Issue 25, February 25, 2019 - Grand Valley Lanthorn

GRAND VALLEY

A L L E N D A L E & G R A N D R A P I DS , M I C H I G A N ST U D E N T- R U N P U B L I C A T I O N S // P R I N T · O N L I N E · M O B I L E // L A N T H O R N . C O M

M O N D A Y, F E B R U A RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 9 // VO L . 5 3 N O. 2 5

M. BASKETBALL The Sawyers held Michigan Tech to 20 points in the first half, as the Huskies only shot 33.9 percent from the field all day. The scoring was spread out, as Hale led the way with 14 points with Justin Greason, Ferguson and Van Tubbergen all reaching double digits. Hale, who also had seven steals in the game, emphasized how important it is for GVSU to remain a defensive force down the stretch. “We’re coming down to the final stretch and we’re about to start the GLIAC tournament,” Hale said. “We got to set the tone with our defense because our offense will come when our defense is great.”

BY KELLEN VOSS SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

Cutting down the competition READY TO RIM RATTLE: Grand Valley State sophomore Jake Van Tubbergen goes up for a dunk in warm-ups as he is rebounded by head manager Zak Spryszak. Van Tubbergen and the Lakers have won their last four games. GVL | DAN PACHECO

The Grand Valley State men’s basketball picked the perfect time of year to start playing their best brand of basketball, as after previously losing to Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech this season, they dominated at the Fieldhouse Arena, beating Northern 85-62 on Thursday, Feb. 21 before beating Michigan Tech 71-53 on Saturday, Feb. 23. After what’s been a bit of a roller coaster season, the Lakers came back home for some dominant wins this week, as they didn’t trail at any point in either of the two wins. Thursday’s win saw the Lakers start off the game on a 7-0 and never look back, as four Lakers scored in double digits, with Hunter Hale (23 points), Jake Van Tubbergen (18), Jeremiah Ferguson (13) and Isaiah Brock (12) all able to find the bottom of the net more than a few times. Being that it was Military Appreciation night at the Fieldhouse Arena, Thursday’s game was especially fulfilling for Brock, a veteran who served for years with the Army taking multiple tours in Afghanistan. “I had a lot of friends in the stands that are fellow vets, and I figured I was just going to give them a show,” Brock said. “I appreciate them all showing up, and I appreciate GVSU for setting up the whole event.” Brock wasn’t the only one celebrating on Thursday, as head coach Ric Wesley earned his 300th win as the head honcho at GVSU. Wesley wanted to credit all his former players, coaches and everyone at GVSU involved in the success the program has seen in his 15-year tenure, and a little motivation to win on Thursday. “In 15 years, we’ve had some amazing guys come through this program, and I’ve had great guys helping me out along the way,” Wesley said. “It feels good, but I look it as more of a program thing that we can all share. It takes a lot of people to get to where we are, and my dad’s in the hospital, so I just wanted to get a win to make him feel better tonight.” GVSU kept the dominant play rolling into Saturday, as despite them transforming into the Sawyers, their improved defense remained stout.

It takes a lot of people to get to where we are, and my dad’s in the hospital, so I just wanted to get a win to make him feel better tonight. RIC WESLEY Head Coach

FINANCE

Subscription inflation, enrollment dips cause library budget cuts BY NICK MORAN NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

Grand Valley State University’s library is in the preliminary process of cutting over $800,000 for its collections budget to combat the rising prices of subscription-based services and an absence of bonus funds from the Provost’s office. In a January 2019 memo from University Libraries, the process will include the collection of feedback from students and faculty to ultimately make cancellations to journals and databases by January 2020. Associate Dean of Curation, Publishing and Preservation Services Jeffery Daniels said that out of the library’s approximate budget of $12 million, there is little wiggle room in finding ways to cut costs. Nearly $6 million of those funds supports faculty and staff and approximately $5.2 million is set aside for collections, with the remaining funds being used for library upkeep and support, such as furniture and technology maintenance. Of that collections fund, 90 percent of it is allocated toward subscription-based services,

POLICE

As GVSU grows, GVPD expands patrol in downtown Grand Rapids BY LAUREEN HORAN ASSOCIATE1@LANTHORN.COM

which have caused budgeting stress due to annual inflation. According to the January memo, the mean price of an Ebsco title has increased 5.6 percent on average over the past four years. “The Provost’s office has protected us as much as they possibly can, but when they are being asked to trim a significant amount of money, all of their units are asked to trim as well,” Daniels said. “So even when we have a flat budget — which they were able to accomplish for us for a very long time — because of these inflationary increase, if the Provost came to us tomorrow and said, ‘You can have the exact same budget as you had last year,’ we’d still need to cut.” University Libraries leadership is negotiating with companies, setting a firm line to not sign with companies that inflated prices over five percent, Daniels said. Thought cuts of all kind, as cancellations become effective in January 2020, Daniels said that visible decisions will be made. SEE BUDGET | A2

After the successful week, GVSU improves to 16-11 on the season, as they are above .500 in the GLIAC (109) and have won the past four. Wesley and the team hope that they can continue to play quality basketball as the season draws to a close. “It’s always about how you finish. We had our bumps along the way, and we’re hoping to be one of those teams that catches fire and makes something special,” Wesley said. “Our guys have a lot of fight and determination, we got a tough one coming up against Davenport, but I’m proud of how the guys have continued to fight, because we’ve given ourselves a chance for this type of success to happen.” GVSU will host Davenport on Thursday, Feb. 28, for their final home game of the season. The matchup with the Panthers tips off at 8 p.m., with the GLIAC tournament scheduled to start the following Tuesday.

Grand Valley State University’s presence in downtown Grand Rapids has been amplified in recent years with the addition of Finkelstein Hall, the proposed construction of a parking ramp shared with Spectrum Health and the ongoing expansion of the engineering school. As the Laker community continues to grow in the big city, Grand Valley Police Department recognizes the subsequent need for increased security. GVPD now has two officers on duty near the Grand Rapids campuses, the first step in their plan to establish a downtown GVPD unit. Upon the opening of Finkelstein Hall in fall 2018, GVPD assigned officer JP West to patrol the Grand Rapids campuses weekdays between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Starting this week, officer Andrew Dusendang will start his new job patrolling in the evening. “Between the Pew Campus and the expansion of the health campuses, along with other ongoing construction, we recognized the need for more GVPD officers to be present downtown,” said Capt. Kourosh Khatir, who oversees the downtown unit. INFLATION PREPARATION: Working on assignments for class, students study in the Mary Idema Pew Library. Students may feel the effects of budget cuts come 2020. GVL | ARCHIVE

SEE GROWTH | A2

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FEBRUARY 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

A2 | NEWS

BUDGET

NEWS BRIEFS

CONTINUED FROM A1

GRADUATE STUDENTS SHOWCASE RESEARCH AT THESIS COMPETITION

Grand Valley State University’s Graduate School hosted 14 graduate students during their 3-Minute Thesis competition Feb. 20. The top prize went to graduate biology student Sarah Lamar, who won first place for her research on the spread of Baby’s Breath across the continent. Lamar earned $500 and an invitation to the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools 3MT competition in March where she will represent GVSU. Other top finishers included nursing graduate students Jenna Buchman and Anne Gembrowski who finished second and third respectively. Buchman presented her research on nerve block protocol in patients with hip fractures and Gembrowski placed with research on prevention and recognition of delirium. Social work graduate student Noelle Lynn won the People’s Choice Award for her work with ADHD impairments in women through an audience vote.

SENIOR WINS NATIONAL HISTORY AWARD

Grand Valley State University senior Alexis Hansen won the Joan Nestle Award for her research and subsequent article on a topography of transgender studies. The award, which is presented by the Committee on Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender History, honors “an outstanding paper on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual and/or queer history” every other year. Hansen, who is double majoring in psychology and biomedical sciences, worked on her research under the guidance of GVSU psychology professor Lawrence Burns. The duo will collaboratively present their research in the spring at the Midwestern Psychological Association conference in Chicago.

“Our students will notice – I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Daniels said. “You will say, ‘Hey, I used that journal on a paper last year and now we don’t have it anymore.’ That’s going to happen, but I think we’re going to minimize that.” This will affect students both in independent research and classwork, but library liaisons are working with their departments to proactively rework curriculums to minimize friction. Efforts to make up for lost resources could include using other journals or looking into growing open access resources. Further conversations between University Libraries and academic departments primar-

ily consists of a survey sent to faculty members asking them to note which resources their department uses most, both for classes and faculty research. These preliminary surveys will help form recommendations for a cancellation list that will be discussed in March. History professor Scott Stabler said that the library’s budget cuts were recently seen through those surveys. While the department is giving University Libraries feedback on their use of those resources, Stabler said him and his colleagues are fearful that the upcoming retirement of vital library liaison Bob Schoofs could result in the position not being filled next year, affecting a key student resource. “(Bob) is very good at what he does,” Stabler said. “He’ll come to classes, he’ll introduce the library to students, he’ll show them databases, he’ll

meet one-on-one with them. He is very well-liked among our department.” While Daniels said that plans are still subject to change, his goal would be to keep all of University Libraries’ team in place. This includes maintaining Schoofs’ position among others. “I wouldn’t say anything is off the table,” Daniels said. “What I am comfortable saying is at this time, to my knowledge, we are not intending to reallocate any of our faculty lines, and our library liaisons are faculty. We do realize the importance of those positions in supporting the teaching mission of the university and we hope to continue to fund those fully.” Stabler said that the library cuts are representative of budget tightening around the university. With conversations still to be had, Stabler said

that research funds, potential raises and the prioritization of hiring non-tenured faculty could be potential repercussions as this progresses. “It doesn’t seem to matter how the economy is doing,” Stabler said. “It’s always seems we (GVSU) don’t have enough money. And of course, they’re putting up buildings all over the place, so I think faculty and staff start to wonder how resources are being allocated.” As the library works through the feedback and budget tightening process, Stabler said that he understands their situation, but issues in funding allocation and revenue generation will be on the forefront of many departments for the next few years. “The library is in a tough spot and they have to do some cutting,” Stabler said. “But so does almost everyone.”

GVSU, UNITED WAY OFFER FREE TAX SERVICES

With tax season closing in April, Grand Valley State University announced that the Seidman Center will assist qualifying guests in filing their paperwork. The opportunity stems from GVSU’s involvement in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program offered by United Way. The program allows for individuals who have an income less than $55,000, have a disability or consider English as a second language to receive free assistance in filing their taxes. Volunteers and GVSU faculty and students will help eligible participants on various Saturdays in the coming months. To make an appointment, call 211. For questions, email vita@gvsu.edu.

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR STUDENT SCHOLARS DAY

Registration is open through March 1 for students to apply to participate in the 23rd annual Student Scholars Day (SSD), April 10, hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS). Information about the registration process is online at gvsu.edu/ours/ssd. SSD is held annually to celebrate the scholarship and creative work of undergraduate and graduate students. It showcases faculty-mentored student work, shared through many venues, including (but not limited to) oral presentations, discussion and panel sessions, fine arts exhibits and performances and poster presentations. OURS is also looking for event volunteers. More than 100 volunteers are needed to fill two-hour time blocks to assist with a variety of tasks including registration, hosting sessions and greeting participants and spectators. SSD volunteer registration is now open and will close on April 3. Volunteer registration is online at gvsu.edu/ours/ssd. Questions can be directed to ours@gvsu.edu.

PROMOTING PROTECTION: Light flashing, a Grand Valley Police Department cruiser responds to a crime scene. Following Grand Valley State University’s further expansion into Grand Rapids, GVPD is looking toward increasing their presence during operational hours. GVL | ARCHIVE

GROWTH CONTINUED FROM A1

VOL . 53

NO. 25

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 Designer 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

“The calls made in Allendale are different than the kinds of calls that require a response downtown. The urban setting leads us to deal with theft and trespassing more than things like MIPs and noise complaints…. If someone gets robbed across the blue bridge, (the perpetrator) can run over the bridge and suddenly they’re on our property. We have to be prepared for that.” Dusendang has been with campus security for nearly three years, starting as a parttime dispatcher in Allendale and then joining the security staff downtown. Dusendang will patrol the downtown GVSU facilities on weekdays from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. “For now, the goal is to have police coverage during operational hours of the

university. Once more officers are brought in we can expand those hours to cover the weekend, but for now we are able to cover the majority of campus activity with these two shifts,” Khatir said. “Our communication with (Grand Rapids Police Department) has improved as well now that we can contact them via radio system. We were unable to do this before — we’d have to actually call GRPD but they can now dispatch our officers as needed via the police communication system.” According to Khatir, a new GVPD office downtown is also in the works to accommodate the growth of the unit. GVPD and campus security will take over the facility where engineering is currently located and occupy the new space on Aug. 1. “Security and law enforcement go hand in hand. The

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campus security staff is our eyes and ears on campus, but they do not have power to arrest or enforce criminal law, nor do they carry any weapons,” Khatir said. “Currently we have six full-time security staff members downtown. We might have one more officer by August… The ultimate goal is to have four officers and a ser-

geant working downtown.” Though there’s no definitive timeline yet for when GVPD will fully staff their downtown unit, Khatir said it’s likely to happen within the next year, along with new opportunities and the expansion of a cadet program for criminal justice students at GVSU.

FEBRUARY 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

NEWS | A3

RELIGION

GV Hillel president represents Jewish faith at Abrahamic Dinner

BY OLIVIA FELLOWS OFELLOWS@LANTHORN.COM

On Wednesday, Feb. 20, the Grand Valley Kaufman Interfaith Institute sponsored the annual Abrahamic Dinner in Grand Rapids. The dinner featured guest student speakers from Hope College, Calvin College and Grand Valley State University. This year’s dinner title was “Listening To New Voices: The Next Generation Speaks,” and was centered around strengthening friendship and understanding among Abrahamic traditions, such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Baha’i. President of GVSU’s branch of Hillel - a Jewish organization - Allison Egrin explained that she was asked by GVSU’s Interfaith Resource Center to speak at the dinner despite never having attended in past years. Egrin said she hoped that people gained a better understanding of the importance of sharing and appreciating other religions and cultures following the event. “It is so vital to not only share our beliefs and culture with others, but to also learn from those around us,” Egrin said. “As a society we can be more understanding, openminded and accepting to hopefully reduce bias and hatred.” Egrin’s speech focused on how college has impacted her relationship with Judaism and her interfaith work. She explained that GVSU’s involvement in the interfaith

community promotes acceptance and creates an inclusive environment crucial to many religious college students. Egrin also said that being Jewish in the community has helped her educate many students unfamiliar with the religion and that educating others through her work in Hillel has helped her strengthen her own faith. “Growing in Metro-Detroit kept me sheltered from the reality of being a minority and, quite frankly, allowed me to take my Jewish religion, culture and community for granted,” Egrin said. “Being at Grand Valley made me realize how important Judaism was to me and what a huge part of my identity it is. While I am constantly being bombarded with questions about my faith, I recognize the importance in sharing it with others.” Program Manager at the GVSU Kaufman Interfaith Institute Kyle Kooyers explained that the institute prides itself in supporting interfaith work and sponsoring events that encourage connecting students of different faiths. The institute puts on a number of different activities to build bridges of understanding and mutual respect between people of different religious, secular and spiritual identities. Events like the Abrahamic Dinner, the Rabbi Phillip Sigal Memorial Lecture and the Grand Dialogue are events focused around inspiring leaders and scholars who are doing incred-

LEADING LADY: Representing Grand Valley State University and the Jewish community, Hillel president Allison Egrin stands beside GVSU students Emma Green and Shelby Bruseloff. Engrin spoke at the Kaufman Interfaith Institute’s Abrahamic Dinner Feb. 20. GVL | BENJAMIN HUNT

ible interfaith work in our community and around the world. “Whether our attendees are students or community members, the (Abrahamic) dinner affords them the opportunity to hear from people outside of their usual circles or communities,” Kooyers said. “In doing so, we begin to dismantle biases, assumptions, fear and hatred toward people we once saw as ‘the other.’ In these voices, we are challenged to imagine an increasingly

healthy community where all people are welcomed, valued and understood. In that dream, we find out just how similar we really are.” Kooyers said that there are many opportunities for students to get involved in the interfaith community at GVSU, and that the Center for Interfaith Resources is a great place to start. The center offers sacred site visits, taking students to different houses of worship in west Michigan and lived conversations that pro-

vide spaces where students can talk about intersection of their religious, secular or spiritual identities with other aspects of campus or personal life. Egrin said that Hillel also provides many events catered to Jewish and non-Jewish students on campus. The organization celebrates holidays, has bi-weekly Shabbat dinners and completes several community service projects throughout the year. Hillel also hosts several

interfaith events during the year as well as collaborating with other cultural student organizations. Additionally, a whole array of speakers, training and activities put on by interfaith organizations on campus help students fully explore and give voice to their personal tradition, while learning about the beliefs of others. These discussions will be brought to campus during GVSU’s annual Interfaith Week, which begins Monday, March 25.

WELLNESS

GV leads pack in mental health resource expansion BY ALLISON RAFFERTY ARAFFERTY@LANTHORN.COM

With mental health concerns rising across college campuses nationwide, universities are providing the resources, facilities and expertise to aid in this increas-

ing demand for mental health care, and Grand Valley State University is no exception. According to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health Annual Report (CCMH) in 2016, the average demand for counseling services across college campuses nationwide grew at least five times faster

than average institutional enrollment from 2009-2015. Students’ increasing need for mental health care services has been largely for depression and anxiety-related disorders. “Over the past four years the GVSU Counseling Center has accommodated a 47 percent increase in student

FULFILLING FACILITIES: Amid rising demand for mental health and counseling services, Grand Valley State University is reacting with an additional psychologist and better wait times. GVL | ANDREW NYHOF

appointments,” said GVSU Counseling Center director Amber Roberts. Roberts said that GVSU’s increase in demand for mental health services is not unlike that of other universities across the country. There are a multitude of possible variables that could account for the increase in demand for mental health services. Roberts credited Generation Z students being “more comfortable seeking mental health services and viewing these services as important to their overall wellness” as one of these variables. She also listed excessive use of technology to be a variable. “Mental health research is increasingly looking at technology, screen time and social media as correlates to increased depression and anxiety,” Roberts said. “The smartphone was invented in 2007 and many of our students have spent their developmental years with access to technology that has been shown to be detrimental to mental health

(when used more than 1.5 to two hours per day).” Roberts said she thinks that it’s a combination of both the aforementioned variables that are contributing the the increase in demand. In an interview with MLive, Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Loren Rullman said that GVSU delivers a high quality of care when it comes to mental health through a range of servicing options. Rullman also said that GVSU has betterthan-acceptable wait times for individual and group counseling, and students with urgent needs are seen immediately. In response to this increase in demand for mental health care services, GVSU has been making multiple efforts to help improve its mental health care facilities and resources. According to both Roberts and Rullman, GVSU has funded an additional psychologist to begin in fall 2019, expanded group therapy offerings, trained a network of almost 1,000 faculty, staff and

students as suicide prevention “gatekeepers” with evidencebased Question Persuade Refer training and provided over 725 campus mental health wellness educational programs to encourage early intervention in referrals and student self-care. Rullman said that GVSU is also currently working on resilience training to prevent mental health disorders from developing. “We are fortunate at GVSU to have one of only four accredited university counseling offices in Michigan (and one of only eight in the Midwest) with high quality counseling staff, a range of counseling service options and the support of the university to provide this care for student success,” Roberts said. “I believe GVSU is a leader in the quality of student mental health care, contemporary with research and innovative with service delivery. (GVSU is) doing very well keeping up with the demand we observe increasing among our university peers.”

A4 | OPINION EDITORIAL

FEBRUARY 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

GVL EDITORIAL CARTOON

By Juliette Elton

When the library must make cuts, students bleed

W

hen a person decides to further their education and pursue a degree, the availability of credible educational resources is just as important as which institution and which program they select. A well-organized and wellstaffed library is arguably the single most important tool any student or scholar could ever utilize. That being said, Grand Valley State University’s lack of $800,000 to supplement the University Libraries budget by January 2020 would be counterproductive as it pertains to giving students and instructors the access they need to subscription-based academic journals and other valuable academic resources. Associate Dean of Curation, Publishing and Preservation Services Jeffery Daniels said that out of the library’s approximate budget of $12 million, there is little wiggle room in finding ways to cut costs. Nearly $6 million of those funds supports faculty and staff and approximately $5.2 million is set aside for collections, with the remaining funds being used for library maintenance, upkeep and tech support. Daniels recognizes the importance of maintaining the library staff, which is comprised of research gurus who specialize in various disciplines and topics and are exceptionally helpful to students in writing/research-focused courses. It’s fortunate that faculty cuts will be avoided, especially as they will play a key role in providing students with resources to make up for subscriptions affected by the cuts. Having the cutting-edge subscription-based journals and databases the library

provides for students is incredibly valuable. In a time where education technology is improving exponentially, many courses require students to have access to online materials and submit assignments on Blackboard. Some instructors have even helped students save money on textbooks by utilizing resources found in the University Libraries’ online database rather than requiring a textbook purchase. When University Libraries is required to cut nearly one million dollars from the pool of information most students rely on to efficiently conduct research, analyze sources and access credible academic work, one must wonder where quality of education lies on the priority list when the budget is taken into consideration. Surveys sent out to instructors to determine what resources are utilized most will be collected soon. From there, University Libraries will determine which subscriptions to keep or cut, intentionally avoiding any services that have inflated prices over five percent in recent years. Inflation sucks, it really does, but GVSU must find a way to support the library. Open access to these journals and databases is truly invaluable for students, especially those who take online courses or don’t live close enough to campus to come to the library as needed. GVSU’s most recent and upcoming construction projects prove that there’s money to grow — cutting widely accessible educational resources will only hurt students, and perhaps potential enrollment rates.

2/25/19

editorial@lanthorn.com

The 2020 Democratic ballot is getting crowded, fast

BY YSABELA GOLDEN SOPHOMORE UNDECLARED EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

It’s not every election that the party opposing a sitting president has to start planning their primary debate a year early in order to make sure it can accommodate all of its candidates. Political pundits in 2016 thought seventeen Republican candidates was flooding the field; this year, they’ve been surprised again by the almost three dozen presidential hopefuls eyeing the Democratic nomination. The Democratic National Committee, wary of once again being accused of favoring a specific candidate, have announced their plans for two consecutive evenings of at least a dozen total

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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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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more radical leftist ideas into the mainstream, he faces the unusual problem of facing down candidates whose policies were inspired by his own. On Feb. 19, Elizabeth Warren introduced a revolutionary proposal for universal child care, and she alongside her opponents Julián Castro and Kamala Harris have come out in support of reparations for African American families still adversely affected by a past of slavery and Jim Crow laws. Reparations for slavery is notably a subject that previous Democratic dominants Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton refused to touch, and one even the radical Bernie Sanders wouldn’t support when questioned on it during his 2016 campaign. Now that the Democratic line has been drawn further to the left, it’s easy to see how an older candidate like Sanders could be pushed to the side by younger Democrats echoing policies that were revolutionary in 2016. At 77, a 2020 turn in the White House would see him into his 80’s before the end of his term - though age isn’t exactly a deal breaker for Democrats, considering that the favorite of many is Joe

Biden, who’s only Sanders’ junior by a single year at 76 years old himself. Though he hasn’t even announced his candidacy yet - some Democrats still remember how to arrive fashionably late, it seems - Biden has famously expressed that 2020 is his last chance to run, and that he’s “the most qualified person in the country to be president.” Of course, people thought there was a chance of Biden running in 2016 as well. But this upcoming presidential election has something new going for it, something that has Democrats everywhere scrambling all over each other for the nomination a year in advance. Roughly four years ago, when Republicans were jumping to announce their candidacy, Democrats stood back for what felt like the inevitable nomination of Hillary Clinton. This year, there is no such obvious front-runner - not just within their party, but in the country at large. While Trump digs in his heels at the White House, his potential opponents see him as particularly vulnerable for an incumbent commander in chief. Only time will tell if they’ve judged him correctly.

Rain, sleet or snow

GV L ED ITORIA L B OA R D BRADY MCATAMNEY MCKENNA PEARISO LAUREEN HORAN NICK MORAN KELLEN VOSS AMY MCNEEL SARAH EDGECOMB

televised debates in order to give every candidate a taste of the limelight. Not only is the Democratic presidential field unusually crowded, they’re showing up unusually early to the party - by early February we already had more candidates than many previous elections did by their primaries. In most presidential elections, even the early hopefuls usually wait to announce their candidacies until March. The most looming of these early announcements has doubtlessly been that of last election’s Democratic runner-up, Bernie Sanders. Not only is he a contentious opponent for the newcomers who watched or even actively supported his candidacy in the 2016 primaries, the $6 million campaign donations he raised within 24 hours of announcing his 2020 intentions are hard to ignore. In combination with the $9 million the Vermont Senator has left over from his Senate campaign, Sanders is (ironically, considering his policies on campaign funding) a financial giant among the dozens of Democratic hopefuls. His policies, however, are no longer so unique - now that Sanders has brought

BY DYLAN GROSSER JUNIOR MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

Recently we were hit with a freezing “polar vortex” that shut down campus for an entire week. While some enjoyed the “early spring break,” not everyone got the week off. Even in harsh weather, many workers are still called into work. During the frigid storm we suffered earlier this month, we saw poor road conditions, heavy snowfall and freezing cold temperatures

that could cause frostbite in minutes. Winter in Michigan is notoriously terrible and inevitable, but this was no ordinary storm, as Governor Gretchen Whtimer declared a state of emergency and urged residents to turn their thermostat down to 65 degrees to conserve heat in case of a gas shortage. Even so, many workers prevailed through this weather to punch in to their usual jobs, putting themselves and others at risk on the road. We have businesses that provide essential services, such as gas stations and grocery stores, that should stay open (albeit for limited hours) during emergencies. But to stay safe, most people should skip work (or work from home) to stay off the roads. But many workers report to work anyway without regards to their safety, fearing the possibility of being fired or going without pay. There are

plenty of businesses who take advantage of these people who would rather bare the awful weather than lose their job. The risk of severe injury or death is too great for a business to remain open and require their employees to report in. Public health should take precedence over company profits, as terrible road conditions slow the response time for fire and rescue teams in the event of accidents and cold related injuries. At the very least, transportation, childcare and other benefits should be provided to employees who have to come in. Carpooling would drastically reduce the amount of accidents with less cars on the road and employees should, of course, be paid even if they can’t come to work, as poor weather conditions cannot be attributed to them. It’s not completely clear if workers have the right to

refuse to come into work because of weather conditions. Typically, it’s up to the employer, but they could force the employee to decide if not coming in is worth being fired. Most people would choose their job, even if they’re not completely aware of the road conditions - until it’s too late. It’s a dangerous mentality, as no one should have to choose between their job and their health. Overall, we should not give discretion to businesses to decide if weather is severe enough for employees to come in to work. We should appeal to lawmakers to put regulations into place in favor of workers who feel it is genuinely unsafe to commute to work. Additionally, we as consumers should choose to only support companies that treat their workers fairly, which includes not forcing them to work in unsafe conditions.

VALLEY VOTE

THIS ISSUE’S QUESTION

QUOTE

Should GVSU require students to have their recommended vaccinations?

What are you doing for spring break?

“Creativity requires input, and that’s what research is. You’re gathering material with which to build.”

Yes No Unsure

71% 24% 5%

QUESTION OF THE ISSUE

LOG ON & VOTE www.lanthorn.com

— Gene Luen Yang

WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR SPRING BREAK?

ETHAN BOOK

KYLE RONAYNE

“Flying to Colorado with my mom to snowboard.”

“Walking 160 miles with AOT from Traverse City to Allendale for charity.”

YEAR: Sophomore MAJOR: Allied Health Science HOMETOWN: Boyne City, Michigan

YEAR: Freshman MAJOR: Computer Science HOMETOWN: Farmington Hills, Michigan

AMANDA REEVES

DILLON KLEIHEGE

“Working at Autism Centers of Michigan in Grand Rapids.”

“Traveling to Thailand.”

YEAR: Senior MAJOR: Recreational Therapy HOMETOWN: Traverse City, Michigan

YEAR: Graduate Student MAJOR: Accounting HOMETOWN: Haslett, Michigan

FEBRUARY 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

NEWS | A5

HEALTH

HUGE HEALTHCARE: Healthcare providers in Grand Rapids, such as Spectrum Health, are in the spotlight of the increased average cost of hospital admittance, according to Grand Valley State University and Tulane University’s 2019 Health Check Report. Additionally, Grand Rapids hospitals are offering increased services and complex procedures, formerly only offered in larger cities, like Detroit. COURTESY | CROSBY ASSOCIATES

Grand Rapids hospital costs, growth on the rise BY SHILOH REYNOLDS SREYNOLDS@LANTHORN.COM

The 2019 Health Check Report by Grand Valley State University and Tulane University determined that both the cost of hospital admissions and health care employment rates in west Michigan are higher than the state averages. The report, which analyzed public health trends in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon and Allegan counties, found that the average cost of a hospital stay in Grand Rapids climbed from $19,700 in 2005 to $29,900 in 2016. This is approximately $3,000 dollars

more than costs in Detroit. The study cited the average hospital stay length in both cities at just under five days. Analysts in the study attributed two main factors to the spike in hospital admission costs: increasing use of new technology and the admission of patients with more severe health problems. Among other hospital facilities, Grand Rapids is home to Spectrum HealthButterworth and Blodgett campuses. U.S. News ranked Spectrum Health as the fourth best hospital in Michigan and the hospital also receives national recognition in six pediatric specialties:

pulmonology, cancer care, nephrology, urology, orthopedics, and cardiology and heart surgery. Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Spectrum Health Matt Cox said that he believed the increase in hospital admission is tied to the fact that many simpler medical services are no longer treated as inpatient procedures, which is a procedure where the patient is expected to stay overnight or longer at the facility. “With regard to the increase of total hospital expenses per admission in Grand Rapids, in looking at the trend from 2005 to 2016,

I think it is easy to correlate this to the fact that more of the less complex services are now outpatient procedures, leaving sicker patients in the hospital,” Cox said. “I would also say that over this period, Spectrum Health has really moved from a tertiary center to a Quaternary center. We are offering many more high-end services that were never offered before; (people would have to travel to Detroit or Chicago).” Cox also noted that more of the patients served at Spectrum Health are now older than usual. “Our demographics match those of the community we

serve,” Cox said. “In general, as the population (of Baby Boomers) has aged, so has our patient mix.” MLive reported an estimate that almost one fifth of Grand Rapids’ population is 60 or older, and the 2019 Health Report Check states that “health care expenditures are closely related to age. More than 50 percent of lifetime spending on medical care occurs after the age of 65.” At the same time that hospital admission expenses are rising, west Michigan is experiencing enormous growth in the health care sector. According to occupational employment statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor that ana-

lyzed 36 health careers, 29 experienced employment growth between 2007 and 2017 in Grand Rapids, compared with only 26 in the rest of Michigan. In addition, some careers skyrocketed in Grand Rapids; for instance, the growth rate for general physicians in the city was 295.2 percent compared to a state average of 24 percent. Last year, the College of Health Professions at GVSU gave out 252 graduate degrees and 393 bachelor’s degrees. Many alumni now hold careers around the west Michigan area, including six who are currently employed with Spectrum Health, according to GVSU’s Alumni News and Updates.

CAMPUS

Marijuana legalization calls for ACES resource expansion BY RACHEL MATUSZEWSKI RMATUSZEWSKI@LANTHORN.COM

The legalization of marijuana took effect on Dec. 6, 2018, allowing Michiganders who are 21 or older to carry 2.5 oz. of the plant on their person and use it at their leisure in private areas. It gives permission to gift the mentioned weight to another over the age of 21. In fact, many of the laws regarding recreational marijuana are similar to the Minor in Possession laws associated alcohol consumption. Yes, it’s legal, but no, you can’t stroll across campus smoking a joint. Due to the university’s federal funding, the use of marijuana is still prohibited on campus property, but isn’t something offenders can be arrested for. “The (Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities) Act from the federal government requires if you receive federal funding you have to follow all the federal rules,” Grand Valley Police Department Capt. Jeff Stoll said. “Marijuana is still considered illegal federally. Because of that, we can’t have it.” Stoll said their current data

entries for marijuana use on campus have to be reset to accommodate the new laws. Yet, criminal sanctions are still put into play for underclassmen, as they are still issued tickets and are taken to court if caught in possession. Yet, the punishment is only a $100 fine versus the previous $500 payment. “This isn’t a new issue for us (with the legalization) of marijuana,” Stoll said. “After alcohol, marijuana is the next most common chemical that we’ve dealt with. (The law) changes the mechanics of how we process and interact with people when they have it.” The amounts of THC in marijuana have increased by three times in the last 15 years. The threat of heightened potency can become medical incidents and accidents by putting the user in a state of paranoia or psychosis. “The challenge (with the new law), similar to alcohol, is when you introduce marijuana, you are more likely to get bad decision making,” Stoll said. “A lot of credit to our students. They often make good decisions and we don’t have too many problems. When we see students making bad decisions is when they drink and

smoke excessively. “The legalization of marijuana makes the state of Michigan and the roads more unsafe, because I think (there’s going to be more people) who are smoking and driving. For our community here at Grand Valley and state-wide, I think you’re going to see more crashes and fatalities associated with (impaired) driving.” GVPD works with Alcohol & Other Drugs Campus Education Services (ACES) to help provide students with a spectrum of care, including prevention programming, support groups, treatment and counseling. These are resources students can reach for when looking for education about these substances and interacting with them in a responsible way. “We are in the process of creating some new materials to educate students on the legalization guidelines,” said ACES Interim Assistant Director Nicole Marganti. “In partnership with Capt. Stoll, (we are) putting out some information so students know the law and the consequences of it and know some health information about marijuana. We are trying to let students know (about) NORM information.”

PUFF, PUFF, PASS: Students share a smoking session outside. Since the legalization of recreational marijuana in Michigan, GVSU’s ACES program is expanding drug programs. COURTESY | WALL STREET JOURNAL

Marganti said NORM will be information based on a survey from GVSU students who are using the substance and what they see socially. “The law is a lot of little pieces that we’re still finding out

about and we want to give our students the correct information,” Marganti said. “I think it’s important that students know the new law and that they recognize the difference between Grand Valley’s code of conduct

and federal law, (as well as) what the new law is in the state of Michigan. It’s important for students to always be aware of what rules are applying to them in a place and how to be safe with what they’re doing.”

A6 | LAKER LIFE ARTS AT A GLANCE

FEBRUARY 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLLAKERLIFE

PHILANTHROPY

KICK OFF SUMMER WITH THE 2019 SUMMER JOB FAIR

With only two months left in the semester, summer is fast approaching. Luckily, Grand Valley State University’s Student Employment has Lakers covered. On Tuesday, March 12, GVSU Student Employment is holding its 2019 Summer Job Fair. The fair is taking place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kirkhof Center Grand River Room 2250. Approximately 70 organizations will be in attendance, from both in-state and out-of-state. The fair will cover a wide range of summer job and internship opportunities. According to GVSU Student Employment, the fair will include employers in healthcare, business, education, recreation, manufacturing and more. Students can register for the fair and view the list of registered employers on their handshake accounts. Registration for the fair is not required, but recommended for those who want to be viewable to employers prior to the event.

UNPLUG WITH CAMPUS RECREATION

The National Day of Unplugging is sundown to sundown from Friday, March 1 to Saturday, March 2. The national event is a 24-hour detox from technology. Grand Valley State University is participating in this detox through Campus Recreation’s Unplugged event series. Unplugged is taking place Sunday, Feb. 24 through Saturday, March 1. According to Campus Rec, “Americans spend an average of five hours on technology daily.” Through a plethora of planned classes and activities, Campus Rec hopes to help students unplug and enjoy the five hours people usually spend on technology. A full schedule and list of activities can be found at www.gvsu.edu/events/unplugged-2019.

BROOKS COLLEGE TO ENCOURAGE COLLABORATIVE THINKING

On Thursday, Feb. 28, the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies is hosting a Collaboration PopUp Class. Along with the Design Thinking Academy, Steve Seward of Steve Seward Consulting will be exploring collaborative protocols and teamwork. The event will be a hands-on experience that provides attendees with knowledge on protocols that can be used to promote healthy environments, encourage reflection and employ thinking. The Collaboration Pop-Up Class will is taking place from 6 to 8 p.m. in AuSable Hall room 1112. The class is free and open to all Grand Valley State University students, faculty and staff.

ORDER UP: Alpha Omicron Pi sisters gather for a photo at their annual Spaghetti Dinner. Proceeds from the dinner went to IKUS Life Enrichment Services. The event, which serves the greater community, also brings together the GVSU Greek community. GVL | EMILY MODLOFF

Alpha Omicron Pi serves community and spaghetti BY ELYSE GREENWOOD EGREENWOOD@LANTHORN.COM

The oldest Panhellenic chapter on Grand Valley State University’s campus hosted their oldest annual event on Wednesday, Feb. 20 to support their local charity. Since 2006, Alpha Omicron Pi has hosted its annual Spaghetti Dinner to raise money for IKUS Life Enrichment Services. The sisters come together to string lights, lay tablecloths and cook spaghetti in preparation for this famous event. In addition to spaghetti, meatballs and salad, the chapter orders Olive Garden bread sticks every year by popular demand to serve guests and make the experience even more memorable. Last year, the Spaghetti Dinner raised $5,000 for the local philanthropy, which amped up this year’s goal to $6,000. Despite the obvious success of this event, there are more reasons

that Alpha Omicron Pi chooses to keep this tradition alive. “We decide to do the Spaghetti Dinner every year because it is so well-known and sets us apart from others,” said Alpha Omicron Pi’s Vice President of Philanthropy Kiley Sheedy. “We love the theme behind it. By doing the Spaghetti Dinner, it keeps us rooted to all of our past sisters.” The local philanthropy that the event funds, IKUS Life Enrichment Services, is a camp for individuals of all ages with disabilities to learn new skills, experience independence and have fun in a safe environment. The camp serves a wide variety of disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. In the past, the money Alpha Omicron Pi raised through the Spaghetti Dinner helped the organization buy a chair lift for campers, pay for campers’ tuition and supply other materials necessary for camp. “My favorite part of the

Spaghetti Dinner is the fact that we get to go to IKUS, the philanthropy, and see it in action,” said Alpha Omicron Pi member Hannah Gallon. “I volunteered there two years ago, and I got to see the pool that we fundraised enough money to put in. Going there and being able to see that and how they use it to help their campers who come with disabilities, because some of them find swimming easier than walking, was so rewarding. Getting to see them exercise in that way was so awesome.” While the Spaghetti Dinner might be an old tradition, there are some new features that the chapter has added. Two years ago, Alpha Omicron Pi began to “spaghetti a sis” once an hour during the event. For a one-dollar donation, a sister would dump a plate of spaghetti on herself. “My favorite part of the event is that every hour a sister gets ‘spaghetti-d,’” Sheedy

said. “It’s just really funny how it always turns out.” While this dinner undoubtedly supports a noble cause in the Allendale community, it also brings together the GVSU Greek community. Many of the guests were members of other sororities and fraternities on campus. “I’m here because I love supporting my fellow Panhellenic sisters and their philanthropies,” said Phi Mu member Laura Miller. Gamma Phi Beta also came to support Alpha Omicron Pi and IKUS Life Enrichment Services. “We’re here to support AOΠ’s philanthropy. We’re neighbors, and we love the bread sticks,” said Gamma Phi Beta member Katrina Austriaco. Through the annual Spaghetti Dinner, Alpha Omicron Pi is bringing its own community together while bettering the surrounding community.

LAKER EFFECT

GV alumnus starts business that celebrates Michigan BY AMANDA ROGERS AROGERS@LANTHORN.COM

Grand Valley State University alumnus Nick Hoffman recently started a business called Mitten on My Mind LLC (Limited Liability Company) with his brother Nate Hoffman. Mitten on My Mind is an online business that has allowed the brothers to share their state pride with fellow Michiganders. Mitten on My Mind sells a plethora of products including apparel, coffee mugs and phone cases. “We really love the state, so we decided to create something like apparel to celebrate our state and what it means to us,” Nick said. The brothers have always had a love for the outdoors

MICHIGANDERS: GVSU alumnus Nick Hoffman recently opened a business with his brother to support Michigan. COURTESY | NICK HOFFMAN

and they wanted to create something that really showed their passion for Michigan. Nick said that as they got older it was harder for them to make time to see one another, so the business was just another way to bring them together. Ideas to create the business started back in November 2018,

and they became official LLC in January. Now that the business is up and moving, they are shifting their focus on reaching out to places like GVSU and other establishments. LOG ON TO: www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

EXPANSION

Barbecue restaurant opens their first location in Michigan BY AUTUMN BABAS LAKERLIFE@LANTHORN.COM

Coming soon to downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., will be famous award winning barbecue restaurant “City Barbeque.” City Barbeque is growing quickly, with a cozy backyard atmosphere, homemade savory foods and caring staff that

gives back to the community through fundraisers. Currently, City Barbeque is popular in eight different states and this will be the first ever Michigan location to open. The restaurant was established in Arlington, Ohio in 1999 and will be celebrating 20 years of business this year. City Barbeque will soon be located at 3050 28th St. SE in

Kentwood. This will be their 43rd restaurant to be up and running. “We wanted to expand and broaden our horizons,” said Regional Marketing Manager Shelby Morgan. “We wanted to bring our tasteful menu and fun atmosphere to people all over.” City Barbeque is famous for their fresh, made-fromscratch, authentic barbecue. They try to be original with their own recipes creating unique tastes people will remember and crave. “We smoke all our meats on site and all of our food is fresh daily,” Morgan said. LOG ON TO:

EAT UP: City Barbeque is opening its first Michigan location and hopes to connect with GV students. COURTESY | CITY BARBEQUE

www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

SPORTS | A7

FEBRUARY 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

QUICK HITS GVSU SOFTBALL CLOSES OUT LEWIS DOME TOURNAMENT WITH TWO WINS SATURDAY

The No. 16 ranked Grand Valley State softball team ended the Lewis Dome Tournament with two wins on Saturday, Feb. 23, walloping No. 12 Illinois Springfield 17-0 before taking down Missouri S&T 8-2 in the final game of the night. Both Allison Lipovsky and Hannah Beatus earned wins in the circle. Both of which were able to toss complete games, as Lipovsky only gave up two hits while striking out three batters against Illinois Springfield, while Beatus allowed eight runs and earned four strikeouts against Missouri S&T. The Laker offense went off for a combined 25 runs on 28 hits in their second day of regular season play, including Nikola Holmen going 7-7 from the plate and Shannon Flaherty going 5-6. Freshman Joanna Cirrincione was also 4-5 in her first two starts of her career. After these two wins, the Lakers improve to 3-1 on the season, and will be back in action in Clermont, Fla., where they will play 12 games in seven days in their annual spring break trip.

W. BASKETBALL

GVSU women’s basketball wins ninth straight with weekend sweep

GVSU MEN’S TENNIS DEFEATS LAWRENCE TECH 9-0

The Grand Valley State men’s tennis team improved to 3-0 on the season after beating Lawrence Tech on Saturday, Feb. 24, 9-0, in Southfield, Mich. GVSU got off to a good start in doubles, sweeping the Blue Devils to earn all three doubles points. Sebastian Lescoulie and D.J. Colantone won at the No. 1 spot 8-6, while the pairings of Jack Geissler and Martin Matov (No.2 spot) and Jack Dausamn and Ryan Rhoades (No.3 spot) both earning 8-3 victories in their respective places. Colantone, Dausman, Geisler, Lescoulie and Eric Zwemer all earned victories in their singles matches, with Colantone not allowing his opponent to score a single point (6-0, 6-0) from the No. 5 position. Grand Valley State will travel to Lakeland, Fla. and Orlando for their annual spring trip, where they will play seven matches, with the first being against Florida Southern College in Lakeland at 11 a.m.

NO. 16 RANKED GVSU WOMEN’S LACROSSE TEAM OPENS SEASON WITH 14-4 WIN OVER LAKE ERIE

The No. 16 Grand Valley State Lakers earned a road victory over the No. 19 Lake Erie Storm 14-4 on Friday night in their 2019 seasonopener. Eight different Lakers scored in the win, with Abbi O’Neal scoring four goals, Maggie Hammer recording three goals and Sarah Stagaard scoring two goals. Sophie Conroy, Olivia Esposito, Annie Yost, Skylar Simmers and Carly Shisler were each able to find the back of the net in the match as well. GVSU will look to win a few more games in their spring trip, as they will travel to Mesa, Col., to face Westminster, Colorado Mesa and Regis over the span of a week. The first of those games against Westminster will start at noon on Sunday, March 3.

VARSITY SCHEDULE VARSITY SCHEDULE MEN’S BASKETBALL Home, Thursday, February 28, at 8 p.m., Davenport (Senior Night) GLIAC Tournament, starting March 3, times TBD

ONE, TWO, THREE, TEAM!: The Grand Valley State women’s basketball team huddles together and shares a confident chant after they defeat the Michigan Tech Huskies as the Sawyers on Saturday, Feb. 23 at Fieldhouse Arena. GVSU won 50-37, improving to 25-2 on the year with a 18-1 GLIAC record. GVL | DAN PACHECO BY BRADY MCATAMNEY EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

Any fan of defense would be a fan of the No. 11 Grand Valley State women’s basketball team’s week, as the Lakers held their two out-of-peninsula opponents – Northern Michigan on Thursday, Feb. 21 and Michigan Tech on Saturday, Feb. 23 – to 10 and 15 points at halftime respectively. The defense translated into victories with GVSU claiming a 50-37 win before a 74-46 drubbing. The wins make nine in a row for the Lakers who are now 25-2 (18-1 GLIAC). The weekend started slowly in Fieldhouse Arena, as the Lakers scored weekend-lows 12 and nine points in the first two quarters against NMU. Fortunately, their defense had the Panthers on lockdown, not allowing points until there were 32 seconds left in the first quarter on a pair of free throws and keeping their opponents without a made field goal until the 5:16 mark of the second. “I thought we did a good job taking away what they wanted to do,” said head coach Mike Williams. “They’ve got about three, four strengths and we did a good job trying to limit those, and they missed some shots. They missed point-blank shots. They missed some threes, they missed some layups, some that rattled around the rim and popped out, (but) we did a pretty good job of taking away what they wanted to do.”

A 21-10 halftime score – a point total that would be beaten in two quarters of the Tech game – ended up becoming improved yet still minor scoring in the second half as the Lakers were able to come away with Williams’ 100th career with at GVSU; a number he cares little about. “100 win means really nothing,” Williams said. “It was a great win from a standpoint that they took it to you and we responded like we did. It was a good conference win, a big-time win and it’s a win at home. Your goal is to play really well at home and we did that today.” Center Cassidy Boensch dominated, scoring 22 points with 12 rebounds and two blocks. While she was the only played in the game in double-digit scoring, the team received contributions by way of rebounds, steals and assists from several other sources. The Lakers – who changed their name for a day to the “Sawyers” for Sawyer Day for the game – would fortunately see their dearth of offense dissipate two days later, as four players reached double digits in the win over the Huskies. Guard Natalie Koenig led the group with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists while guard Taya Andrews scored 16 points off the bench on six-of-seven shooting, making all three of her attempts from longrange. Forward Maddie Dailey contributed 13 points and eight rebounds while Boensch added

ited the rest of her teammates with being able to get clean looks. “We had great ball movement, we looked for each other,” Andrews said. “There was a lot of digging down which created openings on the perimeter, setting good screens, cutting hard which we were practicing all week so it just paid off.” With one game left in the regular season, the Lakers have clinched the top seed in the GLIAC tournament and a regular season title. They will wrap up their slate with a home meeting against the Davenport Panthers (5-21, 3-16 GLIAC) on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m.

SHARPSHOOTER: Grand Valley State guard Jenn DeBoer launches a three-pointer over the outstretched arm of a Michigan Tech defender. GVL | DAN PACHECO

SWIMMING & DIVING

GVSU swimming & diving sweeps 2019 GLIAC Championships BY KELLEN VOSS SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

There are few certainties in life outside of death, taxes and the Grand Valley State swimming & diving program being dominant. GVSU continued their winning ways this weekend, as both the men’s and women’s teams took team titles Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Busbey Natatorium at Cleveland State University.

The men’s team earned their fifth consecutive team title with a 853.5 point performance on Saturday, which is a string of team titles that is longest in GLIAC Swimming & Diving since 1997. The women’s team also claimed the team title, earning 944.5 points on their way to winning their second team crown in three years. GVSU also cleaned up on the individual awards handed out

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Home, Thursday, February 28, at 6 p.m., Davenport (Senior Night) GLIAC Tournament, starting March 3, times TBD MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD NCAA Indoor Championships, Indianpolis, Ind., March 8-9 MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS Annual Spring Trips, Orlando, Fla., March 2-7 SOFTBALL Annual Spring Trip, Clermont, Fla., March 3-9 BASEBALL Annual Spring Trip, Kissimmee, Fla., March 3-10

10 points and 12 rebounds. While her stat line may not reflect it as much as it does during other games, the Lakers’ shooters felt that their center’s style of play and reputation of dominance opened up the rest of the offense to do their thing. “People have to guard (Boensch) down low,” Koenig said. “She’s a presence down there, but it’s also our job to catch the ball and be ready to shoot. Everyone did a good job of that. We’ve just got to keep doing that.” Additionally, Andrews, whose 16 points were a career high, cred-

THRIVING AT DIVING: Grand Valley State swimmers arch their backs and get ready to jump in the pool to race their fellow teammates. GVL | ARCHIVE

following the team races. Head coach Andy Boyce was named the GLIAC men’s and women’s Coach of the Year, while Harry Shalamon was named the Men’s Swimmer of the Year. Other individual awards for the Lakers included Mikayla Karasek being named the Women’s Diver of the Year, Chris Kelly being named the Men’s Diver of the Year and Samantha Laurich and Keegan Hawkins winning the Women’s and Men’s Freshman of the Year, respectively. The men’s swimming team definitely ate their Wheaties Saturday morning, as more than a few swimmers posted some of their best times of the year. Jesse Goodyear and Moritz Bartels earned second and third place in the 1650 freestyle, as both hit the NCAA qualifying mark, extending their season by a week. Ben Walling finished second in the 100 free, as himself and fellow GVSU swimmers J.D. Ham, Oscar Saura Armengol and Gabriel Souza all hit their NCAA qualifying mark as well. Shalamon set a GLAC overall record, the GLIAC Championship meet record, the GVSU varsity record and hit the NCAA A cut with his first-place finish in the 200 back, hitting the wall at 1:43.38. Marius Mikalaukas and Hawkins both hit NCAA qualifying marks in the 200 breast, finish-

ing second and fourth in the event. In the women’s events, Melina Goebel continued her reign atop the GLIAC, winning the 1650 free and capturing her eighth freestyle individual championship in the past two years. Goebel has swept the 200, 500, 1000, and 1650 at the 2018 and 2019 GLIAC Championships. NCAA Qualifying marks were also hit by Mercedes Martinez and Lara Diebel in the 100 free, Melina De Cort in the 200 back and Samantha Laurich and Celia Hoag in the 200 breast. De Cort and Laurich both also set GVSU freshmen records in their respective events. The 400 free relay of Hannah Richard, Martinez, Goebel and Deibel hit the NCAA qualifying mark with their second place finish in the event, while Karasek also claimed the 3-meter GLIAC title with a championship score of 469.95. While the 2018-19 season may be over for some of GVSU’s swimmers and divers, several of the athletes in the program qualified to compete in the NCAA DII National Championships. The diving qualification meet is Tuesday, March 12 at 9 a.m., with the NCAA National Championships taking place from Wednesday, March 13 to Saturday, March 16 in Indianapolis. Championships will start each day at 10:30 a.m.

FEBRUARY 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

A8 | SPORTS FEATURE

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA: Grand Valley State basketball players (from left to right) Victoria Hedemark, Maddie Dailey, Cassidy Boensch, Jenn DeBoer and Natalie Koenig put their arms around each other after practice and pose at Fieldhouse Arena. This fab fivesome have been starters for the women’s team for the entire season and have helped lead the team to 25 wins, including 18 in the GLIAC. GVL | BRADY MCATAMNEY

The Freaky-Geeky Five BY BRADY MCATAMNEY EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

As practice is wrapping up for the Grand Valley State women’s basketball team on Wednesday, Feb. 20, associate head coach Phil Sayers breaks the final huddle and sends his players off to practice their free throw shooting for a few minutes – the usual ending routine for the Lakers. They have finished preparing for a conference matchup with the Northern Michigan Wildcats – a game they would go on to win by double digits for their 24th win in 26 games. The group has split up across six different nets, but two groups stand out among the rest. In front of me shoot a trio of junior roommates: guard Jenn DeBoer, forward Maddie Dailey and center Cassidy Boensch. To my right are a pair of guard who also happen to live together in junior Victoria Hedemark and senior Natalie Koenig. Both nets house a “swish” every few seconds as shots drop with regularity. They finish shooting and I need to quickly catch them before they enter the optional but always exercised shoot around. Hedemark and Koenig make their way over before DeBoer, Dailey and, eventually, Boensch. We exchange greetings and the women take a few swigs of water and wipe off some sweat before answering a few questions about themselves — one of the best five-person sets in the NCAA.

Jenn DeBoer A five-foot-seven-inch guard from Byron Center, Mich., DeBoer committed to GVSU as part of one of the largest recruiting classes in recent program history. She is the point guard that every team aspires to have running their floor, as she often controls the pace, finds her teammates, scores and rarely turns the ball over. “Jenn’s just ‘point guard.’ She’s just Jenn. One of a kind,” Hedemark said. “She brings a certain something to the team that we would struggle without and off the court (has) a fun personality and also knows what to say to you on the court to get you playing your best.” Her career started as a backup before jumping immediately to the starting spot in her sophomore year, during which she averaged 12.3 points, three assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. Her shooting jumped from 30 percent from threepoint range on 50 attempts to 36.1 percent on 180 shots and is now on pace to mirror that stat at 35.2 percent this season. She is averaging 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game through 26 contests in 2018-19. Natalie Koenig Koenig is a special case on this Laker squad. She’s the only transfer, the only true senior and the only player with a year-round tan. “Natalie is someone who’s kind of (quieter), like go-withthe-flow kind of thing, but you know she’s got your back and is

NOT IN MY HOUSE: GVSU forward Maddie Dailey rises up to block a midrange shot on Thursday, Feb. 21. GVL | KATHERINE VASILE

going to be there for you,” DeBoer said. “On the court she’s so expressive, she has all these emotions so it’s really cool to see that come out.” The five-foot-seven-inch guard from Wauseon, Ohio made her way to Allendale from Ursuline where she was a scoring machine, averaging 13.7 points per game during her sophomore year. After deciding that she needed a change of scenery, she fell in love with GVSU and knew where her next home would be. Her scoring fell slightly in 2017-18 but led the team in assists and was second in steals while starting every game and her defensive presence has become vital to the Lakers’ current success while still being able to fill up the bucket, averaging eight points per game. Victoria Hedemark After committing to GVSU during her senior year at Dansville High School, Hedemark redshirted her freshman year and averaged 0.2 points per game in 201617 and 3.8 the next season while not starting a single game across either campaign. This year has been different. “V” has started every game, averaging 7.5 points per game while knocking down 36.8 percent of her outside looks. Her main contributions have come through her ferocious, energetic and contagious defense, as the junior averages the third most steals per game in the entire GLIAC at 2.3 per game. “V’s story is one of the most… this is going to be deep, the most inspiring,” Dailey said. “She walked on and didn’t play and now she’s playing 30 minutes a game. Hard-working, and coach Sayers said it perfectly. What is she? She’s our pulse. And she’s really nice. And really funny.” In fact, when asked who was the most likely to do something they’ve already been yelled at, Hedemark subtly yet confidently pointed at herself. “Usually what V gets yelled at for is for over-helping which just shows that she is like, the

MORE THAN TEAMMATES: GVSU’s Victoria Hedemark, Jenn DeBoer, Natalie Koenig and Cassidy Boensch stand together during player introductions pre-game at Fieldhouse Arena. GVL | KATHERINE VASILE

most helpful person ever,” Boensch said. “She’s just all over the court and sometimes (coach) is like ‘don’t help’ but V’s like, it’s just who she is.” Maddie Dailey While part of the same class as DeBoer, Hedemark and Boensch, the six-foot forward committed later in the recruited process out of Hastings, Mich. and came into Allendale knowing full-well what to expect. Her role through the first two seasons, while limited, was crucial. She started a game as a freshman, becoming the first of this season’s starters to start a game and was on the floor at tip-off for all 33 games last season, scoring 6.8 points per game with 3.3 rebounds and a 35.7 percent clip from three. This season, her scoring output has jumped to 10.1 points per game – third highest on the team – and has established herself as the doit-all player on a team flush with versatility, but one of the most noticeable characteristics is that she is always equipped with a smile. “Maddie is the quirkiest person I know in the best way,” Boensch said. “She can always put a smile on my face in the best way. No matter what, I’m laughing at her jokes. She’s also one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met and that’s something I really admire.” As a leader, Dailey is consis-

SEE ANSWERS | A10

tently locked in and focused on one goal the team has and won’t let anybody forget it. “Everybody wants to win championships… We all know what we want so we’re all pursuing the same thing and when you work together

Everybody wants to win championships... We all know what we want so we’re all pursuing the same thing and when you together to go toward the same thing, we know what our role is and accept it and do it

MADDIE DAILEY GVSU FORWARD to go toward the same thing, we know what our role is and accept it and do it.” Cassidy Boensch Last but surely not least comes the most from the post: a Division II Player of the Year candidate in sixfoot-four-inch Cassidy Boensch. After hardly playing her freshman and sophomore seasons out of Au Gres, Mich., the center was thrust into the starting lineup late last season due to injuries from higher up in the depth chart and immediately dominated, eventually leading the team in points, rebounds and blocks at 13.1, 7.1 and 1.8 per game despite make only nine starts. She has built on her breakout with an every bigger one, leading both the Lakers and the GLIAC in points, rebounds and blocks with an absurd line of 20.1, 12.3 and 3.3 per game, highlighted by a 38 point, 23 rebound performance at Saginaw Valley State and an 11 points, 14 rebound and 10 block tripledouble against Wayne State.

Ask her about her success, though, and she will immediately defer any and all credit to her teammates. “She’s really smart on the floor and off,” Koenig said. “One of the smartest people I’ve ever met. She has a super big heart and she’s fun (to be with).” Boensch has plenty to be grateful for, as she is surrounded by four players who can knock down a triple or find an open look at any time in case she is covered… But she never truly is. The “Freaky-Geeky Five” This group is as equally entertaining to watch in real life as they are on the court, and their debates about who’s the funniest, what the best road trip snacks are and what their unit’s nickname should be only validate it. “The Funky Five,” DeBoer said. “The Spice Girls!” Dailey pitched. This idea was a popular one until they realized they could only name two and that there were actually only four Spice Girls. “The Jackson Five,” Dailey said, keeping on brand with past music groups. That one didn’t last long, so they continued to throw out prospective names, among which were One Direction, Williams Five, Freaky Five and The Freaks. “We’re the Freak Geeks because we have the good GPA!” Hedemark said. “We’re the Freaky Geeky Five.” And so they were. The group of girls known to love Mott’s fruit snacks but also chicken and broccoli; the one who rallies around their shared love for deadpan yet goofy humor; the five who talk endlessly about their futures during long bus rides and the ones who play some of the best basketball that Allendale has ever seen are going by The Freaky-Geeky Five — for now. Soon, they might be recognized as one of the most productive starting lineups to ever walk the floor at Fieldhouse Arena. After that, they could be known as GLIAC champions. After that, not even the sky seems to be the limit for this class of superstars.

FEBRUARY 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

SPORTS | A9

West is best FEATURE

Senior brings leadership to GVSU basketball team

BY KELLEN VOSS SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

Every basketball team is only as good as their captain, as a person who can focus the team, lead by example and bond with fellow teammates is helpful to have on any basketball team, especially the Grand Valley State men’s basketball team. Senior Zach West is that leader for the Lakers. Sharing the captain’s role with junior Hunter Hale, West has learned to connect with his teammates as a vocal leader, which is something he never expected to do when he came onto campus as a high school senior. “Coming in as an 18-yearold kid and now being 22, the coaches and older players have taught me a lot, not only about basketball,” West said. “I’ve learned that it’s about the hard work it takes to be a student athlete and be successful. I’ve seen myself grow from being a shy kid to being more vocal and outgoing as a leader, so for the coaches to put their faith in me in that role is huge.” Originally from Oswego, Ill., West had never even heard of Grand Valley State until his first visit four years ago, but when he saw the campus, it was quite literally love at first sight. “When I was first getting recruited, I had no idea where

GV was when I came on my first visit, and when I saw all the new buildings, I fell in love,” West said. “All the sports programs had a long history of being good, always competing for a top spot. That drew me in, and I’ve loved getting a chance to know the guys in the program and what it stands for.” West has been a contributor since his freshmen year, starting 23 of 29 games as a true freshmen. A former member of the GLIAC AllAcademic team, West has seen his role ebb and flow over the years, whereas some games he scores 20, including earlier this year against Tiffin, and some games he sees the floor well, makes hustle plays and leads by example. In his senior season, West has proven to be a jack of all trades, averaging 5.0 points per game, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists, shooting a consistent 45.9 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from three, starting in 13 games this season. Being that he’s not outstanding at just one thing, West sees himself as a glue guy, which is crucial to have with this talented roster. “I feel like I do a little bit of everything,” West said. “I’m not a prominent scorer or a leading rebounder, but I do chip in in every little part of the game, which lets coaches trust me at the end of games,

and that confidence they’ve given me has evolved my game into what it is today.” West’s contributions to this team are also evident off the floor, as he finds building oneon-one relationships with each of his teammates to be the best way to lead the Lakers. “I like to connect with guys individually, because I feel like I can get down to the nitty-gritty things with them,” West said. “People may not be comfortable getting coached in a big setting, so a lot of the oneon-one talks are the best way for me, because I feel like I can connect to a lot of different people and their different personalities.” A finance major who is looking to work in Grand Rapids next year, West couldn’t pinpoint one or two moments when asked about his favorite memories with the team, but will instead take away the relationships with his teammates that can last a lifetime. “The guys have been amazing, we’re a fun, goofy group and there’s always laughs and smiles and giggles going on,” West said. “It can sometimes work against us in practice, but the relationships that I continue to build on and that I still have with older guys are what I will most fondly remember when looking back.”

LOOKING FOR THE OPEN MAN: GVSU senior Zach West uses a screen from fellow senior Kindred Williams and attempts to make a pass off a screen near the perimeter at Fieldhouse Arena. GVL | LEAH KERR

SOFTBALL

GVSU softball splits series with Lindenwood and WSU Looks to maintain GLIAC dominance

BY ELI ONG SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

“Every time you go out there, you want to be a little nervous, have a little bit of butterflies in your stomach and get the juices flowing,” once said former University of Arizona All-American softball player and two-time Women’s College World Series winner Taryne Mowatt. Grand Valley State softball

felt the nerves and got over their butterflies on Friday, Feb. 22 as they split two games played in the Lewis Dome Tournament against Lindenwood and No. 15 Winona State. The Lakers lost their first game of the season to Lindenwood 5-4 as five errors by GVSU in the field led to three unearned runs, which ultimately cost them the game. However, the Lakers turned it around in the

nightcap and earned a 1-0 victory behind a dominant pitching performance from senior Allison Lipovsky and a clutch hit from sophomore outfielder Brooke Henning. GVSU head softball coach Dana Callihan said that Henning has improved a lot and has focused on becoming more aggressive at the plate, which allowed her to drive in the game winning run on a line drive single in the bottom of the eighth inning against Winona State. “Brooke got a lot of playing time last year as a freshman. She started off slow hitting but really came on strong toward the end of the season,” Callihan said. “She has really improved in the outfield and she is not afraid to be aggressive. Efforts like that resonate with the rest of the team.”

Moving forward, GVSU looks to get on a roll and maintain the same level of success they had a year ago where they went 44-9 with a 24-2 conference record that earned them a regular season GLIAC conference championship. “Every year is a bit different, we have a strong pitching staff just like we did last year,” Callihan said. “That helps us win games no doubt. We also have pretty good team speed this year and that’s going to be fun to have.” All around, Callihan said she is excited to coach this team and see where the year takes them. She believes it is just a matter of putting all of the puzzle pieces together to get this squad rolling for GVSU. Lipovsky and Henning will play major roles in

putting together that puzzle. Lipovsky earned a record of 22-5 with a 0.81 earned run average, while striking out 309 batters in 191 innings pitched for the Lakers. Henning hit .320 which was good for the fourth best batting average on the team a year ago. Senior Kaylie Rhynard and sophomore Nikoma Holmen also return to a very talented Lakers softball team. Rhynard, who starts at catcher, led the lakers in batting average (.407), hits (72) and stolen bases (20) last year. Holmen hit .350 in route to leading the Lakers in

home runs (9), extra base hits (22), runs batted in (51), and slugging percentage (.588). Despite a vast majority of the team’s leading contributors returning from last year’s squad, they want to avoid placing expectations and work on building the ball club to the best of their abilities. “We try not to think about expectations, that’s for everyone else to speculate,” Callihan said. “We want to focus on just getting better every day and playing our best. We have quite a few new faces, so we are just looking to play our best as a team.”

PRECISION PITCH: Grand Valley State pitcher Allison Lipovsky follows through on her pitch and stands proudly on the mound for GVSU, awaiting to see the batter’s reaction. GVL | ARCHIVE

FEBRUARY 25, 2019 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

A10 | SPORTS BASEBALL

SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: Grand Valley State catcher/first basemen Ryan Blake-Jones puts all his power in his hips as he looks to launch an incoming pitch in a game from the 2018 season at the GVSU Baseball Field. Blake-Jones and the rest of GVSU’s baseball team hope to have a strong rebound season in 2019 after finishing fifth last year, once again becoming a top team in the GLIAC. GVL | SHEILA BABBITT

GVSU baseball looks to reclaim GLIAC throne as season begins

BY ELI ONG SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

For nearly two decades, Grand Valley State has maintained a reputation as the premier baseball program in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Since 2004, GVSU baseball has captured nine regular season GLIAC conference championships and four GLIAC conference tournament championships. GVSU looks to continue that tradition when they open up their season against No. 23 Ohio Dominican and Truman State on Sunday, Feb. 24. GVSU ended last season with a record of 28-23, go-

ing 15-13 during conference play. GVSU’s season ended in 2018 with back to back loses during the first round of the GLIAC tournament. “It’s certainly not where I wanted us to end the year,” said head coach Jamie Detillion. “I’ve been here for 17 seasons now and fifth place is not something I am used to.” Detillion also said the struggles GVSU went through during stretches last year opened his eyes to some changes he needed to make in order to best set up the team for success out on the diamond. Those changes include shuffling new players around positions in the infield where

catcher, second base, shortstop and third base are up for grabs after last year’s starters graduated or transferred. “Parker Murdie will be the guy we play at short to start,” Detillion said. “As for third base, Anthony Cocco is a left-handed hitter that we like with the ability to play third, so he will get the opportunity to start there at the beginning of the season.” According to Detillion, the rest of GVSU’s position battles will be hard to sort out until the Lakers get to spend legitimate time playing and practicing outdoors, which can be a struggle at times when you are a college baseball team from the Midwest.

“It’s nothing that we aren’t used to, but it will take some time for us to figure out our other positions,” Detillion said. “We normally have played 30, 40 percent of our games before we have our first outdoor practices and that’s something that plays into figuring out our starting nine.” Aside from position turnover in the infield, GVSU returns three out of their five best hitters from a year ago and the majority of their bullpen, which Detillion believes will be the strengths of the ball club as the season goes on. “Jake Gleason and Ryan Blake-Jones provide a very solid one-two punch in the middle of our lineup,” Detil-

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lion said. “With them and guys like Murdie and Zach Berry, I think we will be seeing a lot of good production at the top of our lineup from these guys.” Gleason hit .385 with a team high 10 home runs and .642 slugging percentage for the Lakers while Blake-Jones lead the team in batting average at .407 and runs batted in with 51 last season. Detillion says that righthanded pitchers Christian Mercure and Michael Morelli look poised to handle starting pitcher duties. Mercure went 2-1 with a 3.31 earned run average in four starts on the mound with the Lakers last year while Morelli went 3-3 with a 3.83 earned run average

in nine starts last year for Mott Community College. In the bullpen, the Lakers will slot junior transfer Christian Sidoti as their closer with converted pitcher Chase Carpenter and returning relievers Brett and Brendan Nearing serving as set-up men behind Sidoti. “I think our bullpen is going to be our biggest strength this year, we have a lot of depth going into the season,” Detillion said. “Christian Sidoti brings good stuff and the right mentality to be our closer then we have a lot of guys like Chase Carpenter and the Nearing twins behind him to provide support as well.”

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