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By Derek Wolff GVL Senior Reporter
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he new song that just permeated your eardrums and has been playing on repeat in your head all day may be free now, but it could wind up costing thousands of dollars in the long run. That was the message that the Information Technology department at Grand Valley State University sent out on Sept. 20 in its annual email addressed to all registered students, warning them of the dangers of illegal downloads of music and movie files, especially over GVSU’s network. The email clarifies that downloading or sharing audio or video files from the Internet without the artist’s expressed legal consent and without paying the artist, unless they have made their art available for free, remains illegal and is considered theft under Title 17 of the United States Code under the U.S. copyright laws. Despite a slight rise in illegal downloading at GVSU that can be attributed to a growing student body, those figures decrease heavily each year following the email,
GVL / Rachel Iturralde
High price: On-campus Internet privileges can be revoked if students use the Web to illegally download audio or video files.
said John Klein, associate director of academic systems. “Over the past three years we have several hundred cases, all of them being pretty minor,” he said.
“We have never gotten to the point where any legal action has been taken by anybody. We feel the email message gets the point across. We haven’t seen drastic increases and
Online videos Dueling Pianos
Less take 16 credits after change By Stephanie Deible GVL Intern
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Last year, Grand Valley State University reduced its tuition block to a maximum of 15 credits in an effort to generate $3 million for the university and limit tuition increases during the 2011-2012 academic year. Prior to Fall 2011, the block tuition rate allowed students to take 12 to 16 credits, but this year it only permits students to take 12 to 15 credits. While the reduction is producing money for GVSU and keeping tuition hikes at bay for students taking less than 16 credits, it has caused students who want to take more than 16 credits to pay a fee of $412 to $609 for each credit that exceeds the block rate. According to data released by the Office of Institutional Analysis, there has been a 5.88-percent decrease in the number of undergraduate students taking 16 or more credits this semester compared to Fall 2010.
GVL News Editor
GVL / Amalia Heichelbech
Decisions, decisions: GVSU student DeVaughn Gist accesses his schedule through the MyBanner program. Students now have to pay more to take 16 credits in a semester.
“My fear is that there are a number of students who may want a way to remain active and learn a new lifelong fitness skill but may not have the means to do it,” said Brian Hatzel, the head of the GVSU Movement Science department, who is among others who
GVL Staff Writer
Please Recycle
GVPD firearms training results in accidental shooting
By Anya Zentmeyer
By Chelsea Lane
GVL / Kate Kaurich
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Sheriff investigation still pending
have expressed concern that lowering the tuition block would impact enrollment in majors that offer a variety of one-credit physical activity classes, as well as majors that require four-credit laboratory courses.
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Campus climate results released
Climate talks: Sue Rankin delivers the results of the myGVSU campus climate survey Thursday.
we did see an initial drop when we sent the messages out.” The standard procedure at GVSU when the university is noti-
Sue Rankin, a senior research associate at the Center for Higher Education, visited both of Grand Valley State University’s campuses on Thursday and Friday to deliver the results of the myGVSU campus climate survey to the GVSU community. The myGVSU survey, conducted earlier this year, is the university’s fourth campus climate study and is designed to explore what it is like to live, learn and work at GVSU. “Climate is very amorphous,” Rankin said. “It changes on a daily basis. We find that climate has an
increasing impact on student learning and student development… We need to think about climate as a variety of things, not just diversity or equity.” Overall, 7,571 individuals responded to the survey, and 6,110 respondents contributed comments to one or more of the survey’s openended questions. Approximately 29 percent of the GVSU community, including students, faculty and staff, participated in the climate survey. Following the presentation of the survey results, GVSU will form a sub-committee of the Inclusion and Equity Advisory Board to determine the best courses of community action and how to address some of the issues
See Campus Cilmate, A2
A 30-year-old Grand Haven man reported a gunshot wound to the arm to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department at 9:55 a.m. Thursday after a Grand Valley State University Police Department-related accidental shooting. In a news release, the Ottawa County Sheriff Department reported that the bullet was fired at the North Ottawa Rod and Gun Club, where the GVPD was conducting firearm training. The Grand Haven man reported sustaining the wound while working on a residence on Acacia Street in the Cutter Park subdivision, east of the North Ottawa Rod and Gun Club by about half a mile. The incident is currently under investigation by the Ottawa County Sheriff Department, but is believed to be an accident. A press release issued by GVSU News and Information states, “the Grand Valley State University Police Department and officers who were at the firearms range are cooperating fully in the investigation.” Capt. Brandon DeHaan, assistant director of the GVPD, said the department will refrain from making any comment until the outcome of Ottawa County’s pending investigation. news@lanthorn.com