Issue 55, April 2, 2015 - Grand Valley Lanthorn

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G R A N D VA L L EY

PITCHERS DAZZLE AS SOFTBALL TEAM SWEEPS WAYNE STATE SEE A7

ST U D E NT- R U N P U B L I C AT 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

VO L. 49

THUR SDAY, A PRIL 2

NO. 55

TARTER, LAKERS TAKE GAME FOUR, SECURE SERIES WIN SEE A7

SEE A5

| KEVIN SIELAFF GVL

STUDENTS NETWORK FOR INTERNATIONAL CAREER PROSPECTS

UP IN FLAMES AFTERMATH: Firefighters clear up debris from the apartment fire off of the GVSU Allendale Campus on Wednesday, April 1. There have been no injuries reported, and there is no surrounding damage to other units. The students will temporarily live in a model apartment.

April Fools’ Day joke starts fire at Campus West apartment BY HANNAH LENTZ & SARAH HILLENBRAND NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

hat started out as a April Fools’ Day prank soon resulted in firefighting crews from Georgetown, Wright-Tallmadge and Allendale Township working to put out a fire in the Campus West apartment complex across from Grand Valley State University. According to Capt. Dave Pelton from the Allendale fire and rescue department, the flames started at approximately 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday after a small firework was ignited indoors. Several female

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GV CLUB SUPPORTS SPECIAL OLYMPICS, PROMOTES EQUALITY SEE A6

students tossed the lit firecracker at their roommate which then landed in a laundry hamper, causing the fire at 4932 West Campus Drive apartment. The building was evacuated. Nichol Garnsay, property manager at Campus West, said the fire department arrived quickly and took control of the situation. “(The tenants) called 911 first, thankfully,” Garnsay said. “We headed out there with fire extinguishers until the fire department got there.” The fire was contained by emergency personnel, preventing it from spreading to the surrounding apartment units. There have been no

reported injuries, and the rest of the residents in the building were able to return to their apartments the same day. “The lesson to be learned here is don’t play with fireworks,” Pelton said. “It can have negative results.” Garnsay said there was some structural damage to the upper level of the unit and some of the drywall, but there was no damage to other units. “They’re starting repairs tomorrow, so hopefully it will be done in a few weeks,” Garnsay said. SEE FIRE ON A2

Former governor speaks at GV Gov. Engler emphasizes value of literacy, globalization, innovation The value of human capital is set through education. If ocusing on edu- West Michigan really wanted to cation, rework- set itself apart from the rest of ing immigration the state, it should invest heavand fostering in- ily in education, Engler said. Engler added that education novation are key elements to the future of the needs to get to a point where nation, said former Governor every student who graduates John Engler at Grand Valley high school can go to college without the need for remeState University on Monday. Speaking at the final Peter diation. He believes too much F. Secchia breakfast lecture money is spent on remediation at the L. William Seidman – students should be prepared Center, Engler shared his for college when they leave thoughts on a multitude of high school; it is not helpful to topics with GVSU students, try to prepare them when they faculty and members of the are already at a university. Engler said students need to Grand Rapids community. Engler, who served as Gov- be prepared for a more global ernor of Michigan from 1991 world – that in 20 years, many to 2003, said the nation has not CEOs may not be U.S. born. made the right kind of invest- Bringing the best businessmen ments. A lot of time and mon- and businesswomen to run ey has been spent on higher these companies is important, education, and while he still and if one wants to be a part of these businesses, one must believes those think globally. investments are “It can’t paying off, imbe the policy “It can’t be the provements need of the United to be made in policy of the States that the elementary sports teams United States school levels. “We spend that sports teams get to have the best players $700 billion a get to have the in the world, year but, nationbut companies ally, 36 percent best players in don’t get to is the number the world...” have the best that can read engineers, the proficiently after best scientists, JOHN ENGLER four years at the the best chemFORMER GOVERNOR end of the third ists for the grade,” Engler said. “That’s just unacceptable – world,” Engler said. A crowd member asked the we can’t make it with that kind former governor if he had any of performance.” After four years of school, advice or thoughts for aspiring Engler believes there should be innovators in Michigan. Engler 100 percent reading proficien- said there is a lot of talent and cy. He sees that as an important innovation in the state, but they measurement: if schools can- need help in order to succeed. Companies need to create not teach students to read, any a winning culture, Engler said. kind of conversation regarding what to do in science or math is not going to work. SEE GOVERNOR ON A2 BY LUCAS ESCALADA LESCALADA@LANTHORN.COM

GVL

| EMILY FRYE

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IMAGES: GVSU students voice their opinion in one of the university’s free speech zones. The event brought together

people from the LGBT Center and the Women’s Center. The group Students For Life brought the pictures to campus.

Anti-abortion demonstration ignites debate BY AUDRA GAMBLE DIGITAL@LANTHORN.COM

ecently, the warmer weather has been testing Grand Valley State University students’ ability to focus on their schoolwork. This week, however, the warming temperatures have brought something to campus other than spring fever: antiabortion demonstrators. The anti-abortion demonstrators consisted of members of the GVSU student organization Students for Life, as well as members of the national organization Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. The demonstration began on Wednesday, April 1 and will continue from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today next to the Cook Carillion clock tower. The demonstration includes a large display of images equating abortion to genocides, including the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide. By noon on Wednesday, a group of GVSU students from the Women’s

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Center, the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center and other concerned students gathered with pro-abortion rights signs. At times throughout the day, more students stood with the proabortion rights demonstrators than the anti-abortion crowd. The vast majority of the students that were upset with the anti-abortion demonstrators took issue with the comparison of abortion to genocides. “I understand people who are prolife and I respect that, but comparing it to genocide is out of line,” said Erica Ruffner, a GVSU student from the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center. “Abortion is strictly a personal choice. People who get abortions aren’t doing it based on a political agenda. Genocide is motivated by systemic social and political issues. It’s completely different.” The anti-abortion demonstrators argue that the parallels can be drawn quite easily between abortion and genocide. “Genocide is a killing of an entire group of people; there’s something that links them together,” said Ruth

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Rawlins, a member of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. “In the Holocaust, they were killed because they were Jews. In abortion, the reason they’re able to be killed is because they’re pre-born. There’s a particular age and stage of life. It’s a category.” The comparison to the Holocaust and the use of images of swastikas drew particular criticism from a Jewish GVSU student demonstrating with the proabortion rights group. “It’s so messed up,” Alexandra Kamen said. “Being Jewish, I think the Holocaust and abortion is incomparable. They should have been more sensitive to those that are Jewish on this campus. There are already so few of us here as it is.” The images of aborted fetuses the anti-abortion demonstrators displayed were graphic, including dismembered body parts and blood. This was a conscious choice by the demonstrators to display these types of images. SEE PROTEST ON A2

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