Issue 24, November 16th, 2015 - Grand Valley Lanthorn

HOUSING GUIDE INSIDE GRAND VALLEY

OFFENSIVE BURST SENDS GV PAST QUINCY TO NEXT PLAYOFF ROUND

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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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16

NEWS

Over 6,678 students have on-campus jobs Of the 25,325 students enrolled at GVSU, one out of every four students are working an on-campus job, mainly through campus dining SEE A3

A&E

Kip Thorne to speak on science and art Renowned astrophysicist visits campus for the Fall Arts Celebration, lectures on Hollywood’s portrayal of space in “Interstellar” film SEE A6

SPORTS

GV men’s basketball opens season 2-0 The Laker men’s basketball team started its season off in strong fashion, beating Quincy and the University of Missouri - St. Louis SEE A7

ONLINE

See the GVSU vs SVSU full football gallery Couldn’t make it to the Battle of the Valleys game on Saturday? Make sure to check out the highlights with the Lanthorn’s online photo gallery SEE LANTHORN.COM

PLAYOFF BOUND

Lakers edge rival Cardinals in Battle of the Valleys

UNITY: Given the recent attacks in Paris, Matt Judon (9) carries the French flag across the field while the American flag is carried alongside. Grand Valley State bested rival Saginaw Valley State on Nov. 14 in Allendale by a final score of 24-17. The Lakers earned a bid into the 28-team Division II playoff. GVL | KEVIN SIELAFF

BY ADAM KNORR SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

n Saturday afternoon, Matt Judon charged onto the field, a French flag hoisted in his right arm, rippling in the wind. The Lakers had a rivalry game with crucial playoff implications ahead, but, for a moment prior to the game, Grand Valley State’s sentiments were elsewhere, giving a show of support for the victims of the attacks in Paris.

Before the greatly anticipated Battle of the Val-

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leys showdown began, the attendees at Lubbers Stadium turned their thoughts to those in mourning or still searching for loved ones across the pond.

Included in their thoughts was Carter Brown, a GVSU student who is currently studying abroad in Paris. Brown checked in with administrators early Saturday morning, confirming his safety.

About three hours later, GVSU football effectively confirmed its playoff safety.

The No. 14 Lakers improved to 10-2 overall, beating Saginaw Valley State 24-17 to narrowly avoid a stunning upset and secure a playoff bid. “(It was a) hard-fought victory. Credit to Sagi-

DIVERSITY

naw,” said GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell. “We knew coming in they had a physical defense, and said that all week, and they did.”

With the loss, SVSU dropped to 1-10 to wrap up its season, marking the worst season in program history.

GVSU’s offense tied its fewest points of the season, scoring 24 points against an SVSU defense that averaged 31.1 points per game heading into the game.

The high-powered Laker offense gained yards SEE FOOTBALL | A10

MENTAL HEALTH

Heading back to a (not so happy) home LGBT students struggle with acceptance during holiday season

BY ASHLYN KORIENEK AKORIENEK@LANTHORN.COM

President Thomas Haas and his wife, Marcia.

“I was looking to my left and right, and not only are there students out here, but President Haas and his wife and a few members of his cabinet are, too,” said student senate President Maddie Cleghorn. “These are people who have tons of things to be doing right now, but they’re all taking a moment to stand in solidarity and support. I hope Mizzou sees this and are encouraged by it.

“It’s incredibly powerful,” Cleghorn said.

“The fact that this is all organized by students to begin with, and the diversity of the students that showed up tonight in the freezing cold and rain, is incredibly powerful.”

One of main grievances of the students at MU is that while incidences of racism were reported to authorities, the university’s administration did not respond. The story was quite the opposite at GVSU, where administrators even helped provide lighting for the event. ““From the president through our faculty, staff and students there is a real concern and

oliday breaks are approaching, and campus will be nearly vacant as many Grand Valley State University students travel home to reunite with family. Many are relieved. Others have more uncomfortable feelings toward this time of the year.

Students face different personal situations when confronting the holiday break and spending time with family. However, many individuals within the LGBT community do not have healthy relationships with family or are estranged entirely.

Marla Wick, assistant director of the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center, said people in the LGBT community come from all different backgrounds and cultures. In college, she said, students articulate their identity or “authentic selves” in ways that were previously unavailable to them.

However, dealing with identity and expression during the holidays can add emotional trauma.

“Many of us take great joy during the holidays whether we choose to celebrate it or not,” Wick said. “Although, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time for some of us in the community.

During the holiday season, these new experiences and identities can conflict with old expectations, producing stress and feelings of alienation.”

In difficult or unsafe situations, Wick said the number one concern is the safety of the individual.

She said individuals who perceive the holidays as stressful need to engage in self-care, confirm their boundaries and not be afraid to take breaks.

“Experiencing a sense of distance or rejection from one’s family is painful,” Wick said. “Unfortunately, it is common for people in the LGBT community where identities can be the source of that rejection or distance.

“Sometimes it can be a relief just being in the presence of other people who hold the same identity or views.”

Despite this harsh reality, Wick said many within the community are supported by chosen family.

This family accounts for whoever the individual has developed a strong bond with in a network of support. She said this can assure connection with the LGBT community and validate identities in ways that the family of origin may not.

Scott Burden, graduate assistant at the center, said

SEE MIZZOU | A2

SEE LGBT | A2

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‘We Stand with Mizzou’ SUPPORT: Students gather to show their solidarity with the students at the University of Missouri on Nov. 12. Extreme wind and rain did not stop the Laker community members from carrying on with the demonstration. President Thomas Haas and his wife, Marcia, also attended. GVL | EMILY FRYE

More than 300 students show support for MU protesters

BY AUDRA GAMBLE EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

rayers, poems and pressing gales of wind surrounded approximately 300 members of the Grand Valley State University community as they took part in a “We Stand With Mizzou” demonstration Thursday night.

After a series of racially charged instances plagued the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, Missouri, students protested in a variety of ways last week. One student went on a week-long hunger strike, and members of the MU football team refused to play in their next game unless the university’s president resigned. Since then, the MU president and highest-level administrator have stepped down.

Amid these protests, students of color at Mizzou have received death threats on social media. In a showing of solidarity, students of all ethnicities joined hands around the Cook Carillon Tower on GVSU’s Allendale Campus to voice their sup-

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port for the students of color at MU. “All students should be able to attend the university of their choice, without harassment, danger, and distraction,” said Kim Jones, president of the GVSU chapter of the NAACP. “Nothing should interfere with our ultimate goal, which is gaining a higher level of education.

“We are taking a national stand against systematic racism in predominantly white institutions,” she said. “We hope to continue to challenge injustice and confront any issues at Grand Valley State University as well.”

The event began with a silent march from the Kleiner Marketplace to the Cook Carillon Tower, where members of many culturalbased student organizations read statements supporting their fellow students at MU. “It could have been us,” said Brianna Pannell, president of the Black Student Union at GVSU. “As students at a predominantly white institute, it is fairly difficult to have an identity that can both fit into our environment and our culture. “ Among the large crowd were multiple members of GVSU administration, including

NOVEMBER 16, 2015 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

A2 | NEWS NEWS BRIEFS STATISTICS CAREER DAY

Grand Valley State University is hosting Statistics Career Day on Nov. 20.

Students interested in careers within the field of statistics will network with professionals from local companies such as Steelcase, Perrigo, ASA/Southwest Michigan Chapter, MPI Research and Ally Insurance. This takes place from 10 a.m. to noon in the Kirkhof Center’s Grand River Room.

In addition to networking, students will hear a keynote address at 12:30 p.m. from David Morganstein, American Statistical Association president. Following the presentation, students will break up into five different rooms for presentations from other local companies until 3:30 p.m.

To register, go to www.bit.ly/1Mg2FNG. For additional information about the event, contact Robert Downer at downerr@gvsu.edu or (616) 331-2247.

WIND AND WAVES: While the weather this November has been much milder than last year, there have been a few days this fall that featured extraordinarily strong winds. On Nov. 12, the Grand Haven pier was closed due to waves nearly two stories high, crashing violently against the iconic pier.

INTERFAITH AND HEALTH CARE

The Kaufman Interfaith Institute will hold a seminar on Nov. 19 focusing on how hospices can better care for people from various religious, spiritual and secular backgrounds.

“Bridging the Gap: Understanding the Needs of Our Interfaith Community” has two different sessions. The first will take place in the morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the second is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Both sessions will take place in the Loosemore Auditorium, located at the DeVos Center on the Pew Campus.

The event is free and open to the general public.

Registration is required online at www.bit.ly/20V0Ey4.

For more information, call the Kaufman Interfaith Institute at (616) 331-5702.

“PAPER TIGERS” DOCUMENTARY SCREENING

As part of American Education Week, several Grand Valley State University departments are sponsoring a screening of the documentary “Paper Tigers” on Nov. 16.

Released in 2015, the film follows the lives of six Lincoln High School students with behavioral and substance abuse issues for one year. The documentary explores how these students are changed for the better after the school principal enacts a new approach to discipline.

The screening will take place at 6:15 p.m. at the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences inside the Hager Auditorium. At 8:45 p.m., a conversation with director James Redford over live-stream will begin. The event is free and open to the public. To RSVP, contact Jill Smalldon at smalldoj@gvsu.edu.

“THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE”

To educate the community on the Black Power Movement, the Grand Valley State University NAACP will show the documentary “The Black Power Mixtape” on Nov. 16.

In the film, influential figures of the Black Power Movement such as Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael and Huey P. Newton discuss the evolution of the movement in footage that was not released for decades.

The events will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in 2266 Kirkhof Center. It is LIB 100/201 approved.

For more information, contact gv.naacpem@gmail. com

HAUENSTEIN CENTER TO HOST PANEL ON PRESIDENT GERALD FORD

The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies will host a presentation examining the life of President Gerald R. Ford on Nov. 17.

Richard Norton Smith, a historian and expert on Ford, will present “Character and the Presidency: Gerald Ford.”

A panel of local experts will examine the character of Ford in contrast to presidential candidates today.

The presentation is will take place at 6 p.m. in the Loosemore Auditorium, located on the Pew Campus.

To RSVP, go to www.gvsu.edu/s/01p. For more information, go to www.hauensteincenter.org.

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commitment for the kind of place that Grand Valley is and the kind of place we’re trying to be, the kind of place that we will be,” said Dean of Students Bart Merkle.

Merkle was surprised at the large turnout for the peaceful demonstration, particularly in light of the lessthan-desirable weather. At one point, the wind became so strong that posters and signs were ripped out of students’ hands, smacking into the Cook Carillon Tower before blowing away.

“It’s a clear indication of just how strongly students on this campus feel,” Merkle said. “The fact is that there are some really awful things happening, not just at the University of Missouri, but on college campuses all across the

country, and I think this is a clear effort on the part of our students to say ‘enough.’”

The demonstration remained supportive and positive, but some GVSU students expressed their displeasure on social media. In particular, the anonymous app, Yik Yak, displayed multiple racist and derogatory posts on Thursday.

“I’m not racist but damn, I’m about to be if these protests won’t stop,” one poster wrote.

Another Yik Yak user wrote, “The way minorities handle racism gets them nowhere.

If one of your own gets shot, you destroy a city. Maybe if you were all more civil, s**t wouldn’t be like this.”

However, the negativity on social media did not permeate the NAACP demonstration. Demonstrators focused on supporting each other, as well as students at colleges across the U.S. “Student and people all

LGBT

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the fear that family will act harmfully when returning home and expressing identity may occur whether the individual is out or not. In this way, he said chosen family can provide a positive relationship and support.

“In general, going home to family can be difficult for those in the community,” Burden said. “The LGBT Re-

over the country deal with racial inequality,” said Jesse Bernal, vice president for the Division of Inclusion and Equity. “The diversity of people (at the demonstration), and what that means for us as a campus, is fantastic.”

Jones and the other student organization leaders encouraged students at the demonstration to fill out the Campus Climate survey, which opened Nov. 12, to share their experiences as a minority student at GVSU. “We just want to build inclusion,” Jones said. “That’s been the word the last few school years. We don’t want it to be black organizations and white organizations. It’s OK to come to events, it’s OK to come to our meetings, and we want to support some of yours. We want to build a bridge between the orgs.”

As a whole, Jones said the African American popula-

source Center is here to provide a safe space. Hopefully, students can find a chosen family and a support network here, which many have.”

Wick added that issues faced by marginalized populations typically struggle to make it into the public consciousness.

“These issues are perceived as simply not that significant, or worse, a function of individual choice,” she said.

“The mainstream focused on LGBT issues as almost exclusively tied to marriage for so long, it didn’t leave much

tion at GVSU feels administrators hear their voices, but she hopes to continue to build a better environment for students of color.

“Since we are the 5 percent here as far as blacks, we have a hard time connecting with our faculty,” she said.

“Some of our struggles are different, and we don’t want to feel like token students.”

In order to bridge that gap between students, Jones encourages students to broaden their horizons.

“I want to encourage (students) to go to a meeting of an org they wouldn’t necessarily go to and see what they can bring to the table,” Jones said.

“A lot of orgs are struggling with diversity, so put yourself out there. Socialize with people you wouldn’t normally socialize with and go in there with an open mind.

“We want to all support one another.”

room for other issues around access, health, equality and life chances.”

The LGBT Resource Center hosts a “Queer in the New Year” holiday celebration on Dec. 11 for those in the community to celebrate holiday festivities and discuss strategies in dealing with problematic situations.

GO TO: www.gvsu.edu/lgbtrc TO VIEW OTHER PROGRAMS & RESOURCES

NO. 24

Lan thorn EDITORIAL STAFF

ADVERTISING STAFF

Editor-in-Chief AUDRA GAMBLE

Advertising Manager MOLLY LABEFF

Associate Editor STEPHANIE BRZEZINSKI

Asst. Advertising Manager JORDAN COOPER

News Editor HANNAH LENTZ

Campus Accounts Manager

Sports Editor ADAM KNORR

Account Executives AMANDA FELLMAN JACKSON OZARK

A & E Editor CLAIRE FISHER Laker Life Editor MADDIE FORSHEE

PAIGE YOUNG

Ad Designer KELSEY KOLOKOWSKI BUSINESS STAFF

Image Editor KEVIN SIELAFF

Business Manager KATIE BALBOA

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Layout Designers CHASE HASPER

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ASHLEY VAN DYKE WEB TEAM TJ ZIMMERMAN

PROMOTIONS Promotions Team SYDNEY GIBSON

At the Lanthorn we strive to bring you the most accurate news possible. If we make a mistake, we want to make it right. If you find any errors in fact in the Lanthorn, let us know by calling 616-331-2464 or by emailing editorial@lanthorn.com.

The Grand Valley Lanthorn is published twice-weekly by Grand Valley State University students 62 times a year. One copy of this newspaper is available free of charge to any member of the Grand Valley Community. For additional copies, at $1 each, please contact our business offices.

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This means that our newspaper is entirely compostable. Help us do our part to be kind to the environment by recycling or composting this newspaper after you enjoy reading it.

POSTMASTER: Please send form 3579 to: Grand Valley Lanthorn 0051 Kirkhof Center Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI 49401

CULTURAL AWARENESS: Hanging in the doorway of the LGBT Resource Center, flags with words of encouragement stay up for students to look at. Some students find it hard to go home on Thanksgiving break because their families may not accept them. GVL | KASEY GARVELINK

THAT TRUE TEXAS TASTE IN THE HEART OF GRAND RAPIDS HORSESHOE SMOKEHOUSE STUDENT DEAL: $10 SANDWICH, SIDE & BEER MONDAY - THURSDAY 333 GRANDVILLE AVE SW, GRAND RAPIDS WWW.HORSESHOEGR.COM

NOVEMBER 16, 2015 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

NEWS | A3

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT

25 percent of GV students found to work on campus

BY DREW HOWARD ASSISTANTNEWS@LANTHORN.COM

n addition to classwork, social obligations and extracurricular activities, many students at Grand Valley State University also work jobs on the side to pay the bills. On campus, there are 6,678 students in this situation.

This means that out of the 25,325 students currently enrolled at GVSU, one out of every four students are working an on-campus job.

Maureen McElroy, student employment assistant at GVSU

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LAKER JOBS: Campus dining worker Raevyn Lester serves a customer. There are currently 6,678 students at GVSU with jobs on campus. New jobs have been provided through the addition of Argo Tea, Which Which and Starbucks. GVL | EMILY FRYE

Financial Aid, said the Aramark Corp. provides most of the campus jobs available for students.

“Campus dining is the largest employer, with over 1,000 students,” McElroy said. “Aramark (campus dining) has added something new every year, though there won’t be too much of an increase in jobs this year. I would say Aramark has added new jobs since 2010 or so.”

New jobs in campus dining are the result of increased dining options over the past few years such as Argo Tea, Which Which and Starbucks. Other popular areas of employment on campus include athletics/campus recreation, public safety, facilities and housing, said McElroy.

When looking at what types of students are employed, McElroy said student employees tend to be upperclassmen.

“The freshmen on campus, they’re learning the ropes about school, so you don’t see too many freshmen working,” she said. “It’s usually students in their junior or senior year (who are hired). But, a lot of students who start working in freshman year will work the whole four years in the same department.”

While employees on campus are more often than not upperclassmen, employers do not place preference based on class standing.

“The philosophy of on-campus employment is like any other open market structure,” said Luis Lozano, assistant director of GVSU Financial

Aid. “Students must actively engage in the job search process by identifying jobs through LakerJobs. Once an opportunity has been identified, the student -- regardless of class standing -will have to go through the process of applying, interviewing and ultimately being selected for the position.”

In terms of minimum wage, McElroy said on-campus employers are actually ahead of the curve.

“The state minimum wage is going to go up to $8.50 an hour in January, but (GVSU) started that in September at the beginning of the academic year,” she said. “That’s basically where everybody starts. There are more involved positions that have more responsibilities, so the departments may pay those a little bit more.”

According to a GVSU annual report, the university paid student employees a total of $14,509,669 in wages in the 2014-15 academic year.

In the same year, student employees averaged an earning of $2,204.

With an increase in minimum wage, jobs on campus have continued to rise substantially over the past few years.

“There are always job openings throughout the semester,” Lozano said. “Our recommendation is to look at LakerJobs as it is a live site and will reflect what is available both on and off-campus.”

GO TO:

http://bit.ly/1WUxEXN FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ON-CAMPUS JOBS

PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES

Hauenstein Center accepts $1 million donation

BY LUCAS ESCALADA LESCALADA@LANTHORN.COM

he Grand Valley State University Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies received a $1 million donation on Nov. 6.

The donation came from businessman J.C. Huizenga and his wife, Tammy Huizenga. According to Hauenstein Center Director Gleaves Whitney, the donation will be used to improve the center’s efforts in the university.

Whitney said GVSU President Thomas Haas considers the Hauenstein Center a “core business.” Even though it is outside the classroom, it still provides an essential service for students.

The center provides a variety of services for students: The Cook Leadership Academy serves 60 students to aid in all levels of leadership development. In a broader capacity, the Common Ground Initiative provides an open forum for discussion among individuals.

The Common Ground Initiative brings a variety of great speakers to GVSU, Whitney said.

Last year, Princeton professors Cornel West and Robert George visited the Eberhard Center.

The donation from the Huizenga family will help develop this program. The funds will be used to bring more speakers to GVSU that can further the center’s developmental goals.

“The only way democratic institutions

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can work is to get people with these diverse viewpoints together, and teach them the ways they can listen to each other and work with each other to get democracy moving again,” Whitney said. “We have got to get our democracy moving again.”

The initiative has hosted a variety of speakers that demonstrate the value of discussion and debate among colleges.

The Hauenstein Center also hosts a library that is unique. Whitney said it is the only place on Earth where one can find all the writings of the presidents of the United States. The center also has a fellowship for people who represent great leadership on the national level.

The gift from the Huizenga family will also help expand the center’s other efforts.

From the development of students to the increased resources needed to provide better tools for the university.

J.C. and Tammy Huizenga are good friends with Ralph Hauenstein, Whitney said. The center tries to channel Hauenstein’s leadership, and the Huizenga family is trying to help the center fulfill his ideas.

The founder of the center is over 100 years old, Whitney said, and his teachings still shape what the organization wants to do for students.

Whitney said there is one quotation from Ralph Haunstein that still shapes the runs through everything the center does: “In the 20th century, I saw with my own

eyes the worst that leaders are capable of.

In the 21st century, I want to encourage the best leadership possible, so that the world will be better for my children’s children.”

Whitney said that phrase from Hauenstein connects the center and the Huizenga family to what he wanted to accomplish.

With the $1 million donation, Whitney wants the Hauenstein Center programming to become the best in the Midwest. He said he wants it to be a center for leadership excellence.

“We want our students to have a diversity of experiences to equip them for a tough world,” Whitney said.

GIVING: J.C. and Tammy Huizenga pose for photos. The Huizengas donated $1 million to the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies Nov. 6 to improve the center’s efforts at GVSU. COURTESY | GVNOW.COM

LAKER FOR A LIFETIME

Alumni Association live-streams lip-sync Technology used to connect with widespread grads

BY MEGHAN MCBRADY MMCBRADY@LANTHORN.COM

s part of a new initiative taken by Grand Valley State University, the alumni relations and development teams have begun live-streaming events to former GVSU students across the globe.

The first live-stream was the lipsync competition during homecoming week in October. The GVSU Alumni Association gave graduated GVSU students the opportunity to interact, watch and be part of the singing and dancing competition on campus even when they were miles away.

Alexis Rangel, the assistant director of alumni relations, indicated that the experiment with the alumni development team was innovative partnership between both departments to keep the alumni who are currently in and out of the U.S. connected with their Laker roots.

“This is the first time that we have ever done a live-stream on video and so we were pretty excited and nervous to test it out,” Rangel said. “We collaborated with the web team and the Office

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WEB: A student group performs at the lip sync concert on Oct. 21. This year’s event was live-streamed across the globe. GVL | KASEY GARVELINK

of Student Life to make this a reality, as we have been brainstorming this for a while and we never thought we had the technology to do it until we talked to the web team and saw that we can make this an interactive experience.”

Rangel also noted that allowing the users to vote on who they considered to be the best team added excitement to the event.

It was the Greek alumni at GVSU who were the most active participants and used the live-stream to its full extent.

“We look for opportunities that make sense and with lip-sync it was a perfect opportunity, as it is a large event, to make it interactive for those alums who cannot make it back to campus,” she said. “It did seem from social media excitement from Twitter and Facebook that a lot of it was from Greek life. Lip-sync is so popular among Greek organizations, so I think it was just exciting for the Greek alums to support their fraternities or sororities, who are ultimately their families, and give them that push to help them win.”

While there are no an initial plans for further live-streaming events, Rangel said the Alumni Association hopes to do more events like livestreaming the lip-sync competition

and keep the alumni connected to the university, no matter where they are.

She added that if any of the alumni want a particular event filmed, they should email or call alumni relations at the Alumni House on the Allendale Campus.

PJ Sallans, a 2015 GVSU alum and current student at the University of Michigan school of dentistry, said she appreciates that the GVSU Alumni Association is still active with its former students. Work needs to be done in regard to the syncing program, she said, but she enjoyed reminiscing and seeing current students be active on campus.

“I thought it was a great idea, especially the chat, as it was great to see alum talking,” Sallans said. “I would say it was basically 100 percent alum from Greek life and that the only bad thing was that the lag was terrible sometimes. It would show a paused image with choppy music and then speed it up super fast, kind of like it was fastforwarding until it caught up to where it was live. That was super annoying, but overall I thought it was great.”

GO TO: http://bit.ly/1kz7xVm MORE INFORMATION

A4 | OPINION EDITORIAL

Embrace the gray area

NOVEMBER 16, 2015 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

GVL EDITORIAL CARTOON

By Leah Fishwick

Demonstration shows GV how to explore both sides ore than 300 students, faculty and staff attended a peaceful demonstration at Grand Valley State University last week in support of students of color at the University of Missouri. This is how free speech is supposed to work. Students joined together for a cause and were respectful and positive, giving strength to each other while speaking their minds.

The students at the NAACP demonstration didn’t put anyone else down, but they made their point clearly and effectively. The Lanthorn commends the attendees of the demonstration for their upstanding behavior.

According to GVSU Institutional Analysis, 1,140 students at GVSU identify as African American/black, amounting to only 5.2 percent of the undergraduate student population. There are more than 18,000 white undergraduates on this campus, amounting to 82.6 percent of the university as a whole.

In the Lanthorn article, “We Stand with Mizzou,” NAACP President Kim Jones encouraged students to attend a student organization meeting they wouldn’t normally go out of their way to participate in. By simply attending a meeting or going to a new event, students could gain a new perspective on a situation. Even if one doesn’t agree with everything that is being discussed, it never hurts to learn about how someone else experiences an idea or event. This exposure to new world views can help Lakers make an educated opinion on a complex idea.

As the old adage states, you never really know someone unless you walk a day in their shoes. As cliche as this may seem, it makes sense.

How can you properly evaluate a situation without at

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least considering both sides or another perspective? Be engaged, be interested, be respectful and make sure that your opinions don’t reflect a lack of consideration.

All too often in today’s world, we formulate opinions and stick to our guns without truly considering the power of a back-and-forth dialogue.

Major political and societal issues are almost never blackand-white, yet agenda-driven groups try to sway the public to taking a concrete, absolute stand on one side of the issue.

This is not conducive to progress. We live in an age where sharing information across the world is as easy as the click of a button. It’s also an age of entitlement and excessive self-assuredness.

Healthy dialogue between disagreeing sides can be disregarded in the interest of pushing an agenda or belief.

People start to think of rebuttals immediately, rather than truly considering what the other side has to say.

In all issues, support and opposition are good things.

We’re at a place where ideas are encouraged to be shared, and we’re exposed to thousands of students who don’t think the same way we do.

Too often, this disagreeing factor becomes an uncrossable chasm rather than an opportunity for growth. This unique environment won’t exist after college, at least not to the same extent. Students at GVSU should take advantage of the opportunity to expand their experiences while they still have the chance.

Talk to each other. Learn more about why others see an issue differently than you do. Question people. Question yourself. College is a time for education. Don’t become bogged down in opinion and forget to grow. There’s a whole lot of gray area in this world, and now’s the time to sink yourself into it.

GV L E D ITO R IA L BOA RD AUDRA GAMBLE STEPHANIE BRZEZINSKI HANNAH LENTZ ADAM KNORR CLAIRE FISHER MADDIE FORSHEE

Editor-in-Chief Associate editor News editor Sports editor A&E editor Laker Life editor

WHAT IS A LANTHORN? Lant • horn, n. [old English] Lanthorn is two syllables, pronounced Lant-horn. It is a lantern that was used in midto-late 16th century Europe. It was constructed of leather and a

single lens made of a thin piece of ox or steer horn. It was used for illumination and as a beacon.

The Grand Valley Lanthorn slogan is: “Give light and the people will find their own way.”

editorial@lanthorn.com

Navigating India: Week nine

Becoming disenchanted with the Taj Mahal

BY RACHEL BORASHKO EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

eaving behind the povertyladen scene of New Delhi, we travelled by car to Agra. We spent only a short 24 hours there, since there’s only one real reason that people visit Agra. It is the home of one of the New Seven Wonders of the World—the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal contains the tomb of Shah Jahan and his favorite wife, Mumtaz, for whom

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of beautiful Muslim and Hindu architecture in India, yet everyone seems only to know of the Taj Mahal. Even Agra Fort, where Shah Jahan was kept by his son, is not given the credit it deserves.

It is gorgeously designed and includes a Sheesh Mahal—a palace of mirrors—that easily reckons with the beauty of more glorified monuments.

My favorite architecture we found the following day in Jaipur. Prior to researching India with the prospects of coming here a year ago, I’m sure that I didn’t even know Jaipur existed. Yet, in just a few short days, I fell in love with the area. It contains the Amer Fort, which is strikingly large and has astonishingly well-preserved architecture from 1592 when compared to many other Indian structures built so long ago. It also contains a Sheesh Mahal that I find mesmerizing.

The fort does not have

a fanciful origin story of love and loss, but rather it was built simply to fulfill its purpose as a fort and palace.

For me, this makes it more beautiful. It was practical. It was not built so much to be looked at as it was to be used.

It was a home, a court, a palace -- not a sightseeing spot.

In Jaipur, one can look around to see shops and houses as usual, but then look up, and you see the wall of the fort. It feels like you’re in ancient times. Our hotel was a small family-run hotel on a hill. From the roof, you could see a great portion of the city: the present day co-existing with the ancient ruins that surround them.

I am reminded through our tour that India is everything. It is depressing, uplifting, disgusting, beautiful, ancient, modern, heartbreaking and wonderful.

And that’s why I love it.

Unlimited printing isn’t sustainable

BY DANIELLE ZUKOWSKI EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

rand Valley State University is known as one of the most sustainable universities in the nation. Lakers appear on nearly every list for being environmentally friendly.

At many campus dining locations and academic buildings, there are bins for compost, recyclable plastics and paper. However, there are still many significant sources of waste that could be altered to continue making the university the greenest school it could be.

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GVL OPINION POLICY The goal of the Grand Valley Lanthorn’s opinion page is to act as a forum for public discussion, comment and criticism in the Grand Valley State University community. Student opinions published here do not necessarily reflect those of the paper as an entity.

The Grand Valley Lanthorn aims to be a safe vehicle for community discussion. The Lanthorn will not publish or entertain any forms of hate speech, but will not discriminate against any other views, opinions or beliefs. The content, information and views expressed are not approved by nor necessarily represent those of the university, its Board of Trustees, officers, faculty or staff.

Reader submissions on the opinion page appear as space permits, and are reserved for letters to the editor only,

the masterpiece was built. Only replicas of their tombs can be seen by the public, with the originals deeper in the ground.

The building itself is made of white marble, inlaid with beautiful floral designs and the Islamic morning, evening and night prayers. On one side of the mausoleum is a mosque, and on the other a guest house that has never had guests, for the purpose of architectural symmetry.

Upon the death of his wife, Shah Jahan commissioned the building as a symbol of his love for her. During the last years of his life, Shah Jahan was kept under house arrest by his son, held a short distance away at the Agra Fort. Rumor has it that he died in a tower where he had full view of the Taj Mahal.

While the Taj is beautiful and has a beautiful history, I must admit that I find it overrated. There is plenty

One example is printing.

Through talks with friends from many different universities, it’s become apparent how fantastic the printing policies are here. Free and unlimited printing? Sounds great. We can print as much as we want at no cost. For students such as myself, it is extremely valuable academically to have a printed copy of notes, assignments and readings. GVSU gives us the unquestioned ability to print resources as we see fit. However, if it intends to be green, is this really the best policy?

On www.gvsu.edu/ sustainability, the Office of Sustainability Practices lists the current efforts to minimize waste of paper. For instance, double-sided printing is automatically selected in most computer labs. In addition, if teachers use Blackboard to post class materials, they can reduce paper handouts. These are great steps, but student accountability and printing policies contribute to further enhancing these efforts.

It is amazing that as poor

college students struggling to pay rent, we don’t have to worry about paying to print academic materials, but we should not take this for granted. Before printing off materials, consider the necessity. Do you need to photocopy 100 pages of a textbook? Could you just take notes off the online resource? I personally hate online books, but that’s the only option for my statistics section. I read the online text and take paper notes.

In order for Blackboard to be an effective source of waste minimization, students must also use the tool. If teachers are posting academic materials electronically, use them electronically. Many lecture-based science classes post PowerPoints online prior to class. PowerPoint has an option to add notes if you want the lecture and your notes to be attached. Notes can also be taken on Microsoft Word or Google Drive.

There’s also the less-green option of following the PowerPoint either on a projector

or on a laptop, tablet or cell phone, then taking notes by hand. It is most likely that these notes will be fewer pages than the PowerPoint, therefore saving paper. Another option if you decide to print a PowerPoint is to select three slides per page instead of printing whole pages and keep the default duplex printing.

As for university policy, although I appreciate that printing is free and unlimited in order to be both green and economical, perhaps some regulations should be considered. If there is some kind of cap, it could be helpful to encourage student accountability, reduce paper waste and cost less for the university.

Sometimes it is necessary to print longer documents, but maybe students should be required to go to the help desk if print jobs go over a certain number. Increasing sustainability efforts in regard to printing should be a student and faculty discussion. Collaboration is necessary to be even greener.

VALLEY VOTE

THIS ISSUE’S QUESTION

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Do you plan to sign up to be an active bystander?

Would you consider going to a cultural student organization meeting that you don’t identify with?

Beware of fraudulent phone calls

I already did Yes No

11% 67% 22%

LOG ON & VOTE www.lanthorn.com

By Kelly Smith www.lanthorn.com

QUESTION OF THE ISSUE WOULD YOU CONSIDER GOING TO A CULTURAL STUDENT ORGANIZATION MEETING THAT YOU DON’T IDENTIFY WITH? WHY OR WHY NOT? JANELLE SHANKIN

ARIANA JORDAN

“It depends on what the other culture is and my reasons for wanting to go. It changes with the times.”

“Yes, because it’s important for students to know what’s happening besides what’s happening in their culture. Diversity is key.”

YEAR: Sophomore MAJOR: Human Resource Management HOMETOWN: Commerce, Michigan

YEAR: Senior MAJOR: Communications HOMETOWN: Chicago, Illinois

BRIAN SCHROTENBOER

MARILYN SZUDZIK

“Yes. Personally, I’ve traveled a lot, and it’s always an eye-opening experience to talk to people with a different background than you.”

“I would. I’d like to lean about another culture, but I might be intimidated to go alone.”

YEAR: Senior MAJOR: Geology HOMETOWN: Hudsonville, Michigan

YEAR: Senior MAJOR: Psychology HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids, Michigan

NOVEMBER 16, 2015 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

NEWS | A5

PADNOS CENTER

GV celebrates International Education Week

INTERNATIONAL LEARNING: Padnos International Center student worker, Manraj Jabbal, helps a student in Lake Ontario on Oct. 3. Grand Valley State University will be celebrating International Education Week Nov. 16 to Nov. 20, with different events happening each day of the week, highlighting a different area of the world. The week is celebrated on college campuses all across the U.S. each year. GVL | SARA CARTE

BY TAYLOR FUSSMAN TFUSSMAN@LANTHORN.COM

tudents at Grand Valley State University will have the opportunity to experience cultures from all around the world by participating in International Education Week.

International Education Week (IEW) is celebrated on campuses all across the U.S. every year as an opportunity to celebrate the various benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.

This year, IEW occurs from Nov. 16 to Nov. 20, with a specific event occurring on each day of

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the week to highlight a different region of the world.

“Students who have studied abroad and international students from that region will talk about their experiences and share photos, videos, food and music from the region,” said Alissa Lane, the outreach coordinator at the Padnos International Center. “The event will give students the opportunity to learn more about cultures, languages and student experiences and will also give them the chance to learn about our partner universities in the region.”

Although GVSU has been participating in IEW for several years, this is reportedly the first year study abroad open houses are held along with the other scheduled events.

According to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, it is the joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences with the U.S. Lane said the Padnos International Center sees the importance of celebrating IEW because GVSU is a global community and the diversity at GVSU demonstrates the necessity of IEW. “Whether you’re an international student, have studied abroad or are just interested in learning more about places and cultures around the world, you’re a part of a diverse group of peo-

ple and experiences that make GVSU a more interesting place and I think it’s important to highlight that,” Lane said.

Since GVSU is home to over 400 international students, representing over 80 different countries from around the world, IEW will reportedly be a chance for students from several different regions to share their global Laker stories.

“Many students come back from study abroad and are so inspired and enthusiastic about sharing their experiences,” Lane said, “But oftentimes, after their friends and family hear a few stories, there’s no opportunity for students to talk about what they went through. These events give students a chance to talk about their experiences

abroad and for others to hear their stories and maybe be inspired to start their own study abroad.”

The week’s events include Latino Dance Night in the Cook-DeWitt Center on Monday at 9 p.m., an International Potluck in the Niemeyer West Living Center on Tuesday at 6 p.m., an International Video Conversation in the Mary Idema Pew Library on Wednesday at 4 p.m., a Global Careers event in the Kirkhof Center on Thursday at 4 p.m. and International Tea and Games in the Kirkhof Center on Friday at 3 p.m.

GO TO: http://1.usa.gov/1OaCSqz FOR MORE INFORMATION

DEDICATION

Latina educator honored with legacy scholarship award

BY KATHERINE WEST KWEST@LANTHORN.COM

t the annual Hispanic Gala and Awards in October, a big announcement was made. A renamed scholarship and new endowment fundraising partnership honoring Lupe Ramos-Montigny was introduced to honor her hard work and dedication in the field of education.

Grand Valley State University students Christopher Lopez and Jessica Solis received the scholarship at the annual Hispanic Gala. Both of these

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students were participants in Laker Familia, an orientation and support program for Latino students and their families.

“In short, I felt not only humbled but inspired by the entire experience,” Lopez said.

“We have come so far over the years, but we still have so much farther to go. I know I will play a part in changing the world for Latinos and all people alike -- the scholarship solidified that feeling for me.”

Lopez said the award puts in perspective how different the world is now from 50 years ago.

“Surrounded by so many Latinos that have overcome numerous adversities and contin-

ue to on an everyday basis is, to say the least, an almost surreal experience,” Lopez said. “It inspires you to change the world much like Lupe has done and continues to do for so many people. What I believe, in reference to the scholarship and the gala, is that the entire event is meant to portray -- not only to the scholarship recipients but to the general public and all Latinos -- one single phrase: Sí, se puede. Yes, we can. We all can be a part of the change.”

Solis also said the award was a great honor.

“I felt extremely honored to be receiving the Lupe RamosMontigny ‘Si Se Puede’ Legacy

Scholarship Award,” Solis said.

“The entire experience reminded me to be proud of where my family comes from and why I work hard in school. Lupe has not only inspired me to keep working hard, but to give back to the Latino community. I hope I can continue to make the community proud.”

Connie Dang, director of the GVSU Office of Multicultural Affairs, said she has worked on the Cesar Chavez Unity Committee with Ramos-Montigny for five years. In addition to hosting the Hispanic Gala and Awards, the committee sponsors the Cesar E. Chavez Social Justice March and the Cinco de

GALA: President Thomas J. Haas, Jessica Solis, Christopher Lopez, Lupe Ramos-Montigny and Jesse Bernal pose. COURTESY | GVNOW.COM

Mayo Celebration.

“Today, in her retirement, Lupe still cultivates a harvest of civic engagement, cultural unity, gender equity and educational leadership,” Dang said.

Ramos-Montigny retired in 2008 after serving as a teacher and building principal for Grand Rapids Public Schools. She was elected to

the State Board of Education in 2012, being the first Latina to hold an office in the Michigan Democratic Party. RamosMontigny also assisted in the establishment of the committee to honor César E. Chávez.

GO TO: http://bit.ly/1HNnmBV FOR MORE INFORMATION

A6 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ARTS AT A GLANCE COMFORT MOOD: SONGS OF SENTIMENT

The Grand Valley State University Art Gallery will host “Comfort Mood: Songs of Sentiment” at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16 in the Performing Arts Center Art Gallery, Room 1121.

The show will feature music of love and nostalgia by Strauss, Grieg, Duparc, Fauré and Liszt.

There will be pieces for cello and voice by Rachmaninoff and Previn. Performers include soprano Jessica Louise Coe, pianist Brendan Hollins and cellist Kevin Flynn.

The event is free and open to the public. To find out more, visit www.gvsu.edu/artgallery.

DOCUMENTARY SCREENING: “WHAT IS PHILANTHROPY?”

At noon on Nov. 17, the Bike Factory in the Johnson Center for Philanthropy will host a screening of the documentary “What is Philanthropy?”

“What is Philanthropy?” aims to enhance the viewers’ understanding of the concept of giving and its role in their lives and in society.

The film takes a holistic view of philanthropy by presenting its historical context with contemporary issues and including various perspectives from a wide variety of stakeholders.

The film was an official selection for four film festivals in 2014 and was nominated for an Eclipse Award for best documentary in West Michigan in 2015.

Coffee, tea and water will be provided, but attendees should bring a lunch.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.bit.ly/1Nytsmu.

EXHIBIT

Blue Wall Gallery displays student photography

BY MARISSA LAPORTE MLAPORTE@LANTHORN.COM

limpses of wildlife, natural resources and the people of South Africa can be seen while strolling past the new exhibit on the Blue Wall Gallery in the DeVos Center, located on Grand Valley State University’s Pew Campus.

“I think it’s interesting that the (Blue Wall Gallery) is a passive space,” said David Newell, GVSU curator of exhibitions. “It’s in the background and you can move by it daily and take in bits and pieces as you go by. It is an extension of your world as you’re moving through that space. It increases your awareness, and that’s really what (GVSU) is about.

It increases your view of the world.”

Hannah Mico, a GVSU student with a double major in photography and resource management, said she was able to increase her view of the world during her study abroad trip to South Africa. In the spring/ summer of 2015, she returned with photo-

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graphs and experiences she wanted to share with GVSU and its community. In partnership with GVSU’s Art Gallery Department, Mico successfully created a display of her photographs and observations while studying resource management in South Africa.

The display, “To Sustain a Continent: An Exploration of South African Resource Management,” opened on Nov. 3 and will be up through Dec. 17 on GVSU’s Blue Wall Gallery. A two-hour opening reception for the gallery was held on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Blue Wall Gallery, where Mico invited GVSU faculty to ask her questions and discuss the gallery.

Through GVSU’s Padnos International Center, Mico studied resource management at Kruger National Park in South Africa while participating in a home-stay living situation with a family that resided in one of the villages.

Mico said it was a great experience to be able to tie in both of her majors with her study abroad experience.

During her stay in South Africa, Mico said she noticed some parallels between

EVENING OF SONG WITH CAITLIN CUSACK

Caitlin Cusack, a GVSU alumna, will provide an evening of song with Brendan Hollins on piano and featuring Sarah Dowell on violin.

The concert will take place at 7 p.m. on Nov. 17 in the Performing Arts Center Art Gallery.

They will perform the “Alphabet City Cycle” by Georgia Stitt and Marcy Heisle as well as pieces by Kurt Weill, Maury Yeston, Maltby & Shire and others.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to www.gvsu.edu/artgallery

SEASON PREMIERE OF “TWISTING FATE”

The mythology club has partnered with Grand Rapids Community Television to host a viewing of the season premiere of “Twisting Fate” on Nov. 18 in Room 2270 of the Kirkhof Center at 8 p.m.

“Twisting Fate” is a television show that explores the impact that mythology still has on modern life and on humanity.

The show follows Fate, a power in the world greater than the gods of Mount Olympus. The story follows the struggle between Fate and the gods.

The figures of mythology have been trapped in mortal bodies and are doomed to repeat their mistakes in a never-ending cycle of reincarnation for all eternity.

Hayden, the hero, is the only one with the power to break the curse and free the gods. He can only do this by “Twisting Fate.”

The event is free and open to the public. Contact the mythology club president and “Twisting Fate” director Natalie Pacholke at twistingfategvstate@gmail.com or pacholkn@mail.gvsu.edu for questions or information about joining the club.

STOIC WEEK

GVSU is participating in a week-long exploration of stoicism. Lectures will take place on Nov. 16, Nov. 18 and Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. in Au Sable Room 2120.

The week will conclude with a lecture at 4 p.m. on Nov. 20 in the Mackinac Hall BLL 110 Caseroom.

The community is invited to attend lectures to adopt the stoic practice of “exercitatio” as a means to consider the practical implications of stoic ethics in the modern world, to explore the foundations of stoic cognitive resilience and to participate in mindfulness practice.

The events are hosted by the department of classics with the support of CLAS, the Dean of Students, Brooks College, the Honors College, the Dean of Libraries and the department of philosophy.

For more information, look online at www.gvsu. edu/classics.

VISITING WRITERS SERIES: NINA MCCONIGLEY

The visiting writers series will bring in author Nina McConigley for a craft-talk and reading on Nov. 17 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. McConigley will speak with GVSU students in Kirkhof Center Room 2215.

At 6 p.m., she will hold a reading and a book-signing in the Cook-DeWitt Center.

She is the author of the story collection “Cowboys and East Indians,” which won the 2014 PEN Open Book Award and a High Plains Book Award. She has been a fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and for “The Best New American Voices.”

She teaches at the University of Wyoming and at the MFA program at the Warren Wilson Program for Writers.

The event is free and open to the public. To learn more, visit www.gvsu.edu/writing.

TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992

PHOTOGRAPHY: Hannah Mico, GVSU photo student, poses with her home stay family in the village of Makuleke, just Northwest of Kruger National Park. COURTESY | HANNAH MICO

resource management in South Africa and resource management in the U.S. “Resource management issues aren’t only in America,” Mico said. “Mainly what I want people to take away (from the display) as a whole is that the environmental issues we have aren’t singular to a certain place. There are issues that we see as someone else’s issues because they aren’t next door to us, but these issues are universal.”

Newell helped Mico create this art gallery display. Newell said that during her study abroad trip, Mico was able to witness successes and failures in resource management, and she had the opportunity to learn by experiencing the things taking place in front of her.

“To see beyond the classroom is one of the biggest (learning experiences),” Newell said. “I think you learn more that way. There are opportunities out there for you to expand your education. There are programs through Padnos International Center where you can study abroad and tie it back in to your major area study.”

Mico said she saw population control and drought issues in South Africa that were very similar to the population control and drought issues in America.

Mico said that the gallery allows her to share her study abroad experience with others and she hopes that it inspires them to believe that they can have a similarly eye-opening experience through GVSU’s study abroad program.

Newell said this gallery is unique because it includes the culture, animals, people and natural resources of South Africa and other students can learn about South Africa from viewing the display.

For more information about upcoming or past art gallery displays, visit www.gvsu.edu/artgallery. For more information about GVSU’s Padnos International Center and study abroad programs, visit www.gvsu.edu/pic.

FALL ARTS CELEBRATION

Kip Thorne to visit for Fall Arts Celebration

BY CLAIRE FISHER ARTS@LANTHORN.COM

cience and art will collide with a visit from astrophysicist Kip Thorne as part of this year’s Fall Arts Celebration.

Thorne will visit Grand Valley State University and give his lecture “Discovery and Collaboration” at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16 in the Eberhard Center on the Pew Campus. Thorne is a theoretical physicist who served as the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech. His research has focused on Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity and astrophysics, specifically looking at black holes and gravitational waves. He is also a cofounder of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) Project.

Thorne will discuss his

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work on the movie “Interstellar” and what it was like to collaborate with professionals in the movie industry.

“The lecture is about my collaboration with filmmakers, but also with artists and musicians at the interface between science and the arts,” Thorne said. “I’ll give some sense of what it’s like for a hard-nosed scientist to spend his whole career doing science and then to enter into the world of Hollywood.”

For Thorne, movies like “Interstellar” help convey complicated scientific ideas in an accessible format. He said it is necessary to work with artists to create a visual, even during research so discoveries can be communicated to others.

“I don’t know how you convey the ideas of this sort effectively without at least the aid of art, of visuals,” Thorne

said. “You can’t even do research without the aid of visuals. The interface with art and film is central to our research as well as to our communication with nonscientists.”

Physics professor Brett Bolen said non-science students would benefit from Thorne’s lecture, learning about the value of interdis-

ciplinary collaboration.

“I hope that everyone who attends the talk recognizes there’s a place in the world for artists to understand to science and for scientists to understand art,” Bolen said.

LOG ON TO: www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

INTERSTELLAR: Astrophysicist Kip Thorne will speak at GVSU as part of the annual Fall Arts Celebration. COURTESY | MARK SCHEEL

PERFORMANCE SERIES

Arts at Noon celebrates history in music

BY DANIEL GOUBERT DGOUBERT@LANTHORN.COM

he latest performers in Grand Valley State University’s “Arts at Noon” music and performance series brought over 800 years’ worth of history and sound to the audience.

On Nov. 11, the Cook-DeWitt Center hosted Alhaji Papa Susso, a West African griot. Acting as the historians and memory-keepers of their tribes, griots like Papa Susso use music to commemorate important traditions, events and customs.

Like many griots, Papa Susso’s instrument of choice is the kora, an African harp-lute with 21 strings. Papa Susso said the musical strength of the kora comes from audience reactions.

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“It’s a very powerful instrument, and it’s very beautiful…because people love it,” he said. “Each time we perform, we let people dance. We want you to join with us to sing.

We just want to make you feel happy.”

Papa Susso was accompanied on stage by his three-person musical ensemble.

This included his son, Mousa Diabate playing the konting and Fatim Diabate, who sang and led audience members onto the stage to dance alongside her.

Among these audience members was Wesley Swartz, who said joining the performance was an exercise in letting loose.

“I had fun (getting pulled up on stage to dance),” Swartz said. “That’s the most important part, I had a lot of fun. I was a little nervous at first, but I just went with the music. I loved the music (and) I liked the culture. I think they shared their culture a lot.”

The Grand Valley State University theater program is performing its last showing of “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” this weekend.

Award-winning playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith conducted more than 300 interviews in the nine months that followed the riots and protests in Los Angeles after the four LA Police Department officers charged with assaulting Rodney King were found innocent.

“Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” is playing at the Louis Armstrong Theatre, located in the Performing Arts Center on the Allendale Campus, on Nov. 22 starting at 2 p.m.

Tickets are all general admission seating, with $1 extra at the door, and are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors, faculty, alumni and staff. Student and group tickets are $6.

Contact Michael Mueller at muellemi@gvsu.edu with any questions or for more information.

NOVEMBER 16, 2015 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLARTS

PERFORMANCE: Alhaji Papa Susso, a West African griot, and his fellow group members play West African style music in GVSU’s Cook-DeWitt Center on Nov. 11. GVL | LUKE HOLMES

Jason Hanna, another student audience member, said the pairing of fun and culture made the experience worthwhile.

“It’s new to me,” he said. “I’ve never seen a West African concert. The instruments were really different than what I’m used to. There was a really good rhythm to it -- just good vibes. You just learn by being exposed to other cultures.”

Balla Kouyate, the third member of Papa Susso’s ensemble, played the balafon. The balafon was invented 800 years ago, and it is similar to a xylophone. Kouyate said the cultural element is what he enjoys about performing for students like Swartz and Hanna.

“College students are an exciting crowd,” Kouyate said. “And the good thing about this is that they learn something. This isn’t something that you get to see very often here in the United States.

When you mention Africa, you don’t get the positive side out of it most of the time.

It’s a beautiful culture, even if they’re not understanding what we’re saying.”

Kouyate said his family owns a centuries-old balafon that is made from natural materials like bamboo and rosewood, a family heirloom that has been protected and passed down to him through several generations.

“We aren’t just playing the music; we’re the custodians of history,” Kouyate said. “This is the reason why we have this kind of music in our society: to keep reminding people who they are, where they came from, because we believe you can only know where you’re heading (once) you know where you came from.”

The next event in the Arts at Noon series is a holiday music performance for Brass Quintet on Dec. 2 at the CookDeWitt Center. A full calendar of events is online at www.gvsu.edu/artsatnoon.

SPORTS | A7

NOVEMBER 16, 2015 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS SOCCER

QUICK HITS SELGO HONORED AT GV FOOTBALL HALFTIME

The Grand Valley State football game on Saturday against Saginaw Valley State was the final regular season home game of the 2015 season. It was also the final regular season football game in the storied career of GVSU athletic director Tim Selgo.

Selgo announced earlier this year he would be retiring after the 2015-16 school year. The Lakers were able to send him off in style with a 24-17 win.

The Laker Marching Band also honored him at halftime.

On the right foot

GV SWIM AND DIVE SWEEPS INDY

The Grand Valley State men’s and women’s swim and dive teams swept the University of Indianapolis in a road dual meet on Saturday afternoon.

The No. 6 Laker women won 11 events en route to a 159-82 win, while the No. 5 men won eight events as part of a 134-109 victory.

The GVSU women won both the 400 medley and the 200 freestyle relays. Emily Gallagher, Leonie Van Noort and Sam Postmus each earned individual wins, while Anna Barry won both the 1 and 3-meter diving events.

The Laker men won the 200 freestyle relay thanks to a team of Gabriel Souza, JD Ham, Nick Zacek and Danny Abbott. Senior Gianni Ferrero took first place in the 100 backstroke, and Marius Mikalauskas earned a win in the 100 breaststroke.

Brad Dalrymple won both diving events, mirroring Barry’s success.

BASKETBALL TV SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

XFINITY has confirmed it will televise six Grand Valley State men’s and women’s basketball games. GVSU will also webcast the TV broadcast on its official YouTube channel.

XFINITY will air the games on channel 900 throughout Michigan. The dates, which will include both the men’s and women’s game, are Jan. 3 vs. Findlay, Jan. 30 vs. Hillsdale and Feb. 18 vs. Saginaw Valley State.

BALTES WINS COY AWARD

Grand Valley State cross country head coach Jerry Baltes has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division II Men’s Midwest Region Coach of the Year.

Baltes led the Laker men to their 14th consecutive Midwest Region title in his 17th season at the helm.

This marks the third time in a row that Baltes has received the award.

VARSITY SCHEDULE FOOTBALL Saturday at Ashland

TOGETHER: Gabriella Mencotti (left) and Jayma Martin (right) celebrate following Mencotti’s goal to push the Grand Valley State soccer team ahead 3-0 against Quincy in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday. The Lakers will play Bellarmine in the Midwest regional finals this Friday in Missouri. GVL | KEVIN SIELAFF

Lakers defeat Quincy to begin NCAA playoff run

BY MASON TRONSOR ASSISTANTSPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

he No. 1 seed Grand Valley State women’s soccer team hosted a secondround NCAA tournament match on Sunday against the No. 4 seed Quincy Hawks.

The Lakers (20-1) defeated the Hawks 6-0, thanks to offensive firepower from five different players and a solid performance from freshman goalkeeper Emily Maresh.

“Emily was fantastic today,” said GVSU head coach Jeff Hosler. “She came up absolutely huge for us in the first half.”

T

VOLLEYBALL Wednesday 7 p.m. vs Ashland Saturday at GLIAC Semifinals TBA MEN’S BASKETBALL Friday 7 p.m. vs Olivet WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Thursday 7 p.m. vs Indiana University Northwest SWIMMING AND DIVING Saturday 9 a.m. at Ball State University

wins, including Sunday’s victory.

“We’ve had three months to work on the things we needed to get better at,” Hosler said. “We’ve had other players come along in the attack that weren’t a part of it at the beginning of the season.”

The Laker attack was on full display Sunday, and was led by another freshman. Forward Samantha Riga ignited the offense with back-to-back goals less than two minutes apart in the first half.

“I’m so excited,” Riga said. “This is one of the biggest reasons I came to this school. Not many people can say they have a chance to play for a national championship. This is

what the program is made of.”

Riga’s skill helped other Lakers join the offensive barrage later in the match. Junior Gabriella Mencotti scored her 10th goal of the season to end the first half and put the Lakers up 3-0.

The second half was the time for the veterans to take over the match and seal the deal for the Lakers.

Junior Kendra Stauffer continued her career-best campaign with her 14th goal of the season.

Seniors Katie Bounds and Maddison Reynolds both broke through with late goals to help GVSU advance to the SEE SOCCER | A8

M. BASKETBALL

Challenge Accepted ATTACK THE RACK: Senior guard Aaron Hayes puts up a contested shot against Quincy in Saturday’s victory for the Grand Valley State men’s basketball team. Hayes led the Lakers to back-to-back wins to open the season as part of the GLIAC/GLVC challenge. Hayes averaged 13 points per game in the two contests. GVL | EMILY FRYE

GV men’s hoops open 2015 with win

BY ADAM KNORR SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

SOCCER Friday vs Bellarmine TBA

Maresh made seven total saves on Sunday. Her shutout performance gave the team its 10th straight shutout. The Lakers have not allowed a goal since Oct. 4.

“It was definitely different from most of our games because the team was a lot better,” Maresh said. “It was a really big competition today because we lost to them at the beginning of the season.”

The previous meeting between the two schools was drastically different. The Hawks were able to shutout the Lakers on Quincy’s home field back in early September with a 3-0 win. Since then, the Lakers have rattled off 20 straight

rinding efforts and strong second-half performances were on display as the Grand Valley State men’s basketball team gutted out two wins over Quincy and the University of Missouri - St. Louis in the GLIAC/GLVC challenge to start the Lakers’ 2015-16 campaign.

In game one, the Lakers bested Quincy 76-67. GVSU came right back and edged UMSL 63-57 on Sunday afternoon.

“It wasn’t how we expected, but we got it done,” said senior forward Trevin Alexander, who scored four clutch points late in the victory over UMSL. In a hard-fought, physical, oft-uncertain game on Saturday, the Lakers eked out a win over Quincy in the first game of the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge.

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The Lakers outscored Quincy 41-30 in the second half, securing a late lead in a game that featured 18 lead changes.

“In the first half we were really sloppy offensively. We missed a lot of shots around the basket. We had some turnovers, it just felt like we weren’t very offensively efficient in the first half,” said GVSU head coach Ric Wesley.

“Second half, I felt like we did a much better job and then late we really got good defensively,” he said. “Coming down the stretch we really got stops. We dug in and were able to cover their ball screen or cover their penetration.”

Quincy scored on just four of its final 17 possessions down the stretch.

A trio of guards led the Lakers – each in different ways. Aaron Hayes poured in a game-high 17 points, scoring throughout the game while shooting 5-for-8 from the floor.

Junior Luke Ryskamp matched Hayes with 17 points, despite shooting just 30 percent on field goals.

Ryskamp banged and busted his way into the paint, and ended up knocking down 9 of his 10 free throws.

“That’s probably how (my points) are going to come,” Ryskamp said. “Getting to the line, that’s one thing I’ve been working on, and drawing fouls. I just have to finish the layup more, missed a lot of opportunities there.”

The third guard of the trio, Myles Miller, added 15 points – the vast majority of which came in a second-half spurt to help the Lakers grab a slight advantage after trailing by two points at the half.

“We’ve been waiting for that with Myles,” Wesley said. “Even though he’s small in stature, he’s kind of a scorer. He’s got a good midrange game and can hit the (3-pointer). I

felt like he was able to get lost in the game where he just was free and easy and the offense came to him. That was huge. That gave us a big lift.”

Though Quincy’s bench outscored GVSU’s 30-14, the Lakers bested the Hawks 21 to 8 in points off turnovers.

GVSU’s defense locked down in the second half, limiting Quincy to 37 percent shooting from the field, including 0-of-7 from 3-point range.

“Good offense doesn’t always lead to good defense, but almost always good defense leads to better offense,” Wesley said.

The Lakers shot 50 percent from 3-point range in the second half, and 12-for-28 from 2-point range.

The post trio of Alexander, Chaz Rollins and Ricardo Carbajal rebounded well and matched Quincy’s physicality in the paint.

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A8 | SPORTS

Seesaw CLUB HOCKEY

BY JOSH PEICK JPEICK@LANTHORN.COM

he Division II Grand Valley State men’s hockey club split a high-profile weekend series against host Lindenwood University. The Lakers (14-2-1) bested the Lions 5-1 Friday night, but dropped the series finale on Saturday 4-1.

Lindenwood is one of the few teams that can match

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the Lakers’ physicality. The shoulder-to-shoulder battle between the two teams made it tough for either side to score goals early.

In Friday night’s match, GVSU’s Mitch Claggett broke the scoreless tie in the latter half of the first period. Claggett’s goal marked his third game in a row finding the back of the net.

Lindenwood answered with a goal early in the second period, tying the game at one goal apiece, but the tie

didn’t last long. Two minutes later, the Lakers responded and never looked back. Senior Nick Schultz broke the tie, and Thomas Lusynski followed with a goal a minute later.

The Lakers extended the lead in the third period, scoring two power play goals, one from team captain Zac Strain and another from defenseman Reede Burnett. “(Lindenwood) is a physical team, but we were able to out-skate them and stay

Lakers win big, lose big in away series at Lindenwood disciplined,” Strain said.

The Lakers’ five goals were more than enough for goaltender Spencer Craig. Craig entered the game with a 1.48 goals against average, which he managed to lower after Friday night’s performance.

In game two of the series, the Lakers had a hard time putting points on the board.

After a physical and scoreless first period, GVSU opened up the scoring in the second frame. Just 12 seconds into the period, senior Tony Russo provided the game’s first goal.

Fellow senior Ian Hamilton notched an assist on the play.

The Laker goal woke up the Lindenwood offense.

The Lions went on to score four consecutive goals -three in the second period

and one in the third period.

Turnovers hurt the Lakers, directly leading to two unassisted Lindenwood goals.

Although the Lakers managed to get 54 shots on net, the offense only managed to muster one goal.

“We just ran into a hot goaltender and had a tough time finding the back of the net,” Strain said.

The Lakers’ inability to capitalize on the power play led to the low scoring total.

The Lindenwood penalty kill held GVSU to 0-for-4 on power plays. “(The Lindenwood defense) played consistent throughout both games,” Schultz said.

“We had opportunities, we just didn’t score. They clogged the front of their net.”

The Lakers will likely stay ranked No. 2 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Central Division after a split against the No. 3 Lindenwood.

GVSU will look to bounce back next weekend from Saturday’s loss in the biggest series of the year. The Lakers will face off against the No. 1 team in the division, Lindenwood University – Belleville (17-3). Belleville’s three losses have all come on away games.

GVSU will host the twogame series at Georgetown Ice Center on Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. The Lakers will try to take advantage of Belleville’s struggles in away games. The Lakers boast an 8-1-1 record when playing at home this season.

SOCCER

shots, 13 of which were on goal, while QU only recorded nine shots, but seven were on net. The Lakers also held the advantage in the corner kick department 8-3.

The Lakers now will travel to Warrensburg, Missouri for a match against Bellarmine University. The Knights (17-2-2) defeated No. 23 Truman State in the previous round and are the second seed in GVSU’s bracket.

“Bellarmine is a very good

side,” Hosler said. “They return the vast majority of their starters from last year’s team that we saw in this round of the NCAA tournament last year.”

If the Lakers can hold on to defeat Bellarmine, they will either match up against another No. 1 seed in Central Missouri or No. 2 seed Minnesota State University-Mankato.

GVSU is no stranger to either of these potential foes, especially MSU-M, which the Lakers defeated 2-1 on Sept. 13.

“He was tremendous, particularly late, he came up with a couple great steals on the low post. He had a tremendous pass, a great finish off the glass late. He had 14 defensive finishes, that’s a ton. Fourteen times he gained possession of the ball for us. That was a yeoman effort for us,” Wesley said.

The Lakers struggled from the field, shooting just 38 percent on 55 shots. For the second consecutive game, however, GVSU excelled at the free throw line, knocking down 18-of-24 opportunities. UMSL earned just six free throw tries.

“Be aggressive, be aggressive, be aggressive,” Alexander said. “Coach is always pushing that – be aggressive on offense.”

Rollins added 11 points and seven rebounds, and guard Aaron Hayes scored nine points.

The Lakers assisted on just 10 buckets, and turned the ball

over eight times. GVSU struggled to create clean looks at the basket and hoisted a number of deep shots late in the shot clock.

“I didn’t think the ball moved very well today,” Wesley said. ”(The) ball was kind of sticking, guys weren’t making as good of decisions, we forced some shots today.

“Nothing was as fluid today as it was yesterday. I think we were a little fatigued. Offensively I just didn’t think we shared or passed the ball very well today.”

GVSU shot 3-of-13 from the 3-point line. The Tritons shot 23-of-56 from the floor, including 9-of-26 from beyond the arc. GVSU outscored UMSL 28 to 14 in the paint, and held a 17 to 12 advantage in second-chance points.

The Lakers will return to action on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Fieldhouse Arena against 0-3 Olivet College.

CONTINUED FROM A7

NCAA Midwest Regional Championship.

Senior Katie Klunder and junior Marti Corby each recorded two assists on the day.

The Lakers did what they normally do to overpower opponents in matches of this magnitude -- shoot the ball on net as much as possible.

GVSU tallied 35 total

M. BBALL CONTINUED FROM A7

DEKED OUT: Alex Ostrowski (23) slips the puck between his legs. The Grand Valley State Division II hockey club squared off against the University of Toledo on Nov. 6 in Allendale. GVL | KEVIN SIELAFF

something

big

Alexander led GVSU with 10 rebounds, and added nine points. Rollins was key defensively, racking up five blocks.

Carbajal finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

The second game of the weekend was much of the same for GVSU. After a tight first half, the Lakers outscored UMSL 38-29 in the second half, including 6-0 in the final three minutes to improve to 2-0.

Alexander led the Lakers, converting a contested layup with 48 seconds to go to send GVSU up 59-57. Senior Darren Kapustka hit two late free throws, and Alexander followed suit, nailing two of his own to seal the Laker win.

Alexander finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and two assists.

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COOKIE JAR: Luke Ryskamp (23) follows through after releasing a free throw during Grand Valley State’s win over the University of Missouri - St. Louis at the Fieldhouse Arena. GVL | LUKE HOLMES

NOVEMBER 16, 2015 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

SPORTS | A9 VOLLEYBALL

Crunch

time AT THE NET: Staci Brower (left) and Sydney Doby (right) go up for a joint block for the Grand Valley State volleyball team in a match against Northwood University in the Fieldhouse Arena on Nov. 6. GVSU is preparing for the GLIAC tournament on Wednesday. GVL | SARA CARTE

BY ALEX EISEN AEISEN@LANTHORN.COM

nable to knock off toplevel competition all season long, the Grand Valley State volleyball team closed out the regular season with a chance to grab a quality road victory against Saginaw Valley State.

GVSU (19-10, 13-5 GLIAC) failed to rise to the occasion once again, and fell in four sets to SVSU (22-7, 12-6 GLIAC) on Friday night by scores of 25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 25-19.

The Lakers regrouped Saturday afternoon to win their final regular season game against Wayne State (12-18, 7-11 GLIAC) in four sets (25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 25-18).

By splitting the two matches and getting some help from a couple other teams, GVSU claimed the No. 4 seed in the GLIAC tournament, meaning the Lakers will host a first-round play-

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off match inside the friendly confines of Fieldhouse Arena, where they are 10-3 this season.

“We are sitting on the bubble to get into the NCAA tournament,” said GVSU head coach Deanne Scanlon.

“Dropping that loss to Saginaw hurt terribly. We win that match, and we’re probably off to regionals.”

Earlier in the season on Sept. 19, GVSU defeated SVSU in four sets at home. The Cardinals flipped the script on Friday by stifling the Lakers’ attack.

GVSU’s normally potent offensive weapons were shut down. Senior Betsy Ronda and freshman Staci Brower both collected eight kills, but they also had eight attacking errors each, while senior Kaleigh Lound was held to seven kills and a .161 hitting percentage.

Seniors Jessica Majerle and Kourtney Wolters led the Lakers with 10 kills each.

After dropping the opening two sets, GVSU clawed back into the match by hitting a match-high .289 to take set three.

With GVSU leading 16-11 in the fourth set, SVSU stormed back with a 10-0 run to end any hopes the Lakers had of making a two-set comeback.

“I had to use both of my timeouts, made subs and, again, nobody would step up,” Scanlon said. “Attack error after attack error, there just wasn’t anybody that would take a swing and put the ball away.”

The loss dropped GVSU into a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings with Ashland and SVSU. Needing a victory against Wayne State to have any shot at a home conference playoff game, the Lakers and Scanlon found a trio of consistent hitters in Majerle, Lound and redshirt freshman Shannon Winicki.

Winicki knocked down a career-high 14 kills with a .345 hitting percentage.

“I felt like I could go up and make a big swing, knowing that I had my teammates behind me covering me,” Winicki said. “It definitely felt good

Lakers split weekend series, look ahead to GLIAC tournament

to have a game like that because we kind of got ourselves into a little slump yesterday.”

Majerle and Lound both added 13 kills. Sophomore setter Katie Olson was in the middle of the action, setting up the offense with a careerhigh 49 assists. Olson was the primary setter instead of rotating with freshman Taylor Stewart for the second consecutive week.

The defense relied heavily on blocks. Lound and Brower were tough to get past at the net, putting up six total blocks each. The Lakers, as a collective unit, tied a season-high with seven solo blocks (14 total blocks).

Calm and collected, GVSU continuously battled from behind in sets to secure the victory.

“The pressure kind of got to us yesterday, whereas today it felt like if we got in a hole we were able to work our way out,” Majerle said.

“We have had multiple talks about how to push through those tough sets. I think the win today really

helped us out and got us ready for this upcoming Wednesday.”

After a pair of five-set losses by SVSU against No. 4 Ferris State and Ashland against Findlay on Saturday, the Lakers stood alone in fourth place in the conference.

“Those losses are certainly things that helped us out, but we (have) to start helping ourselves out,” Scanlon said. “These are matches we need to win. That’s the part of the season that we are at.”

GVSU will host Ashland on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. in the first round of the conference tournament. This will likely be the Lakers’ last home match of the season, and a loss could spell the end of their season.

The Eagles beat GVSU in four sets in Ashland, Ohio on Oct. 10.

A victory would not only boost GVSU’s NCAA tournament chances drastically, but Scanlon would surpass former head coach Joan Boand for most wins in program history.

W. BASKETBALL

UNDERWAY

BY BEAU TROUTMAN BTROUTMAN@LANTHORN.COM

he Grand Valley State women’s basketball team opened its season with the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge held at Quincy University over the weekend. The Lakers played Truman State on Saturday and tournamenthost Quincy on Sunday.

The new era under head coach Mike Williams started off on a solid note, as the Lakers split the weekend series with a 77-61 win over TSU and a slim 62-60 loss to Quincy.

“We just need to play a full 40 minutes,” said junior forward Piper Tucker.

“We slacked in a couple of the minutes in the quarters, so if we put a full 40 together we’ll definitely win both of those next time on the road.”

In the first game, the Lakers won convincingly thanks to 16-point performances from Brionna Barnett and Kayla Dawson. Barnett also led the team with five assists, while Dawson led on the defensive side with four steals.

Four Lakers scored in double figures, thanks to Taylor Parmley and Taylor Lutz scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively. The TSU Bulldogs never led in the game and didn’t have any

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answers for the Lakers’ offense. Sophomore guard Courtney Strait was the lone bright spot for TSU, scoring 18 points on 6-9 shooting.

Head coach Mike Williams said the first win as the Laker head coach felt good, and was an important first step.

“I thought we did what we needed to do with (Truman State),” he said. “I thought we did a lot of good things. It was good to get the first win... for the players to get that opening win with a new coach, because its different for them.”

The Lakers dropped the second game of the weekend, but fought until the end. GVSU and QU were evenly matched, going toe-to-toe in almost every category. The two essentially split the amount of time with a lead, as the Lakers led for 17:19, while the Hawks led for 15:23.

“I thought we got the looks we wanted to get,” Williams said. “I thought on the defensive end, we’ve just got to be more disciplined to get stops. Obviously, I need to do a better job in practice in preparing our kids to do that.”

Defense was the emphasis in the offseason for a team that struggled defensively last season, and Williams said it’s a process the team is both enduring and still investing in.

Lakers open Mike Williams era with win, loss in GLIAC/GLVC Challenge

“I think they’re really working at it,” he said. “I think the players are buying into it, they want to do it. I think they understand that if we can do this, with how good our offense is, we can be pretty good.”

Defense was no problem for Quincy, which forced 13 turnovers and held the Lakers to 32.8 percent from the field. The Hawks effectively took Barnett out of the game, holding her to 2-of-11 shooting with only eight points, and forcing the rest of the Lakers to step up.

“They were not going to let her beat us,” Williams said. “They put a big dent on her. Any time she penetrated, she drew one or two help-defenders. She really drew a lot of attention today.”

Redshirt junior Bailey Cairnduff was one Laker to step up. Cairnduff started her first two games for the Lakers after an injury ended her season last year. She was one of three Lakers with 13 points. Despite the loss, she was happy to be back.

“It feels better than ever, and I appreciate every single moment that I get to play with this team,” Cairnduff said. “I love this team so much. It’s just a blessing being able to play every single day.”

The Lakers home-opener is Thursday, when they will host Indiana University-Northwest at 7 p.m.

TIPOFF: Piper Tucker skies to win the ball for the Grand Valley State women’s basketball team in a game against Hillsdale last season. GVL | KEVIN SIELAFF

BATTLE OF THE VALLEYS

SVSU wins BOV charity competition Cardinals raise twice as much money as GVSU

BY HANNAH LENTZ NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

or this year’s Battle of the Valleys competition, “half the students, double the heart” seems to be Saginaw Valley State University’s mantra.

Grand Valley State University raised $12,031.29 and SVSU raised $24,540 for this year’s charity competition. Collected sums from each university will go to SVSU’s charity, “Get Outside for a Healthy Inside” and GVSU’s charity, the Grand Valley Children’s Fund.

Last year, GVSU raised $7,022 for the Grand Valley Children’s Fund.

This year, GVSU focused on creating a presence on social media to increase awareness of the charity competition. Though the fundraising efforts totaled less than SVSU’s, this year’s goal looked to get students, faculty and community members involved in the competition through a variety of ways.

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Laker Traditions Team programming chair Sean O’Melia said next year, student senate and the Laker Traditions Team organizers would like to see more of an outreach to alumni, faculty and staff in order to raise larger sums.

“Even though we didn’t win the fundraising competition this year, we raised almost twice as much as we did last year,” said Maddie Cleghorn, student senate president. “We also saw a much wider range of support this year with social media posts, donations and event participation from students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community. We are really happy with both the improvement in fundraising as well as the high volume of enthusiasm and excitement around BOV that we saw this week.”

Most of the fundraising success this year came from daily tabling efforts, shirt sales, raffle tickets and mystery bags in the Kirkhof Center.

“The hardest part about fundraising at Grand Valley is that on any giv-

FUNDRAISING: The Battle of the Valleys winning trophy is presented during halftime to SVSU for raising $24, 540 for charity compared to GVSU’s $12,031.29. Last year, GVSU raised $7,022 for the Grand Valley Children’s Fund. GVL | KEVIN SIELAFF

en day, students are met with multiple things to get involved with or causes to donate to,” Cleghorn said. “We love that our campus is so lively and that so much is going on, but it definitely makes it hard to have one message come through clearly.”

All the money put into the Grand Valley Children’s Fund will be available to organizations in Kent and Ottawa counties through mini grants.

Currently, one organization has applied and the fund will be promoted in

the upcoming months.

“Any children’s organization could have one of these mini grants in just a few weeks,” O’Melia said. “I hope more organizations will apply and help children in the local community.”

One idea discussed to raise more money for the Grand Valley Children’s Fund is the option of promoting the fund on a larger scale. By promoting the charity all year long as a standalone option,

there could be an increase of funds directed toward the nonprofit.

“All the money we raised was due in fact that the BOV steering committee had such great motivation and dedication to the cause,” O’Melia said. “If people are disappointed with the results, I encourage them to get involved with BOV next year through student senate or the Laker Traditions. From this year, it was shown that the bigger the team, the more money we can raise.”

NOVEMBER 16, 2015 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

A10 | SPORTS RUGBY CLUBS

Win one, lose one

BY JACOB ARVIDSON & BRADY MCATAMNEY SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

or the Grand Valley State men’s and women’s rugby clubs, making the USA Rugby playoffs was an accomplishment all on its own. The two clubs played playoff matches over the weekend, though only one prevailed.

The Laker men topped Northern Iowa 23-17, while the Laker women fell 78-5 to powerhouse Bloomsburg University.

The GVSU men squared off against the No. 11 Northern Iowa Panthers on Saturday. The match took place in Chicago during the first round of the USA Rugby Men’s Division II College National Tournament.

The No. 9 Lakers fell in an early 7-0 hole, but were able to claw their way back in, and hammer out 20 straight points, giving them a 20-7 lead. After the teams traded field goals, the Panthers scored once more to bring the score to 23-17 – the final.

According to GVSU head coach John Mullett, the Lakers started the game sloppily. “(We weren’t) making good decisions, but we got into our game plan. We were able to score some points,” he said. “We have got to stop turning the ball over.”

“This was by far the hardest team we’ve faced all season,” said senior eightman Thomas Strandquist. “It truly was a team effort.”

Sophomore flanker Cam Maher, senior center Dylan Bergbower, senior scrumhalf Leo Pavletic and Strandquist all stood out in the team’s victory.

The Lakers’ next opponent will be the Minnesota Golden Gophers -- the No. 1 team in Division II -in Des Moines, Iowa.

Mullett thinks his squad can

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surprise the top dogs.

“We’ll be as close to 100 percent next weekend as we have been all season.”

The players themselves are looking forward to the matchup.

“I’m very excited for it. We’ve been the underdog and we keep knocking teams out,” Strandquist said. “Going against the team that’s won the last two national championships, it’s like we have nothing to lose, and there’s nothing scarier than that.”

A few states to the east of Chicago, the GVSU women’s rugby club squared off against Bloomsburg University in a round of 32 matchup as part of the 2015 USA Rugby Women’s Division II College Fall Championship. The game was played on the campus of Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.

Several kicks set the Lakers up with their best scoring chance of the day. GVSU’s Lizzie Randall got her hands on the ball and touched it down for five points.

Randall’s try gave the Lakers hope early on.

“Lizzie scoring was definitely big for us,” said GVSU captain Maria Midena.

Playing Bloomsburg was no easy task for the Lakers. Bloomsburg entered the game undefeated and ranked No. 7 in the nation, but GVSU head coach Abe Cohen believed in his team and their ability to pull the upset.

“It’s the playoffs. Anything can happen,” Cohen said. “As long we believe and the players believe in themselves, good things will happen. Momentum can change in the blink of an eye.

Hopefully it’s in our favor. We have to play even keel for 80 minutes and hope we have one more point than them.”

GVSU’s game plan was simple: Play smart. Play physical. Capitalize on mistakes.

“The club motto has been ‘Family Up’,” Cohen said. “I’m confident

FOOTBALL CONTINUED FROM A1

easily enough, but lacked consistency, ball security and a finishing punch in the 45th football version of the Battle of the Valleys.

The Lakers looked dominant early, scoring on two first-quarter marches with ease, while limiting SVSU’s offense to next-to-no progress.

The rest of the game was a different story.

GVSU quarterback Bart Williams was intercepted twice in the first half – one of which turned into a 97-yard pick six for SVSU’s Matt McKoy. Despite the interceptions, Williams kept taking shots downfield. The sophomore quarterback connected with junior Matt Williams on a number of deep jump balls, and found Jamie Potts downfield on a few occasions, but GVSU couldn’t find the end zone.

The Laker defense picked up the slack left by the offense, keeping GVSU ahead for the entirety of the contest.

“Our defense basically gave up one (touchdown) and we had a guy fall down in

GOING DOWN: A member of the Grand Valley State men’s rugby club takes a hit in a match against Oakland University in Allendale on Oct. 3. The Laker men and women both played in playoff matches over the weekend. GVL | KEVIN SIELAFF

that our club will play Grand Valley rugby, together, for each other, and play for 80 minutes.”

Despite an 8-0 record and a high powered attack, Bloomsburg head coach Kevin Castner wasn’t going to let his team overlook the 5-5 Lakers.

“The team is excited to play GVSU,” Castner said. “They have a strong program, which we respect. We will be looking to play to our strengths and to stop them on the attack.”

Bloomsburg couldn’t stop Randall early as the Lakers put points on the board, but after that, the No. 7 team in the nation proved their worth.

Before the game, Castner spoke of his team’s focus and their goal to continue to improve individually and as a team. They were able to do

man coverage. Other than that they played extremely hard and gave us a chance to win that football game,” Mitchell said.

The Cardinals used two quarterbacks in the contest – Brad Odeman Jr. and Jacob LeClair – the two of whom combined to go 23-of-42 for 247 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

LeClair proved to be the more efficient of the two, leading Mitchell to speculate that his defense knocking out Odeman Jr., the starting quarterback, may have hurt the Lakers.

GVSU jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, thanks to a 1-yard touchdown rush from Kirk Spencer and an acrobatic one-handed catch from 33 yards out by Jamie Potts.

The Cardinals got on the board with a 25-yard Alex Kenrick field goal, and, minutes later with GVSU driving, SVSU’s Matt McKoy jumped a Bart Williams pass and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown.

GVSU held a slim 14-10 margin going into the second half.

The Lakers came out and got on the board on the first drive of the third quarter, as Joel Schipper

exactly that after Randall’s try.

“They ran harder than we did and they tackled harder than we did,” Cohen said.

The superior tackling helped Bloomsburg cruise to a comfortable 47-5 halftime lead.

“An injury to one of our best players in the second half helped group us together,” Midena said. “We wanted to play harder for her.”

The GVSU team never quit.

“They kept playing and playing,” Cohen said. “They didn’t give up.”

Bloomsburg proved too powerful though, holding the Lakers scoreless in the second half.

The Lakers missed five important tackles down the stretch, which ultimately led to five Bloomsburg

knocked in a 26-yard field goal.

Early in the fourth quarter, GVSU struck again, at Bart Williams hit Matt Williams for a 15-yard touchdown.

The Williams-to-Williams score put GVSU 24-10. With the Laker defense caging the Cardinals, it was enough to secure to GVSU win.

SVSU stuck around, scoring on a 33-yard touchdown pass from LeClair to Marq Johnson to draw within 24-17, but GVSU iced the game with a clock-eating drive.

“At the end of the day, I think the biggest thing to take away from this game – we found a way to run the ball when we had to run the ball,” Mitchell said. “Credit to our offense to find a way to not put our defense on the field on that last possession.”

Spencer was quietly effective on the ground for the Lakers, gaining 144 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, including a number of late touches.

“I didn’t really think about the 100 yards rushing, I just wanted to will the team and do whatever I could to get a win,” Spencer said.

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tries, Cohen said. Those five tries blew the game open.

The 78-5 final wasn’t what GVSU wanted, but they were able to take some positives away from it.

“We wanted it for our seniors,” Midena said. “We played well. We tackled well. There was no difference in our play than the rest of our games this season.”

The journey to and from Bloomsburg is over 1,200 miles roundtrip. For Cohen, it was the experience that mattered most.

“The experience going there was great,” he said. “Just the team hanging out and bonding on the car ride is a great experience. We were happy with the opportunity to be an at-large bid and make the playoffs again.”

“Getting to the playoffs was the main thing and beating Saginaw is the second thing.”

GVSU outgained SVSU 463 yards to 337.

Bart Williams finished 15-of-27 for 299 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Williams moved into a tie with Brad Iciek for fourth all-time in single season passing touchdowns at GVSU with 35.

With the win, GVSU improves to 34-11 all-time against SVSU. Seniors Matt Judon, Jim Walsh, Brandon Revenberg, Derek DeLuca, Ben Hutchins, Brad Horling, Justice Wright, Christian Harris, Potts and Spencer were recognized before the game as they played likely their last career game at Lubbers Stadium.

The Lakers will open the NCAA playoffs with a rematch against GLIAC foe Ashland (10-0, 9-0 GLIAC) on Saturday in Ashland, Ohio. GVSU earned the No. 6 seed in Super Region Four, and Ashland earned the No. 3 seed. The top seven seeds made the playoffs.

Ferris State also made the playoffs, slotting in at the No. 2 seed.

FREE CLASSIFIEDS FOR STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF some restrictions apply email classifieds@lanthorn.com for more info on restrictions FOR COMMERCIAL RATES EMAIL

classifieds@lanthorn.com OR CALL

Roommates

The Lanthorn is accepting resumes and letters of intent for a Distribution Manager position. Job duties include managing a distribution team and maintaining accurate tracking materials. Check Lakerjobs for a full job description, or send letters and resumes to assistantbusiness@lanthorn. com.

Bus tickets to Chicago, Milwaukee, and Duluth, a fleet of luxury motorcoaches makes Indian Trails the perfect choice for all kinds of trips—from daily commutes to weekend getaways.

Horseshoe Smokehouse offers true southern barbecue in the heart of Grand Rapids. GVSU students receive a $10 special Monday - Thursday, so stop on by!

Laker rugby clubs split first round playoff matches

Looking for a sub-leaser beginning in December.

Apartment is located at Off Broadway apartments in downtown Grand Rapids.

There are 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I have 2 other roommates both of which are females, therefore, a female is preferred. Water, on-site parking, laundry, internet and cable are provided. Rent is $585 per month and lease goes until May 2016. Anyone interested in more information please contact S h a n e l l a t hodgess@mail.gvsu.edu or via phone at 586-690-0240

616-331-2460

Roommates

Looking for a sub-leaser beginning in December.

Apartment is located at Off Broadway apartments in downtown Grand Rapids.

There are 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I have 2 other roommates both of which are females, therefore, a female is preferred. Water, on-site parking, laundry, internet and cable are provided. Rent is $585 per month and lease goes until May 2016. Anyone interested in more information please contact S h a n e l l a t hodgess@mail.gvsu.edu or via phone at 586-690-0240

616-364-8320

6001 Coit Ave. NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525

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