Issue 13, October 6th, 2016 - Grand Valley Lanthorn

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GV CELEBRATES 21ST ANNUAL RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

GRAND VALLEY

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

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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

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PREVENTION

GV participates in statewide sexual assault conference

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6

Heavyweights GV to host Ferris State in 2016 Anchor-Bone Classic

BY HANNAH LENTZ ASSOCIATE@LANTHORN.COM

Focusing on breaking the stigma surrounding sexual assault, first lady Sue Snyder and Gov. Rick Snyder hosted the second annual conference on campus sexual assault Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the University of Michigan. Inviting leaders from universities across the state, the conference looked to bring student leaders, administrators and community members together to brainstorm preventative and educational measures around sexual violence. Grand Valley State University student senate President Ella Fritzemeier attended the event as well as GVSU police department Captain Brandon DeHaan, who currently serves at GVSU’s Clery compliance officer. “Sex is seen as a taboo topic and sexual assault is too, but this is something we have to talk about because it’s something that is hurting all of our campuses,” Fritzemeier said. Though the main focus of the event was on preventative measures for sexual assault across the nation, it also featured smaller, specified sessions that looked at educational methods between departments at a university. SEE ASSAULT | A2

EDUCATING: Ella Fritzemeier, student senate president. GVL | KEVIN SIELAFF

GUNSLINGER: Bart Williams (6) warms up on the sideline as the game gets underway Saturday, Oct. 1 against the Ohio Dominican Panthers. The Lakers will face off against the Ferris State University Bulldogs Saturday, Oct. 8 defending this season’s undefeated streak and No. 1 rank in the GLIAC North. GVL | KEVIN SIELAFF BY BEAU TROUTMAN SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

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he last time the Ferris State Bulldogs were in Lubbers Stadium, they walked out with a 61-24 win over Grand Valley State. To the Lakers, that game might as well have been a decade ago. “That game seems like it was 10 years ago,” said GVSU coach Matt Mitchell. “I don’t really even worry about what happened in 2015. I’m on to 2016. These are completely different teams.” The Bulldogs (4-1, tied for second in GLIAC North) will be back at Lubbers this Saturday, Oct. 8, for a game against the Lakers with major GLIAC implications on the line. The Lakers (5-0, first in GLIAC standings) could potentially solidify themselves as the favorite to finish first in the North. A loss to the Bulldogs could

potentially result in a three-way tie for first in the GLIAC North with the Bulldogs and the Wayne State Warriors (4-1, tied for second in GLIAC North), if the Warriors can beat Findlay (2-3). Furthermore, a loss would mean the fifth consecutive regular season loss to the Bulldogs, though the last meeting between the two was an impressive 38-34 GVSU win in last year’s playoffs on the Lakers’ run to the national semifinal. The Lakers lead the all-time series 28-16-1. GVSU coach Matt Mitchell and the Lakers know what this game means for their season goals. “It’s one of many big opportunities in their life,” Mitchell said. “I’m not going to put any more gravity on that than any other times that we’ve had opportunities to prove ourselves in a competitive arena. I don’t think our guys will be overwhelmed, I think they know the

implications of this contest. “These guys have really high expectations for themselves.” This will be the first time in four years the Lakers will face a Bulldog team not quarterbacked by two-time Harlon Hill award recipient Jason Vander Laan, who graduated after last season. The Bulldogs are led by junior quarterback and Eastern Michigan transfer Reggie Bell, who leads the team in both passing (1,048 yards, five touchdowns, four interceptions) and rushing (491 yards, five touchdowns). Bell and starting running back Jahaan Brown (476 yards, two touchdowns) provide a one-two punch for an offense that operates mainly out of the read option. The Bulldogs feature a wide receiving corps that includes five different players with 12 or more receptions. “(Bell) is electric,” Mitchell said. “It’ll be a big challenge for

INNOVATION

Creating transparency GV student senate strives to improve communication BY JESS HODGE NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

Annual idea pitch competition winner hopes to build an affordable housing community BY SANDA VAZGEC ASSISTANTNEWS@LANTHORN.COM

Having an idea that becomes a business venture is what every entrepreneur strives for, but this can be difficult to achieve without sufficient funding. To help young entrepreneurs fund their start-up projects, Grand Valley State University holds an annual idea pitch competition with $1,000 on the line for the winning idea. The 12th annual idea pitch competition was held Tuesday, Oct. 4 in the L. William Seidman Center. More than 25 GVSU students took the stage one at a time to give their 90-second pitch to a panel of judges. The students were only given a microphone—no visual aids or props allowed. After their presentation, each student was asked a series of followup questions from the judges. Tom Peurach won the first place grand prize of $1,000 for “Tiny Home Community,” a plan to create small affordable homes, which provide a

SEE HEAVY | A9

GOVERNANCE

GV student wins $1,000 for tiny house project sense of ownership without a hefty financial gamble. “I wanted to solve the middle ground between the emptiness of renting apartments and jumping into the risks and large expenses of home ownership,” Peurach said. “There’s a great community for it right now, a lot of people are embracing the trend of tiny homes rather than this just being a fad.” Prospective residents could either purchase a tiny home or lease out a lot space for pricing competitive to renting an apartment. Peurach said the idea stemmed from his personal desire to live in a tiny home, which he has plans to do after college. Brittany Taylor placed second, winning $750 for “Pressure Ulcer Prevention” and the third place prize of $500 went to Aaron Schaafsma for “934 Bagwork.” The annual event is sponsored by the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO), along with the Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for En-

our defense. Jason Vander Laan was a great player that a lot of people in our building have respect for what he did, but this is going to be a different style of quarterback that we’re going to have to face.” The Bulldogs’ defense ranks fifth in points allowed per game (22) and third in yards allowed per game (346). The Bulldogs’ only loss came against Ashland (4-1, first in GLIAC South) at home, meaning this game could determine the outlook for the rest of their season should GVSU win. A 4-2 record heading into the rest of GLIAC play would not bode well for a team vying for a postseason berth. The Lakers will finally have the support of a Lubbers Stadium home crowd again against the Bulldogs. They are back home for the first time

ENTREPRENEUR: Tom Peurach holds his check for $1,000. His idea for building tiny homes won him first place at the idea pitch competition. GVL | EMILY FRYE

trepreneurship and Innovation. The event is open to all GVSU undergraduate and graduate students interested in starting a business or sharing a start-up idea. In order to participate in the competition, a student must register prior to the event to ensure their application meets all rules of eligibility. The panel of judges includes an array of entrepreneurs, business professionals, venture capitalists, alumni and angel investors. Pitches are scored based on the

clarity of presentation, identifying key competitors, presenting the market niche size and opportunity, how the investment will be used and the delivery of pitch. Contestants can earn up to 50 points, with an additional five points available in the event of a tiebreaker. CEO president Zoe Bruyn said the idea pitch competition is an experience to help students get a feel for what business competitions are

Every Thursday at 4:30 p.m., student senate President Ella Fritzemeier bangs her gavel to indicate the start of the student senate general assembly. Eight vice presidents sit to her left and right and 50 senators are seated in front of her. But the gallery, meant for people from the public to sit, stays mostly empty. The 50 student senators are responsible for representing the other 25,000 GVSU students. But what does student senate do? What do they work on? How are they involved on campus? Fritzemeier was appointed as student senate’s president in April and has been working to create a relationship between the student body and student senate since her first day as president. Part of fostering this relationship is helping GVSU students understand what the governing body does and what they are working on throughout the year. To help facilitate that knowledge

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