NICK MORAN Sports Editor KELLEN VOSS Laker Life Editor AMY MCNEEL A&E Editor SARAH EDGECOMB Image Editor SHEILA BABBITT
Layout Editor MAX GELDHOF Layout Designer VIVIANA RUBIO PROMOTIONS Promotions Manager HOLLIE PICKELMAN ADVERTISING STAFF Advertising Manager JESSE BECKER Advertising Manager RACHEL MOORE BUSINESS STAFF Business Manager ALEXIS LAMB Asst. Business Manager RACHEL RUTGERS
We apologize for referring to “Grand Valley Public Relations Student Society of America” (GVPRSSA) as “GVSU PR Club” in our March 11, 2019 issue.
The Lanthorn is published on recycled paper and is printed with soy bean ink. This means that our newspaper is entirely compostable. Help us do our part to be kind to the environment by recycling or composting this newspaper after you enjoy reading it. POSTMASTER: Please send form 3579 to: Grand Valley Lanthorn 0051 Kirkhof Center Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI 49401
“Battle of the Valleys sucks up both energy and output from senators towards projects like these, and the hope with dropping it is an incredible turnover on projects and dedication directly to the student body for years to come,” Mattler said. “My belief is student senate is here to do other things than a competition of fundraising, like improving the university through other means, whether that be legislation (or) projects.” Some senators at the general assembly also noted that while the money being raised was always for a good cause, Saginaw Valley State has been accused of breaking competition rules in the past to raise more money. This was supposedly done by collecting money year-round and utilizing donations from outside of the student body. At the meeting, Associate Dean for Student Life Bob Stoll made it clear that while the charity competition would be discontinued, Battle of the Valleys would still represent the annual football rivalry between the two schools. While many students knew of the football rivalry, fewer knew of the charity competition and what it stood for. GVSU senior Tori Fowler said during her time at school, she knew generally about both competitions, but has never participated. “I don’t know why it was canceled,” Fowler said. “I knew that it was a thing because student senate does a lot in Kirkhof, but I don’t know where the money actually went.” In spite of the competition’s end, Mattler said that it opens the doors for student senate to enact something new in its place. He said a strong possibility would be an internal charity competition during a new fundraising week. “It is still sad, but as one who planned this for seven months, this will enable all future executive vice presidents to focus solely on the actual responsibilities surrounding their role and hence making a trickle-down effect for a more effective student senate,” Mattler said.
MARCH 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS
NEWS | A3
ANNIVERSARY
Celebrating 45 years of Women’s Studies at GV
BY MCKENNA PEARISO ASSOCIATE@LANTHORN.COM
Four individuals convened on the Loosemoore Auditorium stage over a small program at Grand Valley State University that changed each of their lives forever. The four alumni, Kristen J. Cuhran Fuller, Jazz McKinney, Erika VanDyke and Dani Vilella, are from the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGS) program at GVSU and returned to the university to celebrate its 45th anniversary. The WGS anniversary celebration was held on March 21 on GVSU’s downtown campus with several other workshops occurring during the week with keynote speaker Dr. Mel Michelle Lewis. The event centered around the effect the WGS program has had on its students, community and the progression of marginalized voices. Beginning with an alumni panel, the celebration was able to note how WGS studies can make all the difference both before and after college. “I attribute having the (WGS) minor to realizing I could affect change, and that was huge,” Fuller said. “Because women studies brought to me people’s voices from around the country (and) from around the world that I had not understood before.” The program’s emphasis on telling the stories of people across spectrums appears to have helped
many of its students and alumni alike see new perspectives of a world they thought they knew. Even the mission of WGS incorporates intersectional feminist and queer perspectives into a curriculum that aims to challenge society structural inequalities. At GVSU, Women’s Studies has been taught since the beginning in 1973, when its courses were held in the College of Arts and Sciences and the William James College. It took several milestone years to establish the minor in Women’s Studies in 1986 and the Women and Gender Studies major program in 2006. WGS has continuously strived to demonstrate inclusion and representation, eventually offering a minor in LGBTQ Studies in 2013. As the program advances forward, its faculty and staff continue to inspire WGS students to follow education paths that invest in the things they care about most. “WGS classes taught me that the things I was interested in and cared about could be applied through practice,” VanDyke said. “It gave me this history of resistance that exists and that it’s a lot easier to be brave when I’m advocating for someone else. That practice taught me how to start building relationships across any number of differences.” Each of the WGS alumni panel has moved on to advocate for others, through supporting resources for women
DEEP IN DISCUSSION: Holding a panel, Grand Valley State University alumni gather in the Loosemore Auditorium to discuss their experiences. The panel was a part of a celebration of the 45th anniversary of GVSU’s Women, Gender and Sexuality studies program. GVL | BENJAMIN HUNT
and queer people, promoting the stories of marginalized groups and conducting outreach therapy. In exemplifying the progress the alumni panel have made with their WGS background, the anniversary celebration noted how even a simple minor can make the difference in an advocate. “Unfortunately, activism is a job that will never be done,” McKinney said. “There is always something that we have to work toward to make sure people are being treated like people. The minor, having that knowl-
edge of the shoes I’ve stepped into today from the people that were before me, gives me that strength to keep going.” Advocacy and elevating marginalized voices are key components of the WGS program and were discussed more thoroughly during the anniversary’s keynote address from Lewis, who was the final speaker of the celebration prior to the anniversary dinner at Gallery Divani. In 2008, Lewis served as Interim Executive Director of the National Women’s Studies Association and recently published a book titled Femme Query: Pedagogy, Pleasure, and
Queer of Color Possibility. To begin her keynote address, Lewis played the ‘unofficial anthem’ of the feminist movement ‘I am woman’ by Helen Reddy. Lewis went on to discuss the many historic events happening in 1973, the same year GVSU began offering Women’s Studies courses. These include the monumental decision on abortion in Roe v. Wade, the battle of the sexes tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs as well as the Watergate scandal. Each of these events and more were altering the status quo of how gender and power were
being discussed at the time. Lewis believes that both the struggles of women and queer people of yesterday and today require recognition both academically and socially. With GVSU’s evolving WGS program, centering these voices will likely continue to serve as a civic foundation which builds communities that ensure gender justice. “As black feminists and black lesbians, we have a very definite task before us and we are ready for the struggle ahead,” Lewis said.
STEM
ACADEMIC ATHLETES: With medals around their necks, high school students stand walk in teams following the Science Olympiad award ceremony in GVSU’s Kelly Family Sports Center. GVL | KATHERINE VASILE
Allendale High School, Middle School advance to state following GV-hosted Science Olympiad BY ALLISON RAFFERTY ARAFFERTY@LANTHORN.COM
Grand Valley State University’s Allendale Campus hosted the 35th annual Region 12 Michigan Science Olympiad tournament on Saturday, March 23, where hundreds of middle and high school students were able to compete in STEM activities. This year’s tournament involved more than 1,000 students from 40 middle schools and 28 high schools across Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties. The tournament, presented by GVSU’s Regional Math and Science Center allowed these students to show their knowledge and skills in biology, chemistry, physics, earth science and technology. The 35th annual Science Olympiad spanned 50 events, including new ones such as Heredity, Sounds of Music and Boomilever. While not all of the events were available for public viewing, Director of GVSU’s Regional Math and Science Center Kristofer Pachla explained that events like Battery Buggy, Boomilever, Roller Coaster and Elastic Launched Glider would all be open to the public. For Allendale Middle
School students Grace Schulten and Mae Wittlieff, this was their second year competing in Science Olympiad and they plan on doing it again in the future. “Today, I have done Crime Busters so far, and then I also have Density Lab left to do as well as Anatomy and Physiology,” Schulten said. Whitlieff participated in Experimental Design, Crime Busters and Solar Systems. Both students explained that they would love to do more events in the future. Allendale Middle School coach David Erdmans has been coaching for 22 years and has high expectations for his team. “We’ve got a great group of kids,” Erdmans said. “They work their tails off. I’m hoping to be top five. Top ten go to state, but the last three years we were second, so I’m hoping to be second again.” Erdmans loves coaching because he’s able to provide “science geek” kids with an avenue to explore and develop skills outside of the classroom. Allendale High School also participated in Science Olympiad, as it was coach Donna Newman’s ninth year at the helm. “(I coach for) the kids,”
Newman said. “It’s a great group of kids. They’re excited about learning. They’re excited about being a team. They’re learning so many cool things and I learn right along with them when I’m coaching, so it’s a lot of fun.” Not unlike Erdmans, Newman had high hopes for Allendale High School’s placement during the award ceremony. “Well, we’re really hoping to go to state, so hopefully (we place) in the top six,” Newman said. Both schools accomplished their goals and will be advancing to state as Allendale Middle School placed second and Allendale High School placed fifth. Pachla said that hosting this event is important to GVSU because it inspires kids and harbors a sense of community. “GVSU and the Regional Math and Science Center support learning in math and science across the region,” Pachla said. “By supporting our community as they engage with these events, we can make sure that we are sparking interest in math and science, form strong partnerships with schools and give back to the community that we are a part of.”
A4 | OPINION EDITORIAL
MARCH 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS
GVL EDITORIAL CARTOON
By Xavier Golden
Safety first: Why have GVSU security cameras taken this long?
“W
e are too big to have a lack of infrastructure in this area… We aren’t investing all this money just to be ahead of the game — we want to catch up to where we need to be,” said Grand Valley Police Capt. Kourosh Khatir. As Grand Valley State University prepares to shell out $3 million to add at least 1,000 exterior cameras to its various campuses, several questions should be on the community’s mind. How has campus security been affected by a lack in surveillance and infrastructure? How long has GVSU’s security been behind ‘where it needs to be’? This alarming realization that security has been lackluster is even more heightened when considering the massive expansion GVSU has undergone in the last five years. Following the construction of Finkelstein Hall, GVPD increased its presence downtown with two patrolling officers, one working the day shift and the other taking the evening. According to Khatir in an interview with the Lanthorn in February, there is no definitive timeline to fully staff a downtown GVPD unit. But considering the mile range between downtown campuses and buildings, it’s a bit distressing to assume one officer can patrol effectively in that 12 hour shift. On Feb. 21 a student was robbed near Grand Valley’s Health Campus near Hasting N.E. and Lafayette. While the student didn’t require medical attention, the three hooded men have still not been apprehended. Cases of violence and sexual assault have also been
regularly reportedly near GVSU’s Allendale Campus. According to weekly GVPD reports, at least one sexual harassment case was reported each week during the Fall 2018 semester. The security increase project will take up to two years to complete and increase coverage on the Allendale Campus from 10 percent to roughly 85. Emphasis will be placed on the exterior of buildings, so camera footage can better identify an assailant attempting to flee campus following an attack. Another element to the project is improving the surveillance infrastructure. Currently, GVSU’s security cameras operate through each individual building’s setup. This means randomly grouped cameras must be accessed through each setup, rather than having a mainframe to access all surveillance video. While an increase in patrolling and surveillance may not totally prevent attacks, it could keep them from happening so frequently. As students and the community worry with each GVPD safety alert, it would put many minds at ease to know that the university has the proper security protocols in place. The recent admittance by GVPD that security is not up to par should alarm the GV community, and remind them to be vigilant on their own accord as well. Hopefully GVPD’s surveillance and infrastructure project will improve campus safety measures and put community anxiety at ease. But will the reality of campus safety ever be know if GVPD is not transparent in the first place?
3/25/19
editorial@lanthorn.com
Living abroad: A reflection
BY EMILY PLATT GVSU ALUMNA EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM
I recall sitting in my capstone class and listening to a guest alumna speak about teaching abroad in South Korea. I remember thinking, “Wow, that sounds so cool. But I don’t want to teach English. That’s not within my career interests.” And now here I am; four years later and I’ve been teaching English and living in the Czech Republic for almost two years. Some time after graduating, I realized that I wasn’t growing professionally or personally as much as I wanted to. I was frustrated with the US job market,
Editor-In-Chief Associate editor Associate editor News editor Sports editor Laker Life editor A&E editor
WHAT IS A LANTHORN? Lant • horn, n. [Old English] A lanthorn is a lantern that was used in mid-to-late 16th-century Europe. It was constructed of leather and a single lens made from a thin
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GVL OPINION POLICY The goal of the Grand Valley Lanthorn’s opinion page is to act as a forum for public discussion, comment and criticism in the Grand Valley State University community. Student and columnist opinions published here do not necessarily reflect those of the paper as an entity. The Lanthorn strives to be a safe vehicle for community discussion. With this in mind, the Lanthorn will not publish or entertain any forms of hate speech, but neither will it discriminate against any other views, opinions or beliefs. The content, information and views expressed are not approved by—nor do they necessarily represent those of—the university or its Board of Trustees, officers, faculty or staff.
Letters to the editor should include the author’s full name, relevant title and a headshot, along with a valid email address and phone number for confirming the identity of the author. Letters should be approximately 500-650 words in length, and they are not edited by the Lanthorn staff except to fix technical errors or to clarify. Reader submissions on the opinion page appear as space permits. To make a submission, email editorial@lanthorn.com or drop your submission off in person at:
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started the course I knew it would be some time before I left this city. I fell absolutely in love with the architecture, the fantastic public transit, the Czechs’ appreciation for nature, their post-communist realist attitudes juxtaposed with the most considerate and compassionate disposition I’ve ever encountered, and the ease that both expats and natives coincided. Though it’s not the place I want to call home forever, I’m glad I started my life abroad here. Moving abroad is not certainly not easy. It’s hard to leave your friends, family and the life you know in a home where you understand the language and culture. But I can tell you for certain that, reflecting on the changes I’ve made and the things that I’ve learned over the last two years, I’m much happier for it. I’m healthier and more active, I’ve found hobbies and pursued interests to a degree I never would have at home, I have friends from all over the world and I’ve had the opportunity to travel – a lot. Though teaching English
is far from the end goal in my professional development, this experience has given me so much more than I expected for future job endeavors. Once you learn to manage a group of 13 six year-olds that don’t understand a word you’re saying, you realize your potential for leadership and communication. I also learned how adaptive and patient I can be whilst maneuvering the immigration system of a foreign government in a foreign language. I realized that I’m capable of learning not one but two different languages. And I realized that rather than feeling stuck and frustrated by my job prospects, I’ve opened the door to innumerable possibilities both in the US and abroad. I have my sights set on somewhere new this coming fall, but as of right now I’m going to keep my feet planted in Prague. If you’re thinking about moving abroad after college and have any questions, feel free to reach out to me, plattem93@gmail. com or The Language House for more information or any questions you may have.
How Michigan’s car insurance rates are keeping people in poverty
GV L EDI TORI AL B OA R D BRADY MCATAMNEY MCKENNA PEARISO LAUREEN HORAN NICK MORAN KELLEN VOSS AMY MCNEEL SARAH EDGECOMB
with our socio-political climate and, frankly, with the fact that I had no idea how my healthcare plan worked or how to find a primary care physician. So, I started researching. I asked colleagues and friends who were already abroad or who had taught abroad in the past, and figured out what steps I needed to take to make the move. I settled on The Language House in Prague, Czech Republic after talking with an old classmate who had taken their TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course and raved about the school. Once that was settled, I bought my one-way ticket, packed up my things and started my journey. When I left the US, I had no idea where I wanted to teach, where I wanted to live — Prague? Taipei? Ho-Chi Minh? San Jose? Rio? The possibilities were endless, but thanks to the ever-growing community at The Language House, I knew that I’d find my spot and, more than likely, there’d be one or two grads who were already teaching there. Once I got to Prague and
BY LAUREEN HORAN SENIOR MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM ASSOCIATE1@LANTHORN.COM
A new policy brief published this month by the Poverty Solutions department at University of Michigan confirms what we’ve known all along — Michigan car insurance rates are too damn high. Because of this, many of our residents drive uninsured, posing a huge financial risk to themselves and those around them. In this study, Patrick Cooney, Elizabeth Phillips and Joshua Rivera concluded that the high costs of auto insurance is an effective
barrier to mobility from poverty across the state, preventing people from improving their economic status. With an estimated annual premium exceeding $2,600, Michigan insurance rates double the national average. With an average premium of $5,414, Detroiters are forced to deal with the most expensive car insurance rates in the country. These unreasonable rates not only push low-income residents to drive uninsured, but also prevent some from being able to own an automobile at all. In Detroit, average auto insurance rates make up between 12 and 36 percent of resident’s pre-tax incomes. This policy brief highlights the fact that the zip codes in Michigan who have the most affordable insurance rates happen to be exceptionally affluent communities, which shows that this issue ties in to the gentrification of Michigan residents as well. So, why exactly are the insurance rates here so absurd?
Cooney, Phillips and Rivera cite Michigan’s no-fault policy as the main culprit. Michigan is one of only 12 states with a no-fault insurance system, whereby a driver’s own insurance company pays for damages from an accident, no matter who is at fault. Furthermore, Michigan is the only state that requires drivers to purchase unlimited Personal Injury Protection (PIP). This means that in the event of an accident, insurers are on the hook for unlimited medical damages, which causes the costs of insurance to skyrocket for everyone. In addition, Michigan does not impose medical fee schedules, subsequently allowing hospitals to charge auto insurers more than they charge health insurers. This leads no-fault insurers in Michigan to be charged significantly more than Medicare, workers compensation or private insurers for the exact same medical procedures. Together, this means that the average cost per
claim is dramatically higher in Michigan than in other states. In 2013, the average cost per auto accident claim in Michigan was over $75,000 — more than five times the figure in the next highest state. Proposed solutions to this issue are all over the board — some want to rein in PIP payouts and requirements while others believe the problem lies in rate setting practices. Either way, an important part of this conversation is the fact that this issue disproportionately affects Michigan’s poorest residents. Based on a 2018 study by the Consumer Federation of America, low-income drivers in U.S. cities pay 59 percent more for auto insurance than those with higher incomes. Cooney, Phillips and Rivera assert that proposed solutions to this predicament should seek to reduce insurance rates while also narrowing the gap between what Michigan’s wealthiest and poorest residents pay for auto insurance.
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THIS ISSUE’S QUESTION
QUOTE
Did you attend the TEDxGVSU event?
What’s your favorite season on campus?
“The precondition to freedom is security.”
Yes
28%
No
72%
QUESTION OF THE ISSUE
LOG ON & VOTE www.lanthorn.com
— Rand Beers
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON STUDENT SENATE DISCONTINUING THE BATTLE OF THE VALLEYS FUNDRAISER COMPETITION?
TORI FOWLER
NICHOLAS HEHL
“I don’t know why it was canceled. I knew that it was a thing because student senate does a lot in Kirkhof, but I don’t know where the money actually went.”
“I haven’t really heard of the fundraising part.”
YEAR: Senior MAJOR: Elementary Education HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids, Mich.
YEAR: Sophomre MAJOR: Mechanical Engineering HOMETOWN: DeWitt, Mich.
KELSEY GRIGGS
ISAAC DESSERT
“I haven’t heard much about it.”
“I have heard of it but I never really paid much attention to it.”
YEAR: Sophomore MAJOR: Marketing HOMETOWN: Flint, Mich.
YEAR: Junior MAJOR: Computer Science HOMETOWN: Farmington Hills, Mich.
MARCH 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS
NEWS | A5
PROGRAM
Student Success Network finds pilot success, expansion planned for Fall 2019 BY JAMES KILBORN JKILBORN@LANTHORN.COM
Following the pilot program’s implementation last year, organizers of Grand Valley State University’s Student Success Network are assessing its impacts before expanding the program to encompass all incoming first-year students. The program seeks to assist
freshmen students, pairing them with faculty mentors invested in easing the transition to campus life at GVSU. Director of Faculty Initiatives for Student Success Brian Hatzel views the program as invaluable for the students it serves, as investing in their success not only assists them in their academic pursuits,
but creates a campus environment where incoming students feel welcome. “We’ve learned that students benefit greatly from establishing relationships with faculty members and working directly with them from the start,” Hatzel said. “We regularly communicate with students in the Student Success Network and provide insights
FRIENDLY FRESHMEN: Standing together, three freshmen pose during GVSU’s Welcome Week Aug. 25, 2018. The Student Success Network will be expanded to aid more freshmen next fall. GVL | DAN PACHECO
on what they should be thinking of or preparing for next and tools to enhance their experience. We’ve also discussed various time-sensitive necessities like filling out a FAFSA, navigating midterms and finals and what to think about as they plan their summer.” Hatzel states that the program also assists students in scheduling classes for future semesters and ensuring degree requirements are met for their majors, a task that is often daunting for first-year students unfamiliar with navigating the course catalog. The program’s overall effectiveness can’t be assessed until the Fall 2019 census, when retention rates for first and secondyear students will be made available. Hatzel states that while additional factors will be measured, the positive comments and experiences of current students within the program illustrate its effectiveness in enhancing student achievement. “An additional component that is more anecdotal is the
fact that students have benefited in varied and numerous ways by having a direct connection to their faculty and student partners,” Hatzel said. “We’ve experienced a lot of positive comments from students in our programs when they are seeking assistance and don’t really know where else to go. While we hope to see changes in the aforementioned metrics, we also know that connecting with faculty members and having a supportive and informed resource enhances student success across the board.” Beginning next fall, the program will expand to include all incoming freshmen. Hatzel sees the current pilot program as a means to improving the Student Success Network, allowing for faculty mentors and staff to become familiar and confident in their roles, as well as enabling them to better assist incoming students. “Next year we’ve been charged with rolling out this program to every entering first-year student,” Hat-
zel said. “That will take us from 1,300 students in this year’s pilot to over 4,000. This year, we’ve developed a curriculum and standardized much of our messaging. This pilot has allowed us to experiment with a few different mechanisms and we feel good about our next steps. We hope this program grows in its success and incoming students will be excited to learn of the built-in support they will be receiving from their very first day on campus.” Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Suzeanne Benet said that the program may be expanded even further in the future, potentially serving all incoming students at GVSU every semester. These expansions in the Student Success Network represent an investment by GVSU, as the university sees the program as beneficial to incoming students, assisting them academically as well as helping them become a part of the campus community.
LEADERSHIP
Honors College selects Grand Rapids mayor as newest Endowed Chair BY OLIVIA FELLOWS OFELLOWS@LANTHORN.COM
The Frederik Meijer Honors College at Grand Valley State University has selected Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss as the new Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Bliss was elected Grand Rapids mayor in 2016 and has announced her intention of
running for re-election for another four-year term. She also served as a city commissioner in Grand Rapids for ten years before becoming mayor. Bliss is not the first mayor to serve at the university. Former Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell previously served as a community sustainability coordinator at GVSU. Honors College Director Roger
Gilles explained that Bliss was chosen due to her extensive resume, work ethic and passion for education. “Mayor Bliss is well-known for her energy and charisma, and she has been recognized by various groups as an influential woman, a smallbusiness advocate, an excellent communicator, a literacy champion and an innovator,” Gilles said. “She has taught
part-time in the GVSU social work program for over ten years, so she also has teaching experience. As mayor of a city of nearly 200,000 people, she is obviously very well connected to all of the regions’ major difference-makers, and this will make her a powerful resource for our students.” Mayor Bliss currently serves on ten community boards, including Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., Start Garden, Spectrum Health, Rockford Construction, and the Grand Rapids Public Schools to forge an agenda to build a strong city center. As chair of the Honors College, Bliss will teach one course each semester focusing on developing skills
for leadership, innovation and creative problem solving. It will also include historical and current leadership theories and concepts, with attention to building the type of personal leadership skills that lead to effective change in organizations and communities. Bliss has also proposed hosting and facilitating a series of informal fireside chats with leaders in the west Michigan community known for their innovation and commitment to social responsibility. Gilles said he hopes to see Bliss utilize her skills as mayor and an educator to inspire and empower motivated students to be intellectually curious lifelong learners who make
positive contributions to their local and global communities and serve as capable leaders and active global citizens. Although Bliss has a multitude of commitments along with being chair of the Honors College, Gilles explained that he doesn’t believe that the position will take away from Bliss’ duties as mayor. “Some people may not realize that Grand Rapids has a full-time city manager and a part-time mayor,” Gilles said. “The position of Meijer Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is officially defined as halftime. We’re quite confident that Mayor Bliss will put plenty of time and energy into her work here.”
MISS BLISS: Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss was recently named the newest Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation by GVSU’s Frederik Meijer Honors College. COURTESY | THE COLLEGIATE LIVE
SEE ANSWERS | A10
A6 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT MARCHING BAND
ARTS AT A GLANCE GUEST CELLISTS TO PERFORM IN CELLO FEST
The annual Cello Fest will take place on March 27, including a guest cello concert as part of the Arts at Noon series. Put on by Grand Valley State University cello professor Pablo Mahave-Veglia, the concert will include West Michigan Symphony cellist Alicia Gregorian Sawyers, Forest Hills Public School string specialist Anne Thompson, Grand Rapids Symphony cellist Andrew Plaiser and University of Nevada professor Andrew Smith. The concert will take place in the Cook-DeWitt Center at noon. Information for Cello Fest classes and lectures can be found online.
2019 SHAKESPEARE AUDITIONS TO OPEN NEXT WEEK Auditions for GVSU’s annual Shakespeare Festival, including performances of A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Bard to Go, will open to all students next week. The roles include weekday evening or weekend rehearsals and seven performances between Sept. 27 and Oct. 6. Opportunities for backstage experience are also available. The audition calls for two monologues to be performed, which can be chosen from the library’s monologue books. Auditionees can sign up at the Haas Center for Performing Arts box office. Auditions will take place April 1 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and April 2 between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Audition tips can be found on the GVSU Theatre website.
SURVIVORS FIND AN OUTLET THROUGH ‘SLAMMING THE STIGMA’
As part of Sexual Assault Awareness Week, “Slamming the Stigma” will give students the opportunity to speak about the stigmas around assault. Organized by GVSU’s It’s On Us and Anchored in Poetry, survivors and allies are encouraged to perform music, poetry or simply speak about their experiences. “Slamming the Stigma” will take place April 1 at 9 p.m. in Area 51 in Kirkhof Center.
POETRY AND SONG PERFORMANCES TO CELEBRATE WATER
In the first annual International Water Poetry and Song Celebration, students and faculty will perform pieces about water in different languages. Any language taught in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures is available to be performed in. Original student work will be included in this event, taking place on April 3 at 6 p.m. in the Cook-DeWitt Center.
STAGE PERFORMANCE TO FEATURE STUDENT SKETCHES
GVSU’s STAGE (Student Technicians and Actors Guild for Entertainment) will be performing a collection of sketches in their show “Yikes: Right Back at Ya!” The sketches are written, directed and acted by students, covering various creative situations. The show will take place on March 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. in Area 51 in Kirkhof Center.
Laker Marching Band selects new drum majors BY SARAH EDGECOMB ARTS@LANTHORN.COM
With band camp and football games around the corner, Grand Valley State University’s Laker Marching Band has selected three drum majors for the 2019 season. The process began earlier this semester through applications, interviews and auditions, with Alyssa Hawker, Sean Miller and Hana Smith taking on the drum major role. As the highest leadership position in the band, drum majors conduct during the show, relay information to students and serve as conflict management. This position requires students to commit music, drill pages, cues and rehearsal numbers to memory. With the marching band being studentled, director John Martin said he is able to step back and let students work together. “Game days are theirs,” Martin said, adding that drum majors handle a majority of the logistics at games, including setting parade blocks, arranging seating in the stadium and conducting stand tunes. Members who have completed one year with the marching band are eligible to apply for drum major, regardless of major or experience. The process of applying for drum major coincides with that of student leadership. Applicants must first pass a test on the marching band’s handbook before undergoing interviews with Martin and assistant director Whitney Brainard. Drum major applicants continue the audition process by submitting conducting videos for review. Those who
CULTURE
‘Mélodies’ brings a celebration of French culture to Grand Valley BY JACOB CRESWELL ARTS@LANTHORN.COM
On March 20, the French section of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures put on Mélodies, described by the department as being “An evening of French song, music and poetry performed by GVSU students, faculty and special guests from the community.” French professor Isabelle Cata has been the coordinator of Mélodies since 2012. In regards to the event, she said that, “It’s an evening of song and poetry, and students, professors and members of the community perform poems, songs, French musical pieces and sometimes excerpts of plays.” While the performances at Mélodies are all in French, students who don’t know the lan-
COMMUNITY: ‘Melodies’ gave students and faculty the opportunity to share French music and poetry with the audience. COURTESY | GVSU
guage can enjoy the event too. “Even if you know no French whatsoever, you can still appreciate the melodic sounds of the language and the music,” Cata said. “We provide a program with the English translation of all the pieces included in the event so that attendees who do not understand fully the French words can understand, but also so they can follow in French.” Mélodies included performances from faculty, guests and students. One student who
performed at the event was Lee Gamm, who performed a ukulele cover of “Jouer Dehors,” a song by the French rock band Mademoiselle K. “As someone who has tentatively decent listening comprehension in the French language, hearing the songs, poems, music and other performances was a good experience,” Gamm said. LOG ON TO: www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE
MUSIC
Renowned pianist Jonathan Bass to perform at Grand Valley BY ARIE NIENHUIS ARTS@LANTHORN.COM
Grand Valley State University is constantly curating concerts, and the recitals of the Baum series are no exception. The William Baum Endowment Fund, named in honor of
PIANO: Bass will perform April 7. COURTESY | JONATHANBASS.NET
MARCH 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLARTS
GVSU political science professor known for his passion for the arts, allows the school to host recitals featuring a multitude of talented musicians. Aside from being an important member of GVSU’s political science department, Baum held an enormous interest in and respect for classical music. To honor his memory and his passion, the university holds the Endowment Fund in order to produce a series of recitals primarily featuring piano music. The latest in this series will be a concert featuring Dr. Jonathan Bass, a renowned pianist and professor from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Bass is an enormously talented piano soloist and chamber musician with a number of awards and recognition to his name. He has studied and
taught at schools such as the famous Juilliard School, Indiana University, Oberlin College and the Moscow Conservatory. Assistant professor of piano Sookkyung Cho shared some thoughts on the upcoming recital and Bass himself. “(Bass) really is a world class performer, so it really is a special performance,” Cho said. “He’s a very mature, very experienced performer. You just don’t want to miss something like this!” Among Bass’s many personal accomplishments include a wide array of awards, including first prizes in the American Pianists Association Beethoven Fellowship Competition LOG ON TO: www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE
PRIDE: The Laker Marching Band shows their school spirit during a halftime show. In preparation for the 2019 season, the marching band has selected three students to become drum majors. GVL | SHEILA BABBITT
advance to the final round of auditions direct a portion of the previous season’s members, who volunteer to play and vote on the applicants they liked best. Martin said that there was a record high this year, with 120 students in attendance. Martin said that 11 students applied for drum major, with nine advancing to conduct the band. He said that allowing students to vote, along with applicant interviews and conducting auditions, lets students have a voice in the leadership selection. While Martin knows the drum major applicants through their time with the band, he said that the interviews give insight into their leadership style. “You want folks to have a vision about what they think leadership is and have a vision about their role as a drum major,” Martin said. Since drum majors are often members’ first point of contact, this decision is not taken lightly.
Martin emphasized the importance of students trusting and respecting the drum majors, as the culture of the band can be influenced by its leaders. “They are responsible for trying to keep this positive atmosphere, this family concept,” Martin said. “They can relate to everybody and everybody can relate to them.” Martin said that before working with the Laker Marching Band, directors conducted the halftime shows, but he wanted students to get experience and work with their peers through the drum major position. The drum majors both encourage closeness between students and give him insight into the band’s state during rehearsals. “There’s more a sense of openness, and acceptance and inclusion,” Martin said. “They gauge all that for me. They’re my eyes and ears on the field.” Junior statistics major
Alyssa Hawker said that her decision to audition for drum major was influenced by her role as mellophone section leader and previous conducting experience. “I was a drum major in the past, so I’ve just kind of had to brush up on my old skills,” Hawker said. “I just went at it, tried my best and ended up getting it.” Hawker’s goals for the upcoming season reflect the friendly atmosphere that Martin aims to create. In addition to cheering on the football team, Hawker said that she wants to emphasize this connection between members. “I want it to be a really welcoming environment, because when I was a new member, I was really stressed at first but as soon as I made friends, I just knew that it was my home,” Hawker said. “So I just want to create that sense of home and family for everyone.”
SPORTS | A7
MARCH 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS
QUICK HITS
FOOTBALL
GVSU FOOTBALL MOURNS THE LOSS OF FORMER PLAYER KEYONTA MARSHALL
The Grand Valley State Football twitter account announced on Friday, March 22 that former player Keyonta “Big Key” Marshall had passed away. He was 38 years old. Marshall played for the Lakers from 2001-04, and was a key defensive cog that helped lead the team to national championships in both 2002 and 2003. A three-time All-American, Marshall is considered one of the greatest football players to don the Laker uniform. Marshall’s success at the collegiate level translated to a professional level, as the defensive tackle was drafted in the seventh round by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005. He appeared in one game for the Eagles in 2005 before being cut at season’s end. Marshall was signed to the New York Jets practice squad in November of 2006.
NO. 22 GVSU WOMEN’S LACROSSE HANDLES ASHLAND
The No. 22 ranked Grand Valley State women’s lacrosse teams picked up another solid victory on Friday, March 22 as they traveled to beat the Ashland Eagles 20-7. The win gives the Lakers a 6-2 record on the year, as they remain undefeated in the GLIAC at 3-0. The Lakers jumped out to 5-0 lead to start the game and never looked back, as the team took a 10-4 lead into halftime while never letting the Eagles even sniff a chance at victory. Carly Shisler scored a season-high six goals while also amassing two assists and seven draw controls. Sarah Staggard and Abbi O’Neal scored four goals each, while Kelley Fitzgerald was able to dish four assists as the Laker defense caused nine turnovers.
GVSU ANNOUNCES SPRING ESPN3 SCHEDULE
The Grand Valley State athletic department, along with University Communications, announced the spring schedule of televised athletic events on ESPN3, as the network will feature seven regular season contests, the football spring game and several postseason events. The television kicks off on Friday, March 29 as the women’s lacrosse team takes on McKendree at 6 p.m. Two weekends later, ESPN3 will televise the football spring game, which is scheduled to start on Saturday, April 13 at noon. The following day, GVSU baseball will be televised, as they take on Wisconsin Parkside at 12 p.m. On April 19 and 20, the softball team’s Friday 3 p.m. game against Ashland and Saturday’s 1 p.m. game against Saginaw Valley State will also be televised. Spring coverage will conclude on Sunday, April 28, as the baseball team faces Purdue Northwest at noon. Following that game, the track and field GLIAC Championships, which will take place on Thursday, May 2 and Friday, May 3, will also be featured on ESPN3.
VARSITY SCHEDULE BASEBALL Tuesday, March 26, 3:05 p.m., @ Central Michigan Friday, March 29, 4 p.m., @ SVSU Saturday, March 30, 1 p.m., @ SVSU Sunday, March 31, 12 p.m., @ SVSU SOFTBALL Wednesday, March 27, 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., Home vs Wisconsin Parkside Saturday, March 30, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Home vs Purdue Northwest Sunday, March 31, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Home vs Davenport MEN’S TENNIS Thursday, March 28, 10:30 a.m., vs Hillsdale @ Grandville Saturday, March 30, TBA, @ Northwood Sunday, March 31, 12 p.m., vs Ferris State @ Grandville
READY TO FLY: Former Grand Valley State quarterback Bart Williams plants his feet in the ground and looks back at the ruler to see how far he jumped in his broad jump test at the Kelly Family Sports Center on Thursday, March 21. Williams and six other Lakers showed their skills at GVSU’s pro day. COURTESY | GVSULAKERS.COM
Seven Lakers participate in GVSU football pro day BY BRADY MCATAMNEY & KELLEN VOSS EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM
Every athlete dreams of suiting up for a professional team one day, and on Thursday, March 21, several Lakers made a step toward making that dream a reality as Grand Valley State held their annual pro day at the Kelly Family Sports Center. Quarterback Bart Williams, wide receiver Nick Dodson, offensive lineman David Dawson, defensive linemen Dylan Carroll and Kwanii Figueroa, linebacker Tyree Horton and defensive back Jacob Studdard participated representing GVSU. “I think our guys are really prepared for this opportunity,” said GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell. “We have 10 (National Football League) teams here and a couple of (Canadian Football League) teams to evaluate our prospects. We probably don’t have a draftable guy in this group, we have a couple guys that could be undrafted free agents and get into camp. “I think what these scouts are
looking for, they’ve seen the tape, they want to see some objective tests, and also see them do some football drills, and we’re happy to able to provide the building and platform for these guys to do that.” Workouts and drills included 40 yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, bench press, cone drills and football related drills. While scouts generally value game tape over workout numbers, pro day drills can make or break what teams see out of the players they are interested in, as a less-than-impressive showing can cause questions regarding true potential while eye-popping numbers can force evaluators to reassess whether a player’s skills were overlooked. “The film is resume, however we want to see what they’ve been doing since the end of the season; if they have passion and really want to play, they’ll be in really great shape,” said Atlanta Falcons scout Russ Bolinger. “If they aren’t, that shows their work ethic. From there, we look at their skill level. We’ll have them
all run, catch passes – these guys are showing their explosiveness. If they get gassed too soon, we know they’re not in shape and they’re not that serious.” The Falcons main interest was in Dodson, who they consider an inside receiver, as they feel his speed has potential to translate into the NFL. For him specifically, the 40 yard dash was most important as his athleticism is most likely to draw interest from teams. Perhaps the most intriguing prospect of the class was Williams, who left GVSU as the program’s career leader in pass attempts (1,396), completions (807), pass yards (12,410) and touchdowns (126). “I think this day is really important for (Williams), he has a big opportunity.” Mitchell said. “There was a lot of QB depth at CMU when he was there, he threw in front of guys there. I think the biggest deal today is he has a scripted workout with Dodson and (wide receiver Jalen Bryant) that he’s worked out with. Having familiar targets is important, and
it’ll be nice to see him throw to his favorite guys one last time.” The newest crop of graduates hope to join linebacker Matthew Judon, cornerback Brandon Carr and tight end Nick Keizer – all of the Baltimore Ravens – as Lakers in the NFL once the league’s draft takes place from Thursday, April 25 to Saturday, April 27. If they go undrafted, they are free to sign with any team of their choosing in any league, ranging from the NFL, CFL and Alliance of American Football (AAF). “I’m really proud of our kids. They’ve put a lot of work in, and it’s nice to have the opportunity to do this,” Mitchell said. “A lot of these guys have undergraduate degrees - three of them have masters - and that really shows the type of work they’ve put in and the people they are. If we only had guys running that didn’t get degrees and weren’t good people, it wouldn’t reflect as well, so it really means a lot to me that these guys got a good education, being true student athletes on this platform.”
W. BASKETBALL
End of the road
Lakers’ season ends with Sweet 16 loss to Drury BY BRADY MCATAMNEY EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM
The No. 3 seeded Grand Valley State Lakers’ season has come to an end after falling to the undefeated No. 1 seed Drury Panthers 51-44 on Monday, March 18 in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. “I haven’t seen everybody in the country, but (Drury’s) got to be pretty dang good,” said GVSU head coach Mike Williams. “They’ve got the total package. They’ve got size, they’ve got athletes who can shoot the basketball, they can get to the rim, they rebound and they guard you. They really, really guard you. They’re just relentless and I thought our kids, for the most part, responded to it.” After leading 13-12 after the first quarter and 25-22 at halftime – the first deficit the Panthers had seen after the first 20 minutes all season – the Lakers allowed 21 points in the third quarter while scoring only 11, leaving them trailing for the rest of the game. The two key numbers to explain the Lakers’ shortcomings are 25 and 17, as the Lakers committed 25 turnovers – almost twice the 13.1 per game they allowed on the season
– and let Drury corral 17 offensive rebounds. As a result, the Panthers scored 21 points off turnovers and 13 second chance points. “You’ve got to keep them from scoring off turnovers,” Williams said. “We didn’t turn it over a lot in the full court (press), we were at least able to get our defense set. I thought we defended pretty well, made them do things they didn’t want to do, took away the plays we needed to take away, so I thought that the offensive rebounds… We let them get too many second chance opportunities and I think it just wore us down. Defending for 60 seconds instead of 22, it just wore us down a bit.” Guard Jenn DeBoer led the game with 16 points on 50 percent shooting, going 3-4 from three-point range. Center Cassidy Boensch contributed nine points with 14 rebounds and four blocks while forward Maddie Dailey scored nine with six rebounds. The Lakers finish the season 29-4 with a GLIAC regular season championship title. Their win percentage of .879 is the programs best since 2005-06. Senior guard Natalie Koenig will depart after starting all 33 games this season, averaging 7.7 points and
TEAM ON THREE: GVSU women’s basketball team gather together and put their hands in the middle at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. GVL | KATHERINE VASILE
2.9 assists per game while shooting 34.5 percent from three, the second best mark on the team in 2018-19. Joining her will be senior guard Tara Lierman, who appeared in 10 games after joining the squad following her season with the GVSU soccer team. “It was a lot more successful than I thought it would be,” Williams said. “I’m always a little on the conservative side, winning the GLIAC, I thought, was really impressive.
Some of the big wins we got; getting it in on Marquette in an exhibition game; Ashland at Ashland, a place nobody’s won there in 60 games; to win the GLIAC championship outright, that’s pretty cool. “I thought that the two regional tournament wins, I thought we beat two pretty good teams beating Truman and then we upset Truman in the second round. I think it was good.”
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MARCH 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS
A8 | SPORTS SOFTBALL
GVSU softball picks up two road wins against No. 15 Wayne State BY KELLEN VOSS SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM
The No. 8 ranked Grand Valley State women’s softball team continued their dominant 2019 campaign this weekend, defeating No. 15 Wayne State twice in Detroit, winning the first game 5-0 and the second game 11-2. Senior pitcher Allison Lipovsky added yet another brilliant performance to her lengthy pitching resume in the first game of the doubleheader, going all seven innings for the Lakers while only allowing two hits and two walks and striking out ten Warriors in the contest. “She always sets up for that second game, you get that confidence rolling and it gets everybody on the same page,” said head coach Dana Callahan. “She’s doing a really great job, the defense behind her is doing well and we’re putting runs on the board so were putting things all together.” Second basemen Taylor Rieger led all Laker batters in the first game, using her four at-bats to amass three RBI and one run scored off three hits, including a home run down the left field line in the seventh inning to seal the victory for GVSU. First baseman Kelcie LaTour and catcher Morgan Wagner recorded the other two RBI in the game, using a single from LaTour and a flyout from Wagner to drive home Nikola Holmen and Brooke Henning. Callahan stressed the importance of this team putting runs on the board in the first few innings, as it allows a nice cushion for the team which can then lead to an easy victory. “We got our bats going early and we were able to string it together when we needed to,”
TOGETHERNESS: The No. 8 Grand Valley State softball team gathers together in the middle of the field to prepare for an upcoming batter at the GVSU Softball Field. Backed by strong pitching, they proved to play well together this weekend, as they swept the No. 15 Wayne State Warriors in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 23. GVL | ARCHIVE
Callahan said. “The pitchers did a nice job of keeping runners off the bases, and we really put things all together as a team.” In the second game, freshman Samantha Gehrls had a solid five inning outing on the mound, getting three strikeouts while only allowing five hits and one earned run. Fellow freshman Hannah Dieck secured the save for the Lakers, allowing only one hit in
her one inning of relief. The Laker offense was headlined by LaTour, who homered to amass two RBI while also being walked three times, and Lydia Goble, who totaled three RBI on a key double for the Lakers. Henning, Kaylie Rhynard and Shannon Flaherty also earned hits in the contest. As evidenced by all the names listed above, the Lakers have a balanced offensive attack and have some
skilled base runners, where multiple bats can go off in a single outing, which Callahan loves about this team. “It was really spread out, and we had some great base running,” Callahan said. “Across the board, it’s hard to pinpoint one player’s success when it was a true team effort.” After the doubleheader, the Lakers boast an 18-2 overall record, as well as a 2-0 record in the GLIAC. With home dou-
bleheaders this week against Wisconsin Parkside, Purdue Northwest and Davenport, GVSU has six more opportunities to both improve as a team and to better their records. “I still think our offense can fire a little more from top to bottom,” Callahan said. “We’re getting hits when we need it, but we need everybody to fire on all cylinders. There’s still times where we can pound that open a little more. The pitching
and defense is phenomenal, but when the hitting is there, we are a more complete team.” GVSU will face Wisconsin Parkside on Wednesday, March 27, at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. before heading into the weekend doubleheader, where they’ll face Purdue Northwest on Saturday, March 30 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and then Ferris State the following day at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. All games will take place at the GVSU Softball Field.
BASEBALL
GVSU baseball loses two games against Wayne State BY ELI ONG SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM
If you would have asked any of the talking heads that surround Grand Valley State University’s baseball team at the beginning of the year what their record would look like by the end of March, few would have guessed that they would be three games under .500.
But that is exactly where the Lakers’ baseball team stands after falling to Wayne State 3-0 and 7-2 in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader in Detroit. “We had a 12-day layoff and we certainly played like it,” said GVSU head coach Jamie Detillion. “We definitely failed to execute at the plate and there’s a couple of defensive plays we defi-
LOADED CANNON: Pitcher Noah Lamboley hurls his hips forward and stays locked onto the catcher, launching a pitch at the GVSU Baseball Field. GVL | SHEILA BABBITT
nitely wish we had back.” In the opener of the doubleheader, junior lefty Cade Cintorino went head-to-head with the Wayne State Warriors junior right-hander Hunter Brown. Both pitchers were coming off of impressive performances in their previous starts. Cintorino threw a complete game shutout against West Chester on Sunday, March 10 where he struck out 11 batters and surrendered only five hits. Brown was coming off a five-inning gem where he surrendered one unearned run while striking out eight against reigning Division II national champion Augustana. “The kid for Wayne State is quite the pitcher,” Detillion said. “There were 15 pro scouts there today to see his stuff, but that still doesn’t mean we couldn’t have beat them.” Cintorino went on to give up three runs, two of them earned, with three walks and four strikeouts in the loss while Brown tossed a complete game shutout where he struck out eight Lakers and surrendered three walks and four hits. Cintorino is now 2-2 with a 1.96 earned run average on the year. In game two, GVSU continued to struggle at the plate, but was also plagued by poor execution on the mound and sloppy defense in the infield. In the first inning, Wayne State loaded the bases only for starter Christian Mercure to walk in the game’s first run when he failed to execute a pitch in a 3-2 count. Mercure managed to get out of the jam only having surrendered one run, but the Warriors had a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish. In the second inning Mercure was tagged for an RBI double down the right field line off the bat of Wayne State center fielder
Ryan Foley to move the Warrior’s lead to 2-0. The fourth inning featured the beginning of sloppy play by the Lakers in the infield. Foley again reached base and advanced to second on a throwing error by second baseman Alex Mandeville, which allowed Wayne State’s designated hitter Chris Tanderys to score. Warrior’s third baseman Jacob Finkbeiner then scored Foley on an RBI single to move the score to 4-0. Wayne State right fielder Hunter DeLanoy scored on a throwing error by GVSU first baseman Ryan Blake-Jones in the fifth inning to cushion Wayne State’s lead even more, moving the score to 5-0. The Warriors tacked on another run in the sixth inning as the Wayne State lead expanded to 6-0 before the Lakers pushed their first run of the game across the plate on a solo home run from left fielder Chase Carpenter. GVSU and Wayne State each added another run in the seventh to move the final score to 7-2 in favor of the Warriors. After the game, Detillion felt the Lakers needed to show improvement across the board in all facets of the game if
they want to be competitive in the GLIAC this year. “We need to execute when our opportunities are right in front of us and that pertains to all three phases of the game because we need to get better in all of them,” Detillion said. “Hitters need to hit with runners in scoring position, our pitchers have to get better at keeping the ball low in pitchers counts and our defense has to stay focused and play well behind our pitchers too if we want to get better.” Injuries have also hampered the Lakers. GVSU catcher Joe Laudont left the game with a leg injury as well to add to their problems. Laudont was leading the Lakers in batting average at .421 and was tied for second on the team in RBI with nine. Up next, GVSU will travel to play Central Michigan on Wednesday, March 27 at 3 p.m. Following that contest, the Lakers travel to face Saginaw Valley State three times in three days, with the game Friday, March 29 starting at 4 p.m., Saturday’s game starting at 1 p.m., and Sunday’s game starting at noon.
MARCH 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS
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M. TENNIS
Grand Valley men’s tennis splits weekend GLIAC double-header BY JEROD FATTAL SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM
The GVSU men’s tennis team started GLIAC play on the road this weekend, defeating Michigan Tech on Friday, March 22, before losing to Lake Superior State on Saturday, March 23. Last year, GVSU finished fourth in the conference with a 5-3 record, and despite starting 1-1, they are still looking to reclaim their crown. “We control our own destiny,” said head coach John Black. “The conference is still wide open and if we play well we will win it.” The Lakers swept Michigan Tech 10-0, outscoring the Huskies 72 to 19 in singles matches and 18 to three in doubles play. Jack Dausman and Nicholas Urban started the match off with a sweep from the three spot, scoring six unanswered points in a 6-0 win. Jack Geissler and Martin Matov followed their lead with a 6-1 victory in the two spot. The 38th nationallyranked doubles team of Sebastien Lescoulie and DJ Colantone finished off the doubles sweep, winning 6-2 from the one spot. Geissler and Matov continued the Lakers momentum in singles, each winning both of their matches 6-1 and 6-2, from the two and three spots. Lescoulie clinched the match for GVSU from the one position, winning 6-3 and 6-1. Dausman (6-2, 6-0), Eric Zwemer (6-2, 6-2), and Urban (6-2, 6-1) added three
BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE BACKHAND: Grand Valley State junior Jack Geissler returns an errant serve with a ferocious backhand at the GVSU Tennis Courts. Geissler and the rest of the Grand Valley State tennis team split their matches this weekend, beating Michigan Tech before losing to Lake Superior State. COURTESY | GVSULAKERS.COM
more points, in the four, five and six spots, completing the Laker sweep. “We played well as a team,” Black said. “And we were prepared going into the match, having played on that surface for the past few months.” Following Friday’s victory, the Lakers traveled 263 miles to and across the Upper Peninsula to take on Lake
Superior State, but the playing surface and LSSU’s talent caused problems for GVSU, who lost 4-3. “They play on a rubber multipurpose court and the ball bounces very differently than a regular tennis court would and it put us at a disadvantage,” Black said. “There’s a learning curve and you are hitting uncomfortable shots more often on
STUDENT SENATE
a surface that is as peculiar as this,” Urban said. “It takes a strong mental game to convince yourself to look past it and focus on your game.” The Lakers started the match in a hole, losing two tight matches in the two and three spots. Lescoulie and Colante kept their rhythm from Friday and produced the lone victory, winning 6-4 in the one spot. “We had a lot of mistakes at the end of sets,” Black said. “Especially double faults and that’s something that cost us some points down the stretch.” GVSU tried to right the ship in singles, but it wasn’t enough and they ended up
splitting the matches three apiece. Geissler continued his success from Friday, winning his match in a pair of 6-3 victories from the two spot. Matov followed his doubles teammate’s lead and won his match in a hard-fought three sets, sealing the victory with a 6-4 victory in the final set, from the four spot. Urban’s match also went three sets, but the final set didn’t come without adversity. “It started off great (and) I had a big lead,” Urban said. “He came back from seven down to tie the match at 10 and it took a lot of mental strength to hang on and
score those final two points.” Despite Saturday’s loss to LSSU, most of the team’s goals are still in front of them and they still feel confident in their ability to reach them. “This is the closest team I have been on in my four years and we are a fantastic team,” Urban said. “We need to put this match behind us and use it to motivate ourselves going forward.” The team improves to 10-5 overall on the year, and will be back on the court Thursday, March 28, with a home meet against Hillsdale. The Lakers resume GLIAC play on the road against Northwood on Saturday, March 30.
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SERVE AND PROTECT: Grand Valley State junior tennis player Jack Geissler uses his hips and upper body strength to launch a controlled serve at the GVSU Tennis Courts. COURTESY | GVSULAKERS.COM
MARCH 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS
A10 | SPORTS FEATURE
CHICKEN, AIRPLANE, SOLDIER: Grand Valley State junior Harry Shalamon moves his long arms in a powerful yet graceful manner, looking to touch the wall as fast as he can while doing the backstroke. Shalamon earned a few honors in the past few weeks, as he earned a national championship in the 200 back and was named GLIAC Swimmer of the week last week for the Lakers. COURTESY | GVSULAKERS.COM
Grand Valley’s Harry Shalamon swims his way to winning his first individual national championship
BY ROSEMARY BOOHER SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM
Grand Valley State took to the 2019 NCAA DII Swimming & Diving Championships in Indianapolis from March 13 to 16, where junior Harry Shalamon swam in the 200 back race with the time of 1:42.46, earning his first individual national championship title. Shalamon’s hard work paid off that Saturday when he broke his previous 2018 NCAA
DII record of 1:44.73 in the 200 back. Through increasing his weight training, focusing on his endurance and working with the freestyle team, he was able to shave off two point twentyseven seconds off of his time. “It feels great to win,” Shalamon said. “I’ve been working so hard, it feels really good to be up there swimming with some of the best.” When approaching the big race, Shalamon did not allow intimidation to get the best of him. Instead, he welcomed the
PRIDE AND JOY: Shalamon raises his arm in celebration following a race win at the Commonwealth Games. COURTESY | ITV.COM
nervous feeling within himself and used it as momentum for the competition to come. “Personally, I thrive on nerves,” Shalamon said. “Having these nerves pushes me and puts me in the right mindset. It makes me work harder and I end up doing better.” Working hard has never been a foreign concept to this athlete. Shalamon’s swimming career began when is mother signed him up for the sport at the young age of eight. However, he was not passionate about it right away. “At first I wasn’t interested in it, because I played soccer, but I learned that I enjoyed the individuality of swimming more when I grew to the age of 15,” Shalamon said. “I liked the fact that I was not dependent on anyone other than myself to win.” When it was time to decide on a college, Shalamon chose to leave Jersey, his hometown in the United Kingdom and made the far move to Michigan. He did this specifically for the GVSU swimming program and its reputation. “I wanted to go to the (2019
Commonwealth Games in Australia) next year, and the training here at Grand Valley was more prominent than that at home. Specifically the weight training and the partners, they became a support system,” Shalamon said. “At home most of my friends had stopped swimming and started getting jobs, while I was still interested in it.” Already thinking about next season, Shalamon again hopes to qualify to compete at nationals, win another title and once more break his personal record. His aspiration does not stop there, as after college, Shalamon wants to participate in the 2022 Commonwealth Games that will be held in England, where he hopes to win a title as well. Some advice that Shalamon would like to pass along to any swimmers with the hope of making it to nationals is to be dedicated above all else. “Dedication; it’s gonna be hard to make time and practice,” Shalamon said. “But it will all be worth it in the end if you work hard enough and stay dedicated.”
L AK E R E XCHAN G E Announcements
Sn s a uall lear Snowflakes are made out of ice crystals, so when light passes through, it bends and bounces off each individual crystal. The entire spectrum of light is reflected back to our eyes, and we see white snow. So thereʼs actually no such thing as a White Christmas, but that sounds a lot catchier than Translucent Christmas.
A lonely frog, desperate for some form of company telephoned the Psychic Hotline to find out what his future holds. His Personal Psychic Advisor tells him, “You are going to meet a wonderful person who will want to know everything about you.” The frog is thrilled and says, “This is great! Where will I meet them, at work, at a party?” “No” says the psychic, “in a Biology class.”
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Own your summer at Macomb! l r su er lasses at Macomb Community College as a guest student to be able to transfer credits to GVSU. Visit macomb.edu/guest or call 586.445.7999 and select admissions for more info.
Theatre at Grand Valley presents e a nar n al d. Performance located at Thomas J. and Marcia J Haas Center going from March 28th to April 7th. Go to www.gvsu.edu/theatre for more information.
Looking for Subleasers, to take over the lease at The Lodge in Allendale, for April until July. You can extend your lease. This is a luxury apartment that includes stainless steel appliances, a flat screen TV, all furnished. The Internet, Utilities are all included in the rent for a monthly rate of $650 per month. If interested please email me your information and any questions so we can get the process started right away. Email: fifielde@mail.gvsu.edu
a ers s es la ball urna en Grab your friends and join us on April 6-7 for the Lakers Vs. Joes Flag Football Charity Tournament supporting the Boys and Girls Club. The winning team will play against former GV Football players on Sunday the 7th! 7-10 players per team. $5 a person. Email lakersvajoes@gmail.com to sign up! Snowflakes always have 6 sides. Itʼs science. The water molecules that snowflakes are made of can only fit together in a way that results in a six-sided ice crystal. So those snowflake decorations and ornaments you see with five or eight sides? Donʼt buy them. Youʼd be breaking a law of nature.
Why do you rarely find mathematicians spending time at the beach?… Because they have sine and cosine to get a tan and donʼt need the sun!
rand nale l 5K 2019. Saturday April 13th at 8:00pm. Register by April 5th to receive a race t-shirt. R e g i s t e r a t gvsu.edu/rec/grandfinale5k.
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Subleaser needed for 1 bedroom apartment at Enclave for May 2019 thru July 2019 with a possible new lease in August. Apartment is conveniently located next to the gym, pool, community center, grills, and fire pit. Contact Sarah by phone or text at (616) 551-6603.
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