GV MEN’S HOOPS GOES 2-1 IN GAMES OVER HOLIDAY BREAK
GRAND VALLEY
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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 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, J A N U A RY 9 // VO L . 5 1 N O. 3 2
Following up Extended Campus Climate Survey results show commitment to diversity, varying comfort levels Overall Response Rate
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he expanded findings of Grand Valley State University’s 2015 Campus Climate Survey were released to the public Monday, Dec. 5 with data that confirmed and built upon the preliminary results announced in February 2016. According to the expanded findings report, the campus climate was assessed in terms of individuals’ experiences and perceptions of the campus environment, as well as their “perceptions of and recommendations for institutional actions related to inclusion, equity and campus climate.” “The idea is to get a sense of how people experience the campus, to really get a rich collection of data that lets us know where things are going well and where things could be improved,” said Andrew Plague, communications and project coordinator for the Division of Inclusion and Equity. Positive trends and results in the expanded findings include recordhigh participation in the survey with a 42 percent response rate and a significant percentage of respondents reporting they felt comfortable at GVSU. “Eighty-seven percent of respondents indicated that they were comfortable or very comfortable at Grand Valley,” Plague said. “That’s a lot better than national averages with similar surveys done at other colleges, but of course, even one person who doesn’t feel comfortable here is a problem.” According to the report, 77.6 percent of respondents believed GVSU is more “committed to diversity,” whereas only 62 percent of respondents reported the same in the 2005 survey, indicating another positive trend. Despite these results, the extended findings also revealed areas of discomfort among certain minority groups at GVSU. “On the less positive side, we do continue to see disparities with cer-
nd
BY EMILY DORAN NEWS@LANTHORN.COM
2015 2011 14% of respondents reported having
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11.0%
9%
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compared to 11% in 2011.
2015 tain identity groups on our campus, in particular transgender and gender non-conforming—or gender non-binary—community members, (people) of color, those with disabilities, as well as others that exist within underrepresented communities on our campus,”
2011
said Jesse Bernal, vice president of the Division of Inclusion and Equity. In fact, according to the report, “59 percent of those identifying as transgender and ‘other’ gender reported feeling ‘very comfortable’ or ‘comfortable’” at GVSU, while “75 percent of
GVL | CHASE HASPER
people of color reported feeling ‘very comfortable’ or ‘comfortable.’” “Those disparities (are) something that continue to be a concern for us and are something that call us to really just enhance the efforts we have ongoing to create a more inclusive and
TECHNOLOGY
welcoming environment for all of our community members,” Bernal said. Another negative trend is the increase in the percentage of responSEE SURVEY | A2
LIBRARY
Scholarworks program hits download milestone GV’s online database recently hit 3 million downloads, looks to see continued growth BY KYLE DOYLE ASSISTANTNEWS@LANTHORN.COM
Campus Dining launches new app ‘Tapingo’ A HASSLE-FREE EXPERIENCE: A Campus Dining worker makes a salad inside of the Connection on Grand Valley State University’s Allendale Campus Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. Campus Dining launched a new mobile app called ‘Tapingo’ which will allow students to pre-order and pre-pay for food on campus. GVL | LUKE HOLMES
Mobile app eliminates lines, hassle of ordering food BY MEGHAN MCBRADY MMCBRADY@LANTHORN.COM
Throughout the school year, students flood Grand Valley State University’s different dining establishments on the Allendale and Pew campuses. However, long lines and time crunches can often impede a student’s dining experience. Emphasizing how technology can remove the stressors of everyday transactions, Tapingo, a free food delivery and takeout mobile app available for Apple and Android phones, has partnered with GVSU’s Campus Dining in order to streamline student meals. With the app’s focus on easy mobile ordering to enhance customer experiences, Tapingo’s menu management section has allowed students from over 125 college campuses in the U.S. to order food from any
of the national brands on campus, schedule pick-ups and skip lines. “We’re excited to introduce this new technology,” said Deb Rambadt, marketing director for GVSU’s Campus Dining. “We expect it to enhance guest service and provide another level of convenience.” Once the app is downloaded, students can create an account by indicating GVSU as their affiliated university. Also, by adding a cell phone number and the 14-digit number on the back of a student’s GVSU identification card, thereby adding the student’s meal plan onto the app as well, all the participating dining locations will become accessible for students to then place their order. When a student’s order is ready, an email or text notification from Tapingo will be sent to the user. Frequent use of the app will also allow the app to analyze ordering preferences and will note if a certain
drink or sandwich is ordered on a particular day and will ask the user if they want to order it again. Jen Joachim, a GVSU sophomore, said downloading the app will be convenient when pre-ordering food or drinks from her apartment and will spare her from having to deal with lines. “I think that it would be a great thing because the lines can get ridiculously long,” Joachim said. “The Starbucks line can get really long in the mornings and between classes. I would definitely use the app because I don’t have time to wait in lines or be late to class.” Beth Hopkins, the vice president of campus affairs for student senate and co-chair of the food committee with Rambadt, said she is excited about the partnership between Tapingo and GVSU’s Campus Dining. Working with Campus Dining and the food establishments on
campus, Hopkins said the food committee’s relationship with Campus Dining is one of their healthiest relationships with an on-campus department. Hopkins said the app, which is responsive to student concerns and answers questions in a timely manner, is one way GVSU’s Campus Dining is working to create a worthwhile dining experience for GVSU students. “In my opinion, the app will help shorten wait times for students and will allow students the opportunity to enjoy a greater variety of Campus Dining options in a more convenient way,” Hopkins said. “I, personally, am very excited to see how the app changes the way students eat on campus and am very excited to use it myself.”
Many scholars publish research to gain credibility in their field and to be noticed by colleagues. Doing so helps them make progress in their careers and become candidates for grants and funding. However, some people at the undergraduate level simply may not have the resources, prestige or opportunity to publish research they’ve done in their field, whether it be groundbreaking or not. Luckily for students at Grand Valley State University, GVSU has a solution. Scholarworks is an online database for faculty and student research available for people around the world to access and use. The site has recently hit 3 million downloads (as of late September 2016), and that number is continuing to grow. “I’ve been watching the downloads per year and the downloads per month steadily grow, and it’s exciting to see because it means the research that is helping students, faculty and staff here is continuing to be useful,” said Matt Ruen, scholarly communications outreach coordinator at GVSU. In addition, Scholarworks hit a record with the most downloads of Frederik Meijer Honors College seSEE PROGRAM | A2
GO TO: www.gvsu.edu/campusdine/ FOR MORE INFORMATION
ONLINE: Callie Spytman and Lee Hewson in the library. GVL | SARA CARTE