Issue 51 - March 18, 2013 - Grand Valley Lanthorn

MONDAY, MARCH 18

Lanthorn

WWw.lanthorn.com

Hannah Santora leads the Lakers

G R A N D V A LL E Y

Pitchers stays hot with six straight wins.

ST U D E NT- R U N P U B L I C AT I O N S L A NT H O R N . C O M PRINT . ONLINE . MOBILE

LANTHORN.COM/MULTIMEDIA Active-duty soldiers lose tuition aid

BY RYAN JARVI GVL SENIOR REPORTER

Tuition assistance programs provided by the military for active-duty service members have been temporarily suspended for the 2013 federal fiscal year as a result of sequestration.

The U.S. Air Force, whose suspension went into effect at 5 p.m. on March 11, is LIPnicKI the latest of four military branches to suspend tuition assistance. The decision followed behind similar programs put in place by the Marine Corps, Army and Coast Guard. The Navy has not yet made an announcement regarding its plans.

Active-duty service members who are enrolled in courses will be able to finish their current semester, but cannot sign up for tuition assistance from the military for future courses.

“The tuition assistance program is an additional benefit provided by the Department of Defense for reservists actively drilling or soldiers on active duty,” said Sherril Soman, professor of chemistry and cocoordinator of the Veterans Network at Grand Valley State University.

Tuition assistance suspensions will affect activeduty service members, but will not affect their G.I. Bill benefits, which will still be available for most individuals. ”The G.I. Bill is a program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs that provides education benefits for veterans depending on their type and length of service,” Soman said.

However, for those soldiers that most recently joined the service, the G.I. Bill is not an option.

Dan Bell, president of the Student Veterans Organization at GVSU, said one officer within the organization is ineligible for the G.I. Bill benefits and has been using tuition assistance to pay for her education.

“As of now, she is not sure how she will pay for school in the fall,” Bell said.

Bell served eight years in the Army before he came back to school to study political science, and he is expecting to graduate this summer.

“People are choosing to work instead of going to school, which I understand, but in this world it’s hard to get a decent job without an education,” he said.

Steven Lipnicki, assistant dean of students and cocoordinator of the Veterans Network at GVSU, received a message on March 8 notifying him of the Army and Marine Corps decisions.

“It’s going to greatly impact the limited number of Grand Valley students who are using military assistance,” Lipnicki said. “Our SEE TUITION, A2

LIB 100 class spreads on-campus love

ABORTION DEBATE

GVSU, MSU offer different perspectives on controversial issue

BY RACHEL CROSS GVL ASSISTANT NEWS

T

he issue of abortion can be very controversial and difficult for people to decide where they stand.

A March 14 debate between Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University students brought about several different arguments in both support for and against abortion.

Brad Varner from MSU said that R.J. McVeigh from GVSU got in touch with Varner through Facebook.

“R.J. and I got in touch through a friend of a friend on Facebook about a year ago,” Varner said. “He messaged me on Facebook and we have had debates on several issues. Recently I posted a status about abortion, and R.J. was interested in having a debate on stage.”

Panel A was the anti-abortion group from GVSU, consisting of McVeigh and Bailey Wright from the Student for Life organization. Panel B had Varner and Mitchell Pawlak arguing in support of abortion.

Wright started out the debate with an opening statement touching on several reasons as to why abortion isn’t morally permissible.

“This is not about choice, reproductive rights, women’s rights or religion,” Wright said. “This debate is about what defines the unborn.”

GETS

Throughout her statement, she said there are a few criteria for defining the unborn.

These criteria can be memorized with the acronym SLED; size, level of development, environment and degree of dependency.

Wright said the smaller size of an unborn baby doesn’t decrease the value of him or her and that the level of development of an unborn baby doesn’t decrease their value either.

“An 18-year-old has a more developed brain, reproductive system, and life experiences, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that an unborn baby has less value,” Wright said. “For degree of dependency, all of us depend on each other in equal amounts, with an unborn child it’s just higher because their younger, which again doesn’t decrease its value.”

Varner argued that an unborn baby and a human being are intrinsically different.

“In order for an organism or a person to be relevant to morality the person must have a functioning brain and have actual desires,” Varner said.

Varner added that a vast majority of people have abortions at 20 weeks, which is when the unborn child doesn’t have a fully developed brain.

“This doesn’t mean that having an abortion after 20 weeks is morally impermissible,” he said. “We must consider individual concerns on a case to case basis.”

To combat Varner’s arguSEE DEBATE, A2

HEATED

ROBERT MATHEWS | GVL

Just to clarify: MSU student Mitchell Pawlak speaks to GVSU freshman Bailey Wright during the clarification session between panels during the abortion debate.

KEY ARGUMENTS

GVSU (Pro-Life) •

• •

The size, level of development, environment, and degree of dependency doesn’t decrease an unborn baby’s value All human beings are equal in human nature People and things have varying degrees of functionality, but that doesn’t make them less valuable

MSU (Pro-Choice) • •

•

An unborn baby and a person are intrinsically different In order for an organism or person to be morally relevant, they must have a functioning brain and desires All people should have access to human rights and individual choice

Learning for learning’s sake Students, professors audit classes for no credits

BY KARA HAIGHT GVL STAFF WRITER

TAYLOR ROBIDA | GVL

Good vibrations: Students from a Just Pettibon’es LIB 100 class stand outside on the Allendale Campus to spread some positivity last Friday during their class.

BY LIZZY BALBOA GVL NEWS EDITOR

Most people who pass

by Grand Valley State University’s Transformational Link have heard the condemning mantras of crowd-drawing preachers and religious activists, whose message of justice seems to incite more jeers than repentance. And though most people hear it, even fewer take the time to combat that message with one of earnest love and mercy.

But one of GVSU’s LIB 100 sections organized a ‘demonstration of acceptance’ during their Friday class to take a stand.

“We’ve been discussing issues related to ethical reasoning lately and are reading a couple of pieces by Martin Luther King,” said professor Justin Pettibone. “In class on Wednesday, we discussed King’s injunction against the white moderates’ of his time who opposed segregation, but did

nothing to stop it. Several of the students brought up the point, rightly, that we still face forces of division and exclusion in our country today, and noted that there are often people who spread such messages at the Trans Link sculpture on campus.”

To complement their course material and contribute to the campus culture, the students unanimously proposed a sort SEE LOVE, A2

For many Grand Valley State University students, playing hookey and slacking on assignments can become a frequent problems.

Class is a chore — an undesirable albeit necessary step to receiving the long-awaited diploma.

But GVSU Junior Nick Macksood has a different mentality. The French and Classics major attends every Theories of Communication class, does the assigned readings and participates in discussion — for absolutely no academic credit.

Macksood opted to audit the course and learn for learning’s sake, not to receive a mark on the transcript to satisfy future employers.

“A couple friends had the class, and I heard the professor, Corey Anton, was fantastic,” he said of his decision to set aside time for the course.

Had the option to audit not been available, Macksood said he wouldn’t have been able to schedule it in.

Betty Schaner, direc-

tor of the CLAS Academic Advising Center, said any student can audit a course after expressing their interest to the GVSU Registrar’s Office.

Schaner said the rules about auditing courses are similar to those of credit/no credit courses; students SCHANER can decide within the first five days of a course whether they’d like to audit the class and cannot take more than 10 credit hours of credit/no credit or audited courses per semester.

The main difference between the two course types is that students don’t receive credit for audited courses like they do with credit/no credit classes.

Furthermore, auditing students aren’t held responsible to complete exams or assignments like they would be with other regisSEE LEARNING, A2

GVSUOFFCAMPUSHOUSING.COM Find what you’re looking for.

A2

NEWS

LEARNING

CONTINUED FROM A1

tration forms.

In Macksood’s case, the professor provides all the material, but the amount of work he puts into it the course entirely up to him.

“I don’t do as much as others because I’m not being

tested, but I can get as deep as I want,” he said. “I could take test if I wanted.”

While no credit is received for taking audited courses, the opportunity still has its advantages.

Macksood said the class has opened his mind about his future plans.

“It’s one of a handful of

N E W S

BRIEFS Campus events recognize Cesar Chavez There will be a silent march and speech at Grand Valley State University to honor and acknowledge Cesar E. Chavez on Wednesday, March 20. The march will begin at 1:30 p.m. in front of the Zumberge Library. The speech

by Mark Kamimura-Jimenez will be from 2-3 p.m. in the Grand River Room of the Kirkhof Center. These events are sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Inclusion and Equity, Latino Student Union, and WGVU Public Media. For further information, call (616) 331-2177.

Office of Fellowship holds workshops The Frederik Meijer Office of Fellowships will be hosting workshops for students to learn about different scholarships and fellowships. “Fellowships 101” will be on March 21 and April 4 at 6 p.m. in the main lobby of Niemeyer Hall.

These workshops will assist students in the process of applying for scholarships as well as the guidance that the Frederik Meijer Office of Fellowship offers. There will also be a U.S. Student Fulbright Program information session on March 28 at 6 p.m. in Niemeyer Hall, room 148. Students that have an interest in being an English Teaching Assistant in another country after graduation are recommended to attend. For further information on the workshops, go to www.gvsu.edu/fellowships.

Learning, study strategies workshop There will be a workshop to guide students on exploring and identifying students learning styles and effective study strategies. This event will be on Monday, March 18 from 6-7 p.m. in Kirkhof Room 2270. This workshop can help students to better prepare for finals approaching.

ACES 12-step meeting The Alcohol Campus Education Services regularly host 12-step recovery meetings for both the campus and public community who are interested in taking the necessary steps to stop drinking and using other drugs. These meetings are held at the ACES office located by the Water Tower Place at 10383 B 42nd Ave, next to the Metro Health Care Center.

MARCH 18, 2013 Grand Valley Lanthorn

classes (I’ve taken) that has meant something to me,” he said. “Whether it be grad school, (or something else), it’s opened me up to an entire new world of academia.”

Students like Macksood aren’t the only ones able to participate in auditing courses. Robert Robins, an affiliate professor in GVSU’s hospitality and tourism management department, is currently enrolled in the photography course, Color Printing.

“Photography has always been a hobby of mine,” Robins said. “I wanted to improve my own skills by learning from these artists.

I started taking a class here and there at first, then got really into it.”

While Robins has enrolled in other photography courses for a grade, he admits that students react dif-

ferently to having a professor in class as a fellow student.

“Many times on the first day of class they think I’m the instructor, which is always fun,” he said. “The photography students are really focused on their craft and so many have such real talent, I am learning as much from them as they get from my life’s experience.”

While attending the photography courses, Robins is still teaching in his discipline of hospitality and tourism management, but he said his relationship with the students in his photography classes is somewhat altered.

“I try to stay low key as much as possible,” he said.

“I have to, at times, remind myself that while I may know the answer to a question or have an opinion to share, I have the advantage of age and experience but I

have to let the other students work through it.”

Robins said his communication with the course professor also changes due to his position as an educator.

“I usually talk it over with the professor beforehand and say, ‘If you want an answer, call on me, otherwise I’ll hang back,’” he said.

Robins explained that in his experience, some professors deal with his presence better than others.

“It has to be a bit of a challenge at times to have a ‘peer’ sitting in their classroom (and) I suppose it could be intimidating to some,” he said.

When making decisions about whether to audit classes, Schaner said there are benefits and disadvantages to consider. “(When auditing a class),

students can attend the course but typically aren’t responsible for all assignments and tests, unless the professor deems otherwise,” Schaner said. “It can give a student a chance to ‘brush up’ on material if it’s been awhile since taking a course (or) if they have been away from college for some time.”

The chance to bypass tests and quizzes may appeal to some students, but Schaner warns that auditing a course doesn’t mean they will not be responsible for the knowledge.

“Professors expect all students to participate fully in classes,” she said. “It can be difficult to form study or work groups and expectations are different.”

Questions about auditing classes can be directed to academic advisers.

TUITION

the service for the educational benefits, Bell said that shouldn’t be the sole reason for signing up.

“The role of the military is to support and defend the nation, and we’re still a nation at war over in Afghanistan,” he said. “If sacrifices need to be made, that just goes along with the job.”

Bell would like to see those affected by the suspension receive an eligibility extension for assistance to make up for the lost time.

While it is unfortunate for those who depend on the tuition assistance, it’s just a part of serving, he said.

“Joining the Army is a

service and a sacrifice,” Bell said. “Sometimes you lose sight of the big picture.”

For the 2012 fiscal year, the Department of Defense had a base budget of $530.6 billion according to its website, with an additional $115.1 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations.

The military has provided assistance covering up to 100 percent of tuition and fees, but the amount is capped at $250 per semester-hour and is not to exceed $4,500 annually.

The Army had the largest number of individuals receiving tuition assistance at 201,000, spending $373

million for the 2012 fiscal year. The Air Force had 104,000 personnel that received assistance totaling $194 million, and the Marines spent $47 million on 29,000 individuals.

Students looking to access their G.I. Bill benefits should contact the Registrar’s Office at 616-3313327 or visit www.gvsu. edu/registrar.

Students looking for alternative financing should contact the Financial Aid Office at 3313234, or visit www.gvsu. edu/financialaid.

CONTINUED FROM A1

best hope is that they’ll resolve the sequestration issue so hopefully the funding is reinstated.”

GVSU has 577 students who use military educational benefits for the winter semester of 2013, including family members of military personnel.

About 532 students using military benefits have served in the military, and of those, 25 are active-duty in the Army, the National Guard or the Army Reserve.

Even though he knows a lot of people who join

LOVE

CONTINUED FROM A1

counter-rally that Pettibone said he supported.

“Students then began to debate what could be done in response to the homophobia and sexism that is sometimes heard on campus,” he said. “Thinking about the ideas that King wrote about, they decided that they wanted to collectively take a stand for acceptance

DEBATE

CONTINUED FROM A1

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.

Lanthorn

ments, McVeigh said that using the criteria of brain development, actions, and the ability to experience desires doesn’t constitute a person’s value.

“Everyone’s body functionalities are different, different people hold functions to different degrees, but that doesn’t make their value less,” he said.

In addition, he stated the importance of bodily autonomy, that the parents are responsible in the situation,

Grand Valley Lanthorn, 0051 Kirkhof CENTER Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI, 49401

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-Chief ANYA ZENTMEYER Associate Editor AUSTIN METZ Community Engagement Editor BRIANA DOOLAN News Editor LIZZY BALBOA Sports Editor BRYCE DEROUIN Laker Life Editor KARI NORTON A & E Editor STEPHANIE ALLEN Image Editor ROBERT MATHEWS

ADVERTISING STAFF Advertising Manager ANGELA CAROLLO Asst. Advertising Manager ARIANNA FUOCO Account Managers MEGAN FISH CASSIE BAWCUM MARISSA WINTERS MEL ROWE Ad Designers DANI FRITZ DEREK ARGUELLO

Assistant Image Editor BO ANDERSON Copy Editor AUDREY SOCHOR BECKY SPAULDING Layout Editor JULIE SHEERAN Layout Staff AUDREY SCHLUTT SOPHIA HERCZEG DANI FRITZ Web Team TY BAILLIE COSTAS CIUNGAN Marketing & PR NICK LADD

BUSINESS STAFF Business Manager ANGILEENA GIBSON Distribution Manager PATRICIA WARE Distribution Team WILKS CLEMONS TERRIA WILLIAMS MERCEDES JOSHUA

rjarvi@lanthorn.com

and spread positivity to people as they passed by the Trans Link.”

With posters and leaflets spreading uplifting messages, the students and their professor cheered passersby, telling them, “You’re awesome” and “Spread the love,” or simply encouraging them to smile.

“There are a couple reasons I thought it would be a good use of class time, and (it reflects) topics we’ll discuss in class next week,” Pettibone said. “I wanted

them to be able to respond to the ethical challenge that they saw in the divisive speech that was taking place on campus. I wanted to see what MLK’s ideas would do to animate them, and I’m really proud of what they did. They took their roles as members of the GV community seriously and decided to articulate, through this demonstration, what being a responsible community member means to them.”

and that it’s their responsibility to protect their unborn child.

Pawlak replied by emphasizing that a human should have characteristics such as the ability to love and think. In cases of rape, he said women shouldn’t have to feel like they have to save someone’s life, especially if it’s not theirs.

Toward the end of the debate, both Panel A and B gave their closing statements.

“Is it an adequate reason to kill an unborn person because of a lack of human desires and functions?” McVeigh said.

“All humans have one thing in common

and that’s human nature. A humanitarian society should be a fair, equal and loving society that doesn’t seek out boundaries that places some humans a head of others; we tear these wall downs.”

In Varner’s closing statement, he said the audience should keep in mind the desires and insights to a person’s well-being.

“Our actions shouldn’t be dictated on what could be or should be, our actions should be dictated on what our desires currently are,” Varner said.

Volume 47, Number 51 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, please contact our business offices.

POSTMASTER: Please send form 3579 to:

khaight@lanthorn.com

New

HOUSING GUIDE March 25th

news@lanthorn.com

assistantnews@lanthorn.com

A3

NEWS

MARCH 18, 2013 Grand Valley Lanthorn

Medical students save lives in Grand Rapids

BY AUSTIN METZ GVL ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Khai Le and Isaac Billings are just like any other Grand Valley State University students.

Le is 22 years old, has a bachelor’s degree from GVSU and will be returning in May to continue his education in the medical field.

Billings is a 23-year-old pre-med student who is graduating in April and will be continuing on to graduate school. Unlike other students though, Le and Billings are also both actively employed as paramedics in Grand Rapids and the surrounding area.

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Le earned his bachelor’s in Health Science at GVSU. After that, he realized that GVSU offered a nursing program so he applied and will be starting that in May. “When I was going for my PA, I kind of wanted to get some experience with medicine and I found this whole Paramedic, EMT program downtown and I did that while going to school,” Le said.

“I did that for two years and got amazing experience but I didn’t think I was going to be a paramedic at all. I just wanted to get my foot in the door.”

During his time serving the Grand Rapids community, Le has dealt with a variety of different situations. One of his most memorable took place just a few weeks ago when he and his partner received a page sending them to The Woods to treat GVSU student Kelsey DeWindt.

DeWindt is from the Grand Rapids area and has been attending GVSU for the past three years.

While she was simply hoping to hang out with friends at The Woods, in an instant, DeWindt’s life changed forever.

After a day like any other day that included working out, attending school, and going to work, DeWindt decided to spend time with friends to celebrate a birthday.

Once inside The Woods, everything went wrong.

“There actually wasn’t anything, I don’t even remember that day at all,” DeWindt said. “And I don’t remember the next few days when I was in the ICU. This happened on a Thursday I believe and I don’t start remembering anything until Saturday or Sunday.”

After receiving the page, they

were told that someone had fallen at the bar and may have suffered a seizure.

“I’m sure a lot of paramedics would think this, okay, a 21-yearold, fall, at The Woods, at the bar so I’m thinking she probably had way too many drinks and that she just fell or something like that,” Le said.

Within five minutes of arriving at the scene, Le and his partner both realized they were very wrong.

“I looked at her and I could just feel that something wasn’t right,” Le said. “I didn’t know it at first but I went down to check her radial pulse, the pulse on the arm, and then I looked at her. She just didn’t look alive. She wasn’t responding or anything.”

After both Le and his partner checked for a pulse, they came to the scary conclusion that her heart

“

...I went down to check her radial pulse, the pulse on the arm, and then I looked at her.

She didn’t look alive.

KHAI LE

”

GVSU STUDENT & PARAMEDIC

was not beating. DeWindt was in cardiac arrest.

Le ran out to the ambulance to grab all the proper equipment and returned to see his partner giving DeWindt CPR. “At that point, every second counted, everything we did, every second counted,” he said. “Statistically, it is five to seven minutes until permanent brain damage really starts kicking in.”

In order to restart DeWindt’s heart, the paramedics shocked her two times, administered one shot of medication, and provided CPR. “After the second shock, with our monitor, she went back into her normal rhythm,” Le said. “Ob-

viously she wasn’t breathing quite yet and she was obviously out of it but her heart was beating again.”

Once to the hospital, doctors were able to stabilize DeWindt and help her make a nearly full recovery.

“The doctors are still trying to figure out why it happened and the two main things now is they think I may have something wrong with my kidneys because my electrolyte balances were off,” DeWindt said. “Otherwise what they are looking for is what is called Long QT syndrome.”

Today, DeWindt is nearly fully recovered from the procedure that placed an Internal Cardiac Defibrillator in her heart, and she said she has the help of the paramedics and CPR that saved her life.

“The responsiveness of the EMTs, and the firefighters and everything saved my life,” DeWindt said. “Because of how important it is, I actually want to become certified in it.”

Le and DeWindt wanted to stress the importance of learning CPR moving forward because with simple training, even civilians can help save a life.

“It was a huge call and it was a call I will never forget,” Le said. “It’s nice because I have a picture of her and my partner, and I framed up and it’s really nice.”

For Billings, the idea to become a paramedic came as a way to gain experience in the field he loved.

“I want to be a physician, specifically I’m looking to get dual boarded as a general family practitioner and as an emergency room doctor,” Billings said. “I would like to serve in a rural, medically underserved region so that is the goal.”

Having worked as a paramedic for about two years, Billings has seen the positives and the negatives that come with the territory.

“The most challenging aspect is dealing with the politics that come into play with medicine,” he said.

“Our goal is to take care of our patients. That is our number one goal.

We do what is best for the patient.

Within that, as a paramedic, when you roll up to a scene of an accident or a complicated medication scenario like congested heart failure, you have protocols that are given to you and these protocols are supposed to guide your decisions and you are supposed to stick with them.

Often times, as paramedics, what is best for the patient doesn’t fall in

ROBERT MATHEWS | GVL

Lending a helping hand: After graduating with his bachelor’s degree, Khai Le worked as a paramedic before returning to GVSU to continue in medical.

line with those protocols and sometimes it doesn’t call in your company policy as well … so you are having to break protocols to do what is best for your patient and sometimes that can be very difficult.”

Although there are rough days in the paramedic field, to Billings, the positives he has experienced have made it all worth it.

“The most rewarding aspect would have to be those days when you walk away from the hospital after dropping off a patient knowing that what you did actually saved somebody’s life,” Billings said. “Even on the other side, that is hands down the most rewarding part. It’s amazing.”

Not only does Billings provide life saving-services, he also serves as a pillar of support for his patients and their families.

“If we can get them (the patients) to be emotionally secure with where they are at, and begin to get some hope about the situation and get rid of the panic, to calm down and relax a little bit, that’s huge,” Billings said. “...So much in medicine we are finding out is mental so how you think and feel about a situation can change it

ROBERT MATHEWS | GVL

Saved: Isaac Billings has used his love for rural areas to help treat the Grand Rapids area.

drastically with how it turns out.”

Students who are interested in learning CPR can contact the GVSU Campus Wellness Center at 616-331-3659 or the American Red Cross at 616-456-8661. associate@lanthorn.com

GVSU creates Laker Traditions Team

ROBERT MATHEWS | GVL

Shaping new ideas: Student Senate has created the Laker Traditions Team to help create new university events.

BY SARAH HILLENBRAND GVL SENIOR REPORTER

The Grand Valley State University’s Office of Student Life is creating a group called the Laker Traditions Team that will help with coordinating campus-wide events throughout the year. Applications are being accepted March 18-31, and many of the positions are paid and have the opportunity of earning internship credit.

“The team will help us further

the ‘Laker for a Lifetime’ message of giving back to the university community and showing Laker Pride,” said Michelle Burke, director of student life. “When students plan events, they always are more successful than when staff alone plan campus events.”

The purpose of the Laker Traditions Team is to improve planning of events that bring the GVSU community together, engage stu-

dents in leadership roles to increase student ownership and participation, maximize Student Life staff time and resources by serving as supervisors instead of events managers, and advance the Laker for a Lifetime initiative and Laker Weekends activities.

“In Student Life, we have been discussing options for several years about how to get students more involved with the planning and imple-

mentation of large campus events like Homecoming and Sibs & Kids Weekend,” Burke said. “Our office has been hiring HTM interns to help with Family Weekend and Presidents’ Ball for the last several years and we wanted to expand this idea.”

Along with supporting other specific Laker for a Lifetime events, the team will be helping with the traditional events that are held on campus every year. These include the Laker for a Lifetime Kickoff, Family Weekend, Homecoming, Battle of the Valleys, Sibs & Kids Weekend, Presidents’ Ball and Intercultural Festival. The Office of Student Life is also working to create a new event called Spring Tradition to end the year and celebrate another year at GVSU, build community, and de-stress before finals week.

The first step for students to be on the Laker Traditions Team is to apply through OrgSync by March 31, after which date the interviews will begin, Burke said. “The panel

will include members of Student Senate and staff from Student Life.

We are looking for students who have Laker Pride, want to work hard to create great campus traditions, and who are good collaborators to engage other students in activities. Many of the positions could qualify for internship credit in various majors,” she said.

Positions available for students are the overall chair, promotions/ social media coordinator, volunteer coordinator, Laker Weekends coordinator, student event coordinators, and event volunteers. All positions except event volunteers are paid and have the opportunity to be an internship. Each coordinator will have a supervisor from Student Life.

Students who are looking for more information about the Laker Traditions Team can contact Michelle Burke. The application is available at https://orgsync. com/61065/forms/70376. shillenbrand@lanthorn.com

YOUR SPACE LIVE THE LIFESTYLE community@ lanthorn.com

Lanthorn G R A N D VA L L EY

T H E S T U D E N T- R U N N E W S PA P E R S AT G R A N D V A L L E Y. W W W. L A N T H O R N . C O M

out our myloft45.com move in specials! 616. 895. 2500 6101 Lake Michigan Drive A-1500 Allendale

Supported by: GVSU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Modern Language & Litterature, Padnos International Center, African/African American Studies, and Alliance Française de Grand Rapids

A4

OPINION

VALLEY VOTE

QUESTION OF THE ISSUE

Would you consider auditing a class at GVSU?

MARCH 18, 2013 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN

Is taking a class still worth the work for none of the Academic credit?

LAST ISSUE’S VALLEY VOTE:

WEB EXCLUSIVE

ARE LETTER GRADES THE BEST WAY TO MEASURE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT?

YES: 67%

LOG ON & VOTE lanthorn.com

NO: 33%

Read the blog:

“GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES”

by GARRICK SEE lanthorn.com/BLOG

“I would love the opportunity to learn without having to pay for it.

Credit or no credit it’d be worth it!”

KAYLEE GROENWOLD

Sophomore Advertising/Public Relations Otsego, Mich.

“I think I would consider auditing a course at GVSU. Being an education major I believe it is important to keep learning as much as possible. If it was information I could use in the future, I would definitely try it out.”

SARA TIESENGA

Senior Integrated Science/Elementary Ed. Belding, Mich.

“I would consider taking an auditing course at GVSU because it would help expand my knowledge. Also, I find it to be an interesting idea, to sit in a class to get no credit, although it’d have to be a class that I am interested in.”

CARLY DOLINSKI Freshman Biology Port Huron, Mich.

EDITORIAL

FOR LEARNING’S SAKE In an academic climate where students pride ends over means, the practice of academic auditing by GVSU students signals a triumphant return to the heart of higher education

A

t Grand Valley State University and beyond, there are many different kinds of students with many different kinds of relationships with their academic courses. While some students rue the hour and fifteen-minute blocks of institutionalized learning, some don’t mind it. And if you’re like Junior Nick Mackstood, and other GVSU students and professors, you not only don’t mind class, you like it; In fact, Mackstood likes class enough to do the assigned readings, and attend and participate in the lecture for no academic credit.

It’s called auditing classes – sitting in on a lecture or course on campus but with no formally awarded grades or academic credits, audited classes leave no mark on your academic transcript. Some people use them to “brush up” on entry-level courses they’ve become unfamiliar with, and some – like Mackstood – audit

classes simply because they like to learn.

We cannot speak for the majority of GVSU, but we can speak for the majority of the Lanthorn staff; and the average student here – already struggling to balance 15 credits worth of in-class time and even more hours of homework and test prep, with internships, part-time jobs and social demands – take the “less is more” approach to course loads. We love learning, but maybe not always in the classroom.

“It’s one of a handful of classes (I’ve taken) that has meant something to me,” Mackstood said in a story featured in today’s issue on A1. “Whether it be grad school, or something else, it’s opened me up to an entire new world of academia.”

Suffice to say, students like Mackstood have caught on to a trend that reinvigorates the spirit of higher education as it was originally

intended to be – not one that strives toward a perfect G.P.A., or puts high-earning degrees on a pedestal, but one that values knowledge for knowledge’s sake. One that seeks to explode our world into one million little pieces, and reconnect the dots into something that makes the world a brighter and more dynamic place to be.

This perspective is not only commendable, but also admirable. This is a perspective that students across all majors, in all levels of their education should appreciate and seek to emulate. Not everyone has the time, nor the work ethic to take on course work that doesn’t move them toward graduation, but our world is changing, and students are going to need to arm yourself with more than just your academic transcript to make their way post-graduation.

A love of learning, for learning’s sake would, perhaps, be a good start.

COURTESY CARTOON I KING FEATURES “No, I wouldn’t consider auditing a course because I don’t see why you would take a class for no credit.”

SAMANTHA ROLES Freshman Writing Port Huron, Mich.

“I wouldn’t consider auditing a course. If my grades were at the level that I would need to drop one, I would focus on my remaining classes.”

Dan mcgrail

Sophomore Mechanical Engineering West Branch, Mich.

WEB EXCLUSIVE Read the column

“You’re from where? ”

by NATE SMITH lanthorn.com/EDITORIAL

Reputation, or lack thereof, is everything

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, all other readergenerated content can be submitted to the Grand Valley Lanthorn’s YourSpace page by emailing community@lanthorn.com.

Letters to the editor should include the author’s full name and relevant title along with a valid email and phone number for confirming the identity of the author. Letters should be approximately 500-650 words in length, and are not edited by the staff of the Grand Valley Lanthorn outside of technical errors for clarity.

To make a submission, email at editorial@lanthorn.com or by dropping off your submission in person at: 0051 Kirkhof Center Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI 49401 616-826-8276

Got something to say?

We’ll listen. editorial@lanthorn.com

BY STEPHANIE SCHOCH GVL COLUMNIST

As kids we were taught what colors, in combination, to love and to hate; whether that was blue and maize, green and white, or red and grey. Whatever sport our parents loved, we often inherit that love unintentionally. Maybe it was from all of the time and effort put into cheering along with the rest of the family that made such a strong bond last well into adulthood.

The same goes for colleges: our mothers and fathers inadvertently, although sometimes quite bluntly, favored one over the other.

Paired with their love for the colors, the teams, and the place, any child would grow up knowing they wanted to be a Spartan, a Wolverine, or some other

random thing, person, or animal.

My first love was University of Michigan, believing that the school was the only one for me simply because yellow and blue look pretty darn good together (I mean, complimentary colors will do that, ya know). A few short years later I dumped the idea, hoping that I would find another more sophisticated love. Duke: the decision was sparked by a random conversation, and after hearing the name, my heart had already attached itself. $55,000 a year? Of what, again? I had plenty of Monopoly money saved, and I doubted that, even if handed swiftly and smoothly enough, no one could tell the difference.

By the age of 14, I laughed at the short, naïve romances that I had previously become entangled with. I was now in love, really in love, with green and white. Sure, the colors did not look wonderful on me, but people who went to U

of M were snobs, and people who went to Duke flew to have tea with the queen.

I like modesty and I dislike tea. At the time, that was all that I needed to know not to want to go to either wonderfully accredited school.

Looking back, I can never remember wanting to be a Laker. What is a Laker? I mean, I get sea-sick, and God love Louie, but there’s something different about his face. I think the reason that I chose to come to Grand Valley was precisely because I didn’t hear things about it. There was no stereotyped, I would not be labeled, and I could seek an education without much reaction from anyone asking “so where do you go to school?”

There are so many schools in Michigan, let alone the U.S., so why is it that when we hear Stanford or Harvard, we go crazy? I had a friend that went to Samford, a private Southern Baptist institution located in Homewood, a suburb of

Birmingham, Alabama. After asking where she would attend college, her answer was often met with wide eyes and an enthusiastic “oh!” But after so many of her corrections, the initial pronunciation grew louder and louder as she got tired of the lessening of enthusiasm. After all, going to college is a feat itself.

A name is always associated with something. The brain reaches back into its memories and pulls past experience up to the front of the class to declare what happened. It is why picking names can be such a challenge: anyone named Ashton is good looking and stupid, and if you name a child Katniss, you can bet that she’ll be independent and tough. After experiencing this place, what comes to mind when you hear Grand Valley? It differs from person to person. It might be homework, piles of snow or the people. Or maybe it’s even The Lanthorn. sschoch@lanthorn.com

YOURSPACE

MARCH 18, 2013 Grand Valley Lanthorn

A5

Pit Bulls: A canine controversey

BY ALEXIS CROSWELL HSGV FORMER PRESIDENT

A small crowd forms around a trifold poster covered with images of bully breed dogs. People evaluate the dog’s stocky bodies, square heads, and shiny coats. The contestants faces show uncertainty as they are about to make their decision on which dog is the Pit Bull. Is it the one with the bigger ears? The attentive tail? Or is it the biggest one with the shiny coat?

Most of the time, contestants cannot spot the pit bull. As part of their loser’s compensation they are then rewarded with information on what makes a true pit.

A popular game at animal related fundraising events, “Can you spot the Pit Bull?” aims to raise awareness of breed discrimination and show just how difficult it can be to spot a pit. Usually, one topic of discussion that follows is about breed specific legislation (BSL). As

defined by the American Humane Association, BSL is the banning or restriction of specific breeds of dogs considered “dangerous”, such as pit bull breeds, Rottweilers and German shepherds. Many states, counties and municipal governments see BSL as an answer to dog attacks.

The problems with BSL are many, as the “Spot the Pit Bull” game so easily demonstrates. Identifying a specific breed becomes increasingly difficult when the characteristics of the animal can be applied to many, and when the majority of pets are a mix of breeds. Alternatives to BSL include education, enforcement of animal control laws, spaying and neutering, and better bite reporting. Additionally people who have had many positive interactions with pit bulls argue that humans have a tendency to blame the dog for its actions before looking at how

human behavior plays a role in the situation.

Most people would agree that bit bulls have been given an undue amount of negative attention in the media. This has served to perpetuate the myths that bit bulls are born aggressive, attack humans, and are a menace to communities.

The ASPCA reports that “animal control officers across the country say that when they alert the media to a dog attack, news outlets respond that they have no interest in reporting on the incident unless it involved a pit bull”. Additionally, many “pit bull” attacks are not necessarily true pits, as the label is applied to them simply if they are a stocky dog with an aggressive attack in their history.

Sadly, violent images and stories in the news generally attract more attention than pleasant stories. In early March a shooting involving a Pit Bull in the Grand Rapids area sparked debate on whether or not the dog’s death was justified and if the images used to represent the dog in the media were fair. The case is still undergoing investiga-

“A Short Story” Originally written for a Story Making Class.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun! Just get pasta or something!” Smiling down at me, comfort radiating from his green eyes, Liam squeezed my hand tight. As he ushered me into the quaint restaurant, I tried my best to fight my first act on instincts. My body turned at the sight of a sign screaming “HUGE BUFFET! First Come, First Serve!” and I felt my spine tense up a bit. I had to go along today; I had to do this for him, and myself. Curled around his arm, I hung on to Liam, keeping my face averted to the ground. It was hard not to be blinded by the sickly yellow and white bulbs looming above the encased varieties of eats. Squinting through the rays of fake lighting, I could see Joe and Amy sitting over in a booth, waving us over to join them.

Straightening myself up, I followed Liam with grace and posture. However, once my denim-clad bottom slid in against the red leathery cushions, the chills came back.

Shivering gently in my seat, I flashed a smile as introductions rolled on by. My hand levitated out robotically, exchanging shakes, polite laughter, and attentive nods.

Though, only one thing was on my mind, really. I had to get out of there.

Constant fidgeting and tapping of the leg did not distract my boyfriend, or our friends. This was good, this was very good. I sighed with relief, knowing I was seemingly normal at this moment in time to them. A tall, lanky, awkward young man with brilliantly red hair and freckles the size of Alaska tripped over to our table. Wearing a white button down, half tucked in, and a goofy red and black tie – clearly, the colors of the restaurant – he could only be the waiter. “C-c-can I get you folks anything to d-d-drink?” the squirrelly voice trembled. It was probably his first day.

Liam beamed to the kid, “I’ll have a coke!” Then it went to Joe, “Some Dr. Pepper would be good”. “Ice Tea, please,” Amy softly chirped. “Water” I nodded, eyeing the nametag.

Ralph was a fine name for an awkward specimen like himself. “R-r-right away”, the waiter scribbled down on to his notepad, turning around and hurrying off to the kitchen to retrieve their beverages. Then, the chatter commenced amongst the group, which turned into a rhythmic buzz in my ears. Hunched over, I realized I still had my coat on.

Well, of course no one else would need theirs, except for me. I felt cold all the time. Perhaps I should have been born a walrus. But, who is there to say I am not already one?

Clearly, I could be in the same family of girth if I argued enough about it. In my head, this was true. In Liam’s head, it would never be true. He’s the lucky one, though. He doesn’t have to see what I see. And he didn’t have to endure

tion and the controversy is still buzzing among residents.

The media portrayal of pit bulls is also supported by extensive dog fighting and breeding of pits for this purpose. Many animal protection and law enforcement agencies have been dedicating more resources to tackling this issue since it not only involves the abuse of many pit bulls, but also smaller dogs used for “baiting” and dog fighting’s connection to criminal activities. High profile cases like Michael Vick’s and those featured on docu-dramas like Animal Cops have brought more public attention to this organized and systematic abuse. Concerned citizens have risked their lives to make documentaries to expose this barbaric practice. One such documentary, “Off the Chain”, provides an in depth undercover look into dog fighting. Humane Society of Grand Valley (HSGV) will be screening this documentary with a panel discussion to follow on Thursday, March 21st from 5-730 pm at GVSU’s Kirkhof Room 2215.

We have the responsibility as animal advocates and friends of advocates to research the pit bull breed and rebuild society’s respect and understanding for these dogs.

We must not forget the daily abuse that befalls a vast amount of these animals. Many of us are in the fortunate position to visit a West Michigan shelter and get to know pit bulls firsthand as well as meet the people who interact with them on a daily basis.

In celebration of Pit Bulls and to raise awareness of these issues, HSGV will be hosting its 3rd annual Pit Bowl benefit for Pound Buddies Animal Shelter and Adoption Center and HSUS’s Pets for Life Program. The benefit features a silent auction, raffle, 50/50 drawing and informational tables. Tickets are $20 and include 3 rounds of bowling, shoe rental, food and drinks. We hope to see you on April 6th from 1:30-5:30 at Lincoln Lanes.

Advance tickets can be purchased at http://www.showclix. com/event/PitBowl2013

BY STACI SHERMAN GVSU SOPHOMORE

this anxiety I was fighting right now.

My palms brushed up and down against my arms as I surveyed the restaurant. It had a 50’s style to it, mixed in with a western kind of theme. How this worked, I have no clue. But, it did kind of look absolutely ridiculous. Some waitresses scurried along on rollerblades, dressed up in “Annie, Get Your Gun” outfits. Their pigtail braids bobbed in motion with every skid of the wheels underneath their feet. It was hypnotic. Glancing down to my hands, my fingers wrapped tightly around one another, I observed the circumference of my wrists. Had they grew overnight? Is that even possible? A small whimper escaped my throat as my eyes traveled to the ceiling. The white drips of wallpaper, styled to kind of mirror icicles, did not help at all. A ringing began in my ears, overlaying the monotone buzz of chatter going on.

My muscles twitched rapidly before stopping all at once. That sensation of a body part falling asleep took over my enter arm and then the other. I felt cold. I felt incredibly cold. One bit of white shook, and then another, and then all of them were shaking at the bases. The icicles chipped away slowly, ever so slowly. And then they fell.

And then everything went black. And then I felt nothing.

The funny thing about fainting is that it isn’t as bad as it seems. Everyone always worries about it happening to someone they love, because of the obvious reason: would they wake up again. But, when it actually happens to that person, they do not realize it. It is just a hole of darkness, and nothing else. If anything, it is a stage of rest. It is the act of the brain trying to compose the body together, and restore things. The worst part of it is the buildup. When you know it’s coming, there is nothing you can do but try to lay straight, head lower than the body, and breathe in deep and slowly. Don’t hyperventilate and breathe in faster, because this will cause adrenaline to enter the bloodstream, and the brain will shut off quicker. If there was a class taught on this subject, I could be a teacher.

Actually, I could be a guru of fatigue. Yeah, that title seems rather nice… This is much nicer than being in that “Leave It to Beaver” rodeo of a food joint. I feel free and fine here with just my air, and just the darkness.

“Juno! Juno!! Oh God, oh God, please... Please wake up! JUNO!!!” I knew that voice. That warm, gentle, loving voice could only belong to one person. Opening my eyes, I found my eyesight blurred, slowly coming to. Liam’s face was pressed up in my vision, taking over a majority of it. I blinked then, and arched an eyebrow. That was all he needed. Wrapping me up into his arms, a hug of urgency and worry was tight against my body. But, it was nice,

and so warm. I had a feeling other people were standing around, but I didn’t want to move my head and look.

Actually, I couldn’t really move at all yet, as my muscles felt the soreness of spontaneous spasms prior to waking.

As Liam pulled back, I could see the scared little boy in his eyes, staring down at me while pecking softly at my cheeks between words. “Juno, please stop scaring me like this. Please, please stop...” His words meant a lot to me, and his plea was heard. Yet, how would I know if I would listen? My future self may not have been here to hear this at all. I simply looked at him, and mustered up a smile. No promises.

I really do not enjoy disrupting an event. Although, ending lunch with friends is much less awkward than ending Thanksgiving Dinner, it still is embarrassing. And who does all the eyes fall upon when this happens? Well, the girl who is sprawled out on the floor unconscious, of course. yet, I’ve become a natural at causing a scene.

Read THE FULL STORY

lanthorn.com/editorial

WIN A JOB AT

THE LANTHORN !

Contact COMMUNITY@LANTHORN.COM for details

Lanthorn G R A N D VA L L EY

STUDENT-RUN PUBLICATIONS LANTHORN.COM PRINT . ONLINE . MOBILE

A6

NEWS

MARCH 18, 2013 Grand Valley Lanthorn

Apply to be a Cook Leadership Academy Fellow E m e rg i n g L e a d e r s P re pa r i n g to B u i l d O u r F u t u re

HauensteinCenter.org/cook-leadership-academy T h e H a u e n s te i n C e n te r ’s C o o k L e a d e r s h i p A c a d e m y i s a l e a d e r d e ve l o p m e n t p ro g r a m f o r 4 0 G r a n d Va l l e y u n d e rg r a d u a te a n d g r a d u a te s t u d e n t s . T h e p ro g r a m i s c o - c u r r i c u l a r a n d c ro s s - d i s c i p l i n a r y — t h i s ye a r re p re s e n t i n g 3 2 d i f f e re n t a re a s of s t u d y — a n d i t p ro v i d e s n u m e ro u s o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r s t u d e n t s to e x pa n d t h e i r h o r i z o n s a n d e n g a g e t h e c o m m u n i t y.

C o o k L e a d e r s h i p A c a d e m y F e l l o w s — o u r s t u d e n t s — g a i n a c c e s s to H a u e n s te i n C e n te r e ve n t s a n d re c e p t i o n s , h i g h - p rof i l e c o m m u n i t y e ve n t s , a n d p rof e s s i o n a l t r a i n i n g f ro m Va rn u m C o n s u l t i n g , Fa i l u re - L a b , a n d o t h e r c o n s u l t a n t s .

T h e y h a ve b e e n f a c e - to - f a c e w i t h f o u r U . S . p re s i d e n t s , t wo v i c e p re s i d e n t s , t h re e f i r s t l a d i e s , f o u r s e c re t a r i e s of s t a te , s i x s t a te g o ve rn o r s , n u m e ro u s b u s i n e s s a n d n o n p rof i t e xe c u t i ve s , m u l t i p l e P u l i t z e r P r i z e w i n n i n g w r i te r s , t h e wo r l d ’s m o s t d e c o r a te d a c a d e m i c , a G r a m m y Aw a rd w i n n e r, a n d a n a t i o n a l c h a m p i o n s h i p ba s ke t ba l l c oa c h .

The Wheelhouse Talks

Leader Lens

Guru Mentorship

Muse

Build community at the helm

Challenge your perspectives

Consult collective wisdom

Find your spark

Talks by a distinguished cross-section of leaders, where fellows engage with local leaders and the community; collect perspectives, models, examples, and values of leadership; create a shared vision for the community.

Intimate gatherings, where fellows explore leader ideals and ethical perspectives with Hauenstein Center Hauens Director Gleaves Whitney; tell stories and test ideas; engage, advise, and coach one another

Men Mentor program, where fellows access the advice, guidance, and expertise of community mentors; intersect with mentors at live events; tap into (and contribute to) the program’s collective pr wisdom

Reflection-based, authentic leadership p rogram, where fellows explore their personal narratives and fundamental values, goals, and motives; discover their strengths and weaknesses as leaders leade

For more info visit

Wheelhousetalks.org

For more info visit

Hauens Hauensteincenter.org /cook-leadership-academy

For more info visit

Hauensteincenter.org /cook-leadership-academy

For more info visit

Hauensteincenter.org /cook-leadership-academy

B1

SPORTS

MARCH 18, 2013 Grand Valley Lanthorn

B A S E B A L L

S P O R T S

SHORTS

Lakers remain optimistic after slow start

BY BRYCE DEROUIN

Tragedy forces cancellation of lacrosse game

GVL SPORTS EDITOR

A

Grand Valley State University women’s lacrosse scheduled match with Seton Hill University was canceled after Seton Hill’s bus carrying the team, veered of the turnpike and crashed into a tree. Seton Hill’s head coach and driver of the bus were killed in the accident, while numerous others were injured.

Head coach Kristina Quigley, 30, was flown to a hospital but died there from her injuries. She was about six months pregnant and her unborn child didn’t survive, authorities said. The bus driver, Anthony Guaetta, 61, died at the scene.

Seton Hill was traveling to play Millersville University on Saturday afternoon.

GVSU was scheduled to play Seton Hill on Sunday.

The Lakers will now begin a four-game roadtrip that will begin at No. 8 Dowling College on Sunday, March 24.

Vitzthum named running backs coach

Matt Vitzthum has been named the new running backs coach for the Grand Valley State University football team.

Vitzthum was a graduate assistant coach at Division III Wittenberg University last season, and helped the team earn a 10-2 record while tutoring an all-conference quarterback. Wittenberg advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs behind an offense that was both No. 1 in scoring and total offense.

Before 2012, he spent three seasons as the video coordinator at St. Cloud State University while coaching the running backs and tight ends. The team made it to the Division II Tournament in 2010 and 2011, and had an overall record of 30-7 during the three-year span.

GVSU finished the 2012 campaign with a record of 8-3, winning their second GLIAC North Division title in as many seasons.

ROBERT MATHEWS | ARCHIVE

Time to rebound: Giancarlo Brugnoni (40) rounding the bases during a previous game. Despite a slow start, the Lakers are looking to catch fire behind Brugnoni who last year batted .339 with 41 runs, 60 hits, 48 RBI, 116 total bases.

Santora’s versatility leads GV pitching staff

BY PETE BARROWS GVL STAFF WRITER

STANDINGS BASEBALL 10-4 9-6 6-4 6-5 6-5 7-6 5-6 5-6 6-9 4-10 3-8 2-8

SOFTBALL GVSU Findlay Walsh Lake Superior St. Malone Ferris State Northwood Wayne State Ashland Tiffin Saginaw Valley Ohio Domincan Lake Erie Hillsdale

10-2 8-2 7-3 2-1 6-4 7-5 9-8 8-10 6-9 6-12 4-10 4-17-1 2-8 1-6

LACROSSE Notre Dame (OH) Lake Erie GVSU Wheeling Jesuit Tiffin Walsh Alderson-Broaddus

Urbana Findlay

3-1 3-2 2-2 2-4 1-4 0-0 0-4 0-4 0-5

SEE START, B2

S O F T B A L L

G L I A C

Ashland Wayne State Walsh Findlay Hillsdale Malone GVSU Northwood Tiffin Ohio Domincan Lake Erie Saginaw Valley

s far as the season goes, the Grand Valley State University baseball team is not off to the start they envisioned.

After finishing their nonconference schedule, GVSU finds themselves at 6-7 after they went 1-3 this past weekend.

The Lakers dropped a pair of 5-4 decisions to Mercyhurst College on Saturday to start their Pennsylvania road trip.

“We’re to a point now where we just need to start figuring out a way to win,” head coach Jamie Detillion said. “We played in some close games, and we came up a little short. We made a few mistakes here and there that we’re learning from and getting better from. At some point we just got to put it into action and get a little bit better in situations.”

Errors and slow starts were GVSU’s kryptonite against Mercyhurst. The Lakers found themselves trailing 4-1 after two in-

BO ANDERSON | GVL

Hannah Santora, senior ace of the Grand Valley State University softball team, is only 5’3”, but what she lacks in sheer height, she makes up for with her pitching.

“She’s a very competitive individual,” said GVSU head softball coach Doug Woods.

“Sort of small stature, but she’s got a lot of bark to her bite. She really gets after you when she pitches.”

A transfer student from Kanakee Community College in northeast Ill., Santora has shown off her bark frequently in her three seasons as a Laker. In 2012, Santora turned in one of the more prolific seasons in the history of the program. In 31 starts and 202.2 innings pitched, Santora completed 26 games and

won 24, good for a 77.4 win percentage and a fifth-place rank in GVSU’s single-season record book for wins. She also finished ninth in strikeouts for a single-season (153), and tossed in seven shutouts to go with a stingy 1.90 ERA, all of which culminated in AllGLIAC first team, National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Midwest Region Second Team and Daktronics Third Team AllAmerican honors.

In softball, top female pitchers have been known to touch mid-60 mph and beyond on radar guns. Santora has not established a reputation for blowing hitters back with her speed, but once her pitch arrives from 40 feet away, it doesn’t visit SEE PITCHING, B2

Nearly perfect: Starting pitcher Hannah Santora has led the Lakers so far this seaon. During the 2012 season, Santora pitched 202.2 innings in 26 games and won 24 of those.

W.

T R A C K

Scott’s road

to recovery Sophomore Scott recovers from high school ACL injury to succeed at GVSU

BY PETE BARROWS GVL STAFF WRITER

Nothing in life is promised, not even in sports - a lesson which sophomore sprinter Carly Scott had to learn the hard way. Scott’s athletic career at Grand Valley State University nearly ended before it even began.

A track and field scholarship offer already assured her at GVSU, Scott, a dual sport athlete, didn’t think twice about enlisting for her senior season of basketball at Schoolcraft High School.

A three-time all-state athlete in track and field, Scott had

already set school records in the 200-meter (26.1 seconds) and 100-meter (11.9) dashes and had helped the Eagles to three regional championships during her stay. With one more track and season ahead of her, Scott figured to be in perfect position to both conclude her high school term and enter her college career on high notes.

Her knee had other ideas.

“Her senior year of high school, she tore her ACL playing basketball,” said Keith Roberts, sprint, hurdles and relay coach. “A lot of people thought she would have to redshirt and potentially it would alter what she does in her career.”

SEE RECOVERY, B2

MATT GABE | MLIVE.COM

Fighing through pain: GVSU’s Brittney Jackson (left) and Carly Scott (right) compete in the 60-Meter Dash. Scott has battled through a high school injury to thrive at GVSU.

B2

SPORTS M .

MARCH 18, 2013 Grand Valley Lanthorn

L A C R O S S E

Lax hopes slow start will benefit team

BY ADAM KNORR GVL STAFF WRITER

For most people, a trip to Florida for Spring Break means a week of rest and recovery.

If anything, the Grand Valley State University men’s club lacrosse team could do for some rest and relaxation now.

The trip to West Palm Beach was an interesting one for the Lakers, as nine different players took a trip to the hospital due to illness. The depleted squad went 2-2 over the week, matching their total number of losses from last year’s national runner-up team.

Senior co-captain Tyler Farmer knows not to panic and realizes that it is still early in the season for GVSU. “Overall, our team responded well to adversity,” Farmer said. “It was kind of a shock to open with two losses, but you can’t make any excuses. You can’t go out and win without earning it.”

Intangibles will play a central role in the success of this season for the Lakers who return just four starters

from last year’s crew. Despite being a young team, plenty of players remember the feeling at the end of last year, as GVSU lost 9-8 in the national championship.

“Last year left a bitter taste in our mouths,” said head coach Tim Murray. “Getting that close can drive you crazy.”

With the 2013 season already upon them, the Lakers have no time to dwell on last season’s heartbreaking ending. The back-to-back CCLA champions are setting their sights high, hoping to accomplish what the 2012 team could not.

“Every year our goal is to win the conference title and a national championship,” said senior attacker Jeremy Pouba. “We don’t want to settle for anything less.”

If the Lakers are to reach the national championship, success will start behind their high-octane offense.

Pouba and Farmer are joined up front by junior attacker Brenden Austin, who is off to a white-hot start in 2013,

START

CONTINUED FROM B1

nings in the first matchup, and surrendered two runs in the top of the first inning in the second matchup before scoring three runs of their own half of the first. GVSU also committed two errors in the first game, and three miscues in the second game of the doubleheader.

“We don’t want to make excuses, but mistakes are gonna happen,” Detillion said. “We just have to be mentally tough enough to avoid those situations. We’ve given up a lot of runs early in games and put ourselves in position to play behind. We need to do a better job of

PITCHING

CONTINUED FROM B1

but unflappable.

“She’s pretty tough mentally,” Woods said. “She can give up a home run, that won’t affect her – she won’t let that get her down.

She’ll just come back and go after the next batter.”

Santora also benefits from a strong working relationship with fellow senior Emily Holt, her catcher of three years. When her preferred pitch, a well-crafted change up, isn’t getting the job done, San-

netting 16 goals, along with three assists.

The Laker defense is centered around junior goalie

“

Last year left a bitter taste in our mouths.

Getting that close can drive you crazy.

”

TIM MURRAY HEAD COACH

Danny Kransberger, who has posted a .535 save percentage in four games this year.

Kransberger quarterbacks

starting the games.”

On Sunday, the Lakers leaned on their ace senior Anthony Campanella, who delivered in the 2-0 win in the first matchup with California University of Pennsylvania.

Campanella pitched a complete game shutout and allowed only three hits in the outing. It was his second straight shutout, and the fourth of his career, tying the GVSU career record.

“Honestly, I just trusted the fielders and everything and threw strikes,” Campanella said. “I have great fielders and a great team behind me and everything.”

All four of Campanella’s shutouts have come in his last six out-

“

She can give up a home run, that won’t affect her she won’t let that get her down.

DOUG WOODS HEAD COACH

”

the defense, providing both a strong vocal and physical presence in net. Long-pole defensemen Benson Mason and Mark Pickens spearhead the back end of the field for GVSU, while they look to defensive midfielders Ryan Farlley and Nick Lamberts to help out. The Lakers will have their depth tested, as the team features only five longpole defensemen, as opposed to seven in years past.

The Lakers have had trouble finding their groove, dropping to 2-3 on the season after a 15-7 loss to Liberty University. Murray believes, however, that these losses will prove to be beneficial in the long run.

“Adversity is unusual for us, but these losses will pay dividends,” Murray said.

“When May comes around, this part of the season will have made us a mentally tougher and stronger team.”

GVSU will look to snap their skid against undefeated St. John’s University on Friday. aknorr@lanthorn.com

ings. Campanella’s last shutout also came after two consecutive GVSU losses, as he used 82 pitches to blank Minnesota State University, a 12-0 Lakers win.

“I felt like we definielty needed a win, so I put added pressure on myself to pitch a good game and everything and help the team out,” Campanella said. “I feel like I strive under a little pressure. That’s usually when I pitch my better games. When the team needs me, I’m ready to answer the call.”

GVSU would fall in the second game of the doubleheader, as they were shutout 3-0. California (Pa.) improved to 13-3 on the season after the split.

tora knows who to look to.

“She (Holt) has a lot to do with my pitches,” Santora said. “She tells me when they’re not working. We’re really good at communicating and we get along well outside the softball field and inside.”

Santora also understands her role on the team and that should she ever falter, support won’t be far behind.

“I feel very strong about it (GVSU’s 2013 pitching staff),” Santora said. “If one of us isn’t doing well, another one warms up and I know that they have my back or if I’m not doing well, I’ll warm up and have their back.”

Picking up right where she left off in 2012, Santora has started off

RECOVER

CONTINUED FROM B1

Scott, with only one leg to stand on, stood at a threshold between careers and life stages. A devastating blow, an ACL tear is not an injury that can be taken mildly some less fortunate athletes never play again.

“It was very hard when I first found out because I didn’t know how that would affect me coming here (to GVSU) of course because running my senior year, I didn’t have that,” Scott said. “I was really nervous about that, but coach Tesa (Sibley), coach Keith (Roberts) were really cool about it.

They were like, ‘we still want you to come.’”

All freshmen have to concern themselves with making the transition to a new school. For most, college is the first time away from home and many struggle the first few months to find their way. Scott was no excep-

Murray Sports Photography

Slow and steady: GV’s Shane Harrison at previous game.

“

We’ve given up a lot of runs early in games and put ourselves in position to play behind.

JAMIE DETILLION HEAD COACH

| COURTESY

”

2013 with a 6-0 record, all complete games, earning GLIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week honors and helping GVSU to a 10-2 record exiting the NTC Spring Games held in Clermont, Fl. over spring break.

The best may be yet to come.

“I could have pitched better, but my team was behind me,” Santora said.

Back north, the weather was not quite as hospitable over the weekend and unsuitable playing fields forced cancellations of a pair of non-conference doubleheaders scheduled for Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17. The squad will be back in action Tuesday Mar. 19 to take on St. Joseph’s college in tion and had to accommodate a fullblown rehab as she went along.

“I had to work really hard, a lot of rehab. I was pretty much starting over once I got here,” Scott said. “I had surgery in February and I came here like the very next, like six weeks later.”

Taking it all in stride, Scott, who had earned the support of her coaches, was still an unknown quantity post-injury on the track. When the time finally came, Scott made sure to take full advantage of an opportunity that many young athletes take for granted.

“She came in as a freshman last year and popped off the 4X100, which is one of the most demanding legs – around the turn, popping out of the blocks,” Roberts said. “She was the most consistent in that.”

The women’s sprint team is one of the deepest on GVSU’s track and field program, particularly in the indoor 60-meter dash, with athletes

The Lakers will now look forward to turning things around in GLIAC play. GVSU opens conference play on the road against Hillsdale College on Wednesday.

“We’re excited to start GLIAC play, said junior Giancarlo Brugnoni. “We know how much talent this team has. We just need to go out there and show it. We know our record doesn’t show it, but we know we got talent and pretty soon it’s all going to come together and we’re going to go on a nice little run. Our pitching staff looks great, and we have a deep roster. We’re going to get over these few losses and we’re going to get rolling.” sports@lanthorn.com

Rensselaer, Ind., their last doubleheader tune-up before entering league play.

“We did practice Friday, but they had Saturday and Sunday off,” Woods said. “Hopefully they come back ready to practice on Monday and hopefully we get to get outside and play.”

Until provided her next start, Santora will continue her leadership role on the roster by doing what she does best.

“I’m a very competitive person so when I’m out there, I just focus on pitching and block out everything else,” Santora said. pbarrows@lanthorn.com

like sophomores Brittney Bannister, Michaela Lewis and senior Kayla Addison all capable of running sub 7.9 seconds. In a sport where injuries are commonplace, having dependable depth can be a distinct advantage.

“When you look at our team, we have somewhere around six girls in the top 13 in the conference,” Roberts said.

Scott, now back in full form, has held her own in the rotation and narrowly missed making the cut to the national meet this past indoor season. With the upcoming outdoor season set to begin here in Allendale Mar. 30 with a dual meet against rival Saginaw Valley State University, Scott is primed to continue her progress.

“I just feel like from the standpoint of where she’s come from and how hard she works – she’s only a sophomore- she can be as good as she wants to be,” Roberts said. pbarrows@lanthorn.com

B3

SPORTS

MARCH 18, 2013 Grand Valley Lanthorn

M .

H O C K E Y

HELP WANTED: Lakers look for help to advance in nationals

BY ALEX HARROUN GVL STAFF WRITER

After two days of action and a bus that caught on fire, the Grand Valley State University men’s club hockey team will have to wait and see to know if they can make a third consecutive title game trip.

GVSU began the journey back to a hopeful third straight American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championship game by beating tenth seeded University of Maryland on Friday afternoon at Hardee’s IcePlex in Chesterfield, MO. Sophomore Matt Smartt helped lift the Lakers to a 2-1 victory scoring both goals, including one on the power play.

Sophomore Brad Wilhelm added assists on both of the Smartt goals, continuing their regular season offensive prowess.

“Probably not our best performance, but a win’s a win and that’s what we came to do,” said senior captain Craig Marrett.

“We need to have more jump in our game Saturday. There was something lacking Friday. We just didn’t quite have our mojo going.”

A mental distraction like your bus going up in flames right before a game might have something to do with that.

Before Friday’s action, the Lakers team bus caught fire, destroying the vehicle.

No one was harmed during the incident, as the bus was unoccupied at the time.

“Our bus caught fire and it was gutted,” said head coach Mike Forbes. “We

got past the drama of our bus catching fire, and all the things that go along with that, that get a team off track mentally.”

Many great chances to put the game out of reach were not capitalized on as the Lakers got into penalty trouble throughout the game including a 5-on-3 penalty kill. The Lakers, despite having trouble staying out of the penalty box, were able to persevere over defensive-minded Maryland.

“We played well enough to win Friday, but we were very average in many aspects of our game,” Forbes said. “We outplayed Maryland, but didn’t play well. Only two of the top seeds beat the four seeds yesterday so we dodged a bullet and I’m confident we’ll play better Saturday.”

Saturday afternoon the Lakers faced off against Northeastern University, who lost their opening round match to Arizona State University. Playing a more desperate Northeastern squad, the Lakers were unable to continue their winning ways.

“Northeastern is a tough team,” Forbes said. “They’re a mirror image of us, It comes down to execution and getting the bounces.”

The Lakers carried momentum for most of the game, but came out on the short end, losing 2-1. The loss put a strain on the Lakers’ hopes of a third straight title game trip.

“It was a tough loss,” said senior goaltender Scott Tiefenthal. “We have to win Sunday. It’s a must, and keep the goals against down.”

A potential three-way tie between the Lakers, Northeastern (if they win), and Arizona State looms with the potential tiebreaker being goals against to advance to the semifinal round on Monday.

Northeastern took the control of the

BO ANDERSON | GVL

Moving on: Jeremy Christopher advances the puck up the ice during a recent match. The team overcame a bus fire and tough play to beat Arizona State 6-0 to advance to the semi-finals.

game with a power play goal after the defense was caught down low and a lucky bounce would be all they needed to secure their first win of the tournament.

Junior Chad Wilhelm scored the lone goal for the Lakers, his first of the tournament.

The Lakers will look to rebound against Arizona State, 2-0 for the tournament thus far, in their final pool game on Sunday night. The ACHA semi finals begin on Monday with the national championship game played on Tuesday.

aharroun@lanthorn.com

W R E S T L I N G

Wrestling team earns fifth-place finish at nationals

BY JAY BUSHEN GVL ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Grand Valley State University men’s club wrestling team completed their season at the 2013 NCWA National Championships in Allen, Texas in impressive fashion, earning a fifth-place finish with 92.5 total points.

GVSU entered the competition as the No. 7 team in the NCWA Coaches Poll after a solid 2013 campaign, and saw three wrestlers earn a top-four finish against some of the best competition in the nation.

Senior Frank Bastien (18-4) won seven matches in the 235 pound bracket, ultimately earning a thirdplace finish after defeating the University of Central Florida’s Josh Woods by fall at 4:42. The performance proved to be crucial for the Lakers, scoring the team 26.5 points.

“It was amazing,” Bastien said. “My last two matches were against kids who had already beaten me this year, so I just decided to give it my all. I’m grateful that things fell my way.”

The No. 13 seed won six of his seven matches via pin.

Junior Kyle Horr (24-3) scored 15.5 team points in the 141 pound bracket after making it all the way to

the third-place match. Horr earned a fourth-place finish, ultimately losing by decision against West Chester University’s Luke Bilyeu.

“It’s a pretty fulfilling feeling to finish where we did after all the hard work this season,” he said. “We’re really excited about fifth place.”

Freshman Austin Geerlings (34-9) also earned a fourth-place finish in the 165 pound bracket, making it to the third-place match before falling to Liberty University’s Robert Clymer by decision. Geerlings earned the team 14.5 points.

“I just kept on putting constant pressure on my opponents,” he said. “The (fourth-place finish) is not what I wanted coming in as the second seed, but hopefully I’ll be looking at three straight national titles from here on out.”

Senior Carl Worthy (217) placed for the Lakers in the 197 pound bracket, earning a seventh-place victory over Cliff Hill of Penn State University – Dubois by decision earning the team 11.5 points. Worthy’s classmate Andrew Stepanovich (6-5) earned the team 7.0 points in the 125 pound bracket before falling to Zach McKenna of California Baptist University by decision.

California Baptist went on to win the Men’s Division I Championship with 145.5 total points.

Senior Kyle Hilliard (3-5) also took part in the Lakers’ overall scoring output, gaining 2.0 points in the 285 pound bracket.

Every point proved to be important in the close competition, and four GVSU freshmen combined to play a big role with key contributions.

Gabriel Stepanovich (275) garnered 5.0 points in the

157 pound bracket, Bruce Rau (9-21) scored 5.0 points in the 174 pound bracket, Tyler Dempsey (14-17) earned in 3.0 points in the 133 pound bracket while Carter Augustyn (21-10) earned 2.5 points in the 149 pound bracket.

“This is a really young team,” Bastien said. “If they all stick with it, they’re going to be a great team in the future.

They really have a great shot at winning the whole thing next year.” assistantsports@lanthorn.com

”

FRANK BASTIEN GVSU SENIOR

apartments & townhomes

Need roommates?

We can help! apply online to reserve your apartment today

housing is limited Your Hom� Awa� Fro� Hom� •Pet

THE LANTHORN !

My last two matches were against kids who had already beaten me this year, so I just decided to give it my all. I’m grateful that things fell my way.

On 48th Street Across from the golf course

Now Leasing 1& 2 Bedroom Apartments

WIN A JOB AT

“

Friendly •Bus stop right out front •Free high-speed internet •Free cable TV •Plenty of parking •Large bedrooms & two iiclosets per room

- 24 hour fitness center, game room, theater - FRee Tanning - free Wifi & cable - Your own room & private bath

Boltwoodgvsu.com • 616–895–5875

Contact COMMUNITY@LANTHORN.COM for details

Lanthorn G R A N D VA L L EY

STUDENT-RUN PUBLICATIONS LANTHORN.COM PRINT . ONLINE . MOBILE

4657 Lake Michigan Dr. Allendale, MI 49401

leasing@48west.com 616-895-2400 www. facebook.com/Villageat48West

B4

LAKER LIFE

MARCH 18, 2013 Grand Valley Lanthorn

The magic behind

Muggle Quidditch

BY JESSICA SMITH GVL STAFF WRITER

I

BO ANDERSON | GVL

Fighting through pain: GVSU’s Colin DeMarco brings the ball up the field during a recent game of Quidditch. The team is in its second competitive season and team chaser John Alexander is encouraging everyone to play, as long as they are prepared for physical contact.

t’s a mixture of soccer, football, dodgeball, and water polo with its own twist – it’s called Quidditch.

The name of the game may have originated from the wizarding world of Harry Potter, but it’s transformed into a sporting event beyond the books.

“That’s the most general misconception about it.

People don’t think it’s serious because it’s from Harry Potter, but it’s really serious,” Aleia Wright, president and beater of the Grand Valley State University Grindylows said. “I joined Quidditch because I love Harry Potter, but that’s not why I’m here.

Now they’re like two separate things.”

No they can’t fly around on broomsticks, but the GVSU Grindylows are in their second competitive season and want others to realize that their sport isn’t a joke.

“A lot of people think it’s Harry Potter nerds pretending they can fly and play Quidditch, but it’s full contact,” Wright said.

Muggle Quidditch has been taken to the ground level with some of the general rules and names brought

to the playing field. There are seven players on each side: three chasers, two beaters, a keeper and a seeker.

They still use a quaffle and the bludger, and their goal is to score through the opponent’s three hoops - tackling encouraged.

“We also lose a lot of people to injury, too. At every tournament there’s an EMS waiting because someone will get hurt,” Tyler Nagy, secretary and chaser of the Quidditch club said.

John Alexander, vice president and chaser of the Quidditch club, said they encourage anyone to join the team, but not everyone is cut out for the physical demands of the sport.

“A lot of people come to Quidditch saying, ‘I’ve never played any sports before in my entire life,’ and those are the people that end up dropping out because they’re not expecting it to be a hard thing,” Alexander said.

Of course, there’s a snitch, but this time it’s in human form.

The snitch is a third party player typically dressed in all yellow. They have a ball velcroed to the back of their shorts, and it’s the seeker’s job to hunt them down and

capture the snitch before the opponent. The trick is, the snitch has very few rules and almost any hiding place is acceptable.

“I get to screw with everybody. [I’ve hid] in a pond.” DeMarco laughed.

“Basically, they’re the cheerleader of the sport.

They’re the ones that really get the crowd cheering and laughing because of the stuff they do.”

The Grindylows invite whoever’s interested in or curious about their sport to come and watch because they’d love to break the stereotype.

“I don’t think people will ever disassociate Quidditch 100 percent from Harry Potter, but the most effective way to get people to take it seriously is to actually watch it,” Wright said. “I’ve never had somebody who comes to a Quidditch match say, ‘Oh this is just a bunch of nerds running around on brooms,’ not one time because it’s so intense.”

For more information, e-mail gvsuquidditch@ gvsu.edu. You can also catch the action on GVTV Channel 10. jsmith@lanthorn.com

Dance teams battle for title of GV’s Best Dance Crew

BY RACHEL MCLAUGHLIN GVL STAFF WRITER

Audience members at Alpha Sigma Alpha’s Second Allnuyal Grand Valley State University’s Best Dance Crew event got a glimpse of what it would’ve felt like to be in the crowd at the 2004 Super Bowl when Janet Jackson had her infamous wardrobe malfunction. The dancers didn’t let the incident hinder their performance though, they kept busting their moves and DJ Bigg Dogg continued to spin tracks that shook the chairs and walls of the auditorium.

The night was a dance battle between Sabrosisimo and Rhythm in Blue, plus an impromptu dance by host and member of ASA Aubriana Spenski. Both teams performed their routines and were voted on by judges Linh Huynh, Miss Michigan Wheelchair 2013, and Brandi Angelosanto, Affiliate Professor of Movement Science and Skill Development Course Coordinator.

The first team to take the stage was Sabrosísimo, an all-female trio. The shoeless ladies danced in white lace skirts and navy blue crop tops to tribal music that blared from the stage speakers. Their elaborate arm movements, partial-ballet leaps, and complex footwork earned them the title of “energetic” from the judges.

The synchronized choreography and intricate move-

ments gave the second crew an act to follow.

Rhythm in Blue, composed of 10 members who practiced for six days, came to the stage in plaid shirts and baggy pants nearly covering their sneakers.

The music can only be described as 90s hip-hop remixed with slow ballad near the end with many different scenes occurring and changing throughout.

“I took on the role of many characters,” said crew member Crystal Flowers.

“From a rough neck to a sexy girlfriend, a girl with a broken heart, and even a rock star robot. As our group went up I just was thinking about telling their stories not mine.”

Rhythm in Blue showed they were a crew to be reckoned with by multiple human lifts, flips, and rolls. The two men of the group walked off stage to let the ladies of the group show their dance skill. The men came back and freestyle danced until the ladies returned, sporting a neon wardrobe change.

The group danced together ending in slow-motion moves as they walked off stage.

While the judges picked the winning group, Spenski, member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, entertained the audience with her comedic personality. Members of the audience suggested Spenski show off her dancing skill while they waited for results.

Spenski complied with en-

JESSICA HOLLENBECK | GVL

Just dance: Rythm and Blue competes for the title of GV’s Best Dance Crew. The team competed against Sabrosisimo.

couragement from the DJ’s selection of a song for her.

She “interpretive danced”

“

The audience was amazing and I am so happy to be able to share my talent...

CRYSTAL FLOWERS CREW MEMBER

”

across the stage to the cheering laughter of the crowd before announcing Rhythm in Blue as the winners of the competition.

The team selected two members, Flowers and Darius Davis, to have a dance-off to “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore.

“Darius is an amazing dancer who does a completely different style than me, so I knew I had to give it everything I had,” Flowers said. “I stopped thinking and let the music takeover.”

In the end, Davis’s breakdancing was no match to Flowers’ cartwheels, splits, leg kicks, and dancing down the

aisle into the audience. The crowd voted by cheering, selecting Flowers as the winner.

“The audience was amazing and I am so happy to be able to share my talent with friends, family, and many new faces,” Flowers said.

Davis won a $25 gift card while flowers won the top prize of a $50 gift card.

Tickets for the event were $4 in advance from a sister or $5 at the door.

The fundraiser money will be split between the four Alpha Sigma Alpha philanthropies – Girls on the Run, The S. June Smith Center, Special Olympics and Com-

prehensive Therapy Center.

“The event is continuing to grow since this is the second year, we are hoping that the work we put in will help the event be even larger for the future members of the chapter,” said Ashley Greenberg, Public Relations Chair for Alpha Sigma Alpha.

Alpha Sigma Alpha hopes the following years will raise even more money for their philanthropies.

“I would like to see more teams next year,” Flowers said. “Rhythm in Blue will be back to defend our title.” rmclaughlin@ lanthorn.com

GVSU’s International Justice Mission stands for change Group hosts 27-hour vigil to help spread awareness about slavery

BY BECKY SPAULDING GVL STAFF WRITER

On March 12 at 10 a.m., the Grand Valley State University chapter of the International Justice Mission held a “Stand for Freedom” event to raise awareness about slavery in the modern world, which lasted through the next day until 1 p.m.

The International Justice Mission is “a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression,” according to their website.

Stand for Freedom is “a 27-hour stand to make awareness of the 27 million slaves in the world,” Rachael Rutkowki, the group’s vice president, said. “We want to inform people and create awareness about slavery – that’s the main goal, because a lot of people don’t know that there is still slavery in the world today.”

Along with dedicating 27 hours to their cause, the group used posters, statistics and true life slavery stories to inform those who were interested about slavery.

The group hoped to inform people about the current state of slavery, and what types of slavery exist in the modern world, Rutkowski said. They also hope their stand will cause a ripple effect, allowing those who they in-

formed to spread the word to others.

“There are three different types of slavery,” Rutkowski said. “There is human trafficking, which a lot of people know about, bonded labor, and forced labor.”

These types of slavery occur all around the world, she said.

“The most common is human trafficking, at least in America, but in other countries forced labor is very common, especially with men,” Rutkowski said.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Services, “human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest international criminal industry in the world, and it is the fastest growing.”

The GVSU IJM chapter, which

formed last year, arranged the vigil beginning before spring break, Rutkowski said. The national IJM declared March 5 through 15 to be Stand for Freedom dates, and university chapters nationwide chose 27 hours within that time period to hold their own stands.

“We all did our different parts,” Rutkowski said. She made the informational posters and gathered stories, which she’d originally heard at Passion, a large anti-slavery conference in Georgia that she attended.

Along with IJM members, other “people, who went to Passion, or who have a passion for this” joined in the 27-hour event, Rutkowski said.

The group started at 10 a.m. Tuesday outside near the Cook Carillon

clock tower on GVSU’s Allendale campus. When weather began to get bad, they moved inside the Kirkhof Center until it closed at midnight, then into Henry Hall when it opened in the morning.

This is the group’s first Stand for Change event, but Rutkowski said she believes it would be a good thing to do annually at GVSU. The GVSU IJM group meets Tuesdays at 9 p.m. in Kirkhof 2228 and Thursdays at 8 p.m. in DeVos 302E. “I think it’s a really good cause, and a lot of people don’t really know about it,” Rutkowski said. “It’s heartbreaking, but we can be that voice for them, and I think being a part of IJM is a really good way to be that voice.” bspaulding@lanthorn.com

B5

LAKER LIFE

MARCH 18, 2013 Grand Valley Lanthorn

Students fight off procrastination at NAP

BY KARI NORTON GVL LAKER LIFE EDITOR

There was no confusion, students weren’t lost, they did mean to wear their pajamas out in public.

Well, in Lake Ontario Hall at least.

Grand Valley State University’s Meijer Center for Writing took over the building in an attempt to fight off procrastination and get some serious work done on March 14. Night Against Procrastination was created to encourage students to get a head start on assignments and stop procrastinating at the end of the semester, the center’s Interim Director Patrick Johnson said.

The event that originally began at a university in Germany back in 2010 has spread to schools all over Europe and North America. This is the second year that Johnson has put on the all-nighter at GVSU. Junior Shelby Orford, desk worker at the writing center, led students through the sign-in process and guided them to whichever room fit them best. Students could choose between five different rooms – quiet, semi-quiet, loud, game/activity and sleeping.

“It’s a really great opportunity for students to come finish everything,” Orford said.

Other writing center workers, Biz Strach and Sara Johnson, hung out in the game and activity room where they could converse with friends and float around the event when they were needed.

“I like to be able to promote the good, healthy environment, plus it offers comic relief,” Strach said.

Strach, who is double majoring in math and statistics, was rocking a pair of sock monkey footy pajamas, different to the pair she wore to the event the previous year. Although she is not a writing student, she said she likes working for the center because it shows that there is more to her and it encourages her other strengths.

The 12-hour-long event attracted students from all majors and grade levels. The semi-quiet room was full of students who wanted to get work done and have a good time doing it.

Senior Alli Kneisel said the event was a good way to get stuff done and get a start on some of her projects.

“I thought it would be good to get out of my apartment to get work done,” Kneisel said. “I thought it would be fun and it’s nice having

BO ANDERSON | GVL

Helping others: Jessie Miller, a writing consultant, works with student on her paper during the all night writing session.

access to other people.”

Freshmen Diamond Gardin had a lot of work to cram into the night and looked forward to bouncing ideas off people.

“I love to write,” Gardin said.

“One of the writing consultants

kept telling me to come and I have four papers due within the next two weeks, so I thought it might be a fun way to get them done.”

Gardin said she would encourage students to come to the event in the

future, especially more freshmen.

It was a long night of work but desk yoga, games and a coffee run to Kirkhof at midnight made for a productive, yet fun, evening. lakerlife@lanthorn.com

Lakers Give Back during outreach week

BY JACkie Smith GVL staff writer

More than 600 Grand Valley State University volunteers are planning on participating in the university’s fifth annual Community Outreach Week from March 18-23.

Sponsored by the Alumni Association and the Community Service Learning Center, COW will consist of Lakers from around the world contributing to service projects in their communities.

Eric Stevens, a member of Service Initiatives of the Office of Student Life said anyone interested can get involved.

“There are two ways to get involved,” Stevens said.

“An individual can either create their own project that they can do on their own or that others can join them on, or an individual can go to the website and find a project in their area and sign up and volunteer.”

Alumni, current students and friends of GVSU are invited to join in on a project.

Projects are currently listed in Thailand, Detroit, Grand Rapids and Nebraska.

“For GVSU students, we have two projects: one on Monday and one on Friday, where transportation is provided if they would

“

We expect to have approximately 650 volunteers, and we would love to see students embrace this event...

ABIGAYLE SLOAN

”

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

like to get involved,” Stevens added.

Abigayle Sloan, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations said COW started when the Alumni Association joined with the Community Service Learning Center in 2009. The two organizations wanted to give alumni and students an opportunity to volunteer in the name of GVSU in their communities with projects that are meaningful to them.

The program is designed to unite Lakers around the world with a week of service.

This is one of the only events organized by the university that anyone can participate in, no matter their location, ability, or background.

COW has been a success for the past four years, and coordinators of this event, including Sloan, hope that it will continue to grow.

“We have already doubled our individual project participation over last year’s number of 51,” Sloan said. “We expect to have approximately 650 volunteers, and we would love to see students embrace this event and make it a Grand Valley tradition while they are undergrads and continue participating as alumni.”

In 2012, 625 volunteers logged more than 2,000 hours of service during COW. “COW keeps growing with its participants and collaborations,” Stevens said.

“We hope that more and more alumni and students will keep getting involved and help their surrounding communities. We are all Lakers for a Lifetime, and Lakers give back!”

If you are interested in participating, projects are detailed online at www.gvsu. edu/cow.

ERIC STEVENS | COURTESY

For the love of others: A GVSU student volunteers at Harrison Park Middle School during community outreach week. The event will be the fifth annual and will be from March 18-23.

Are you a good speaker?

Want to help other people with their speaking skills?

smithj@lanthorn.com

Get Caught!

Reading the Lanthorn NAME: Alexandra Rizza MAJOR: Exercise Science CLASS/YEAR: Junior WHY ALEXANDRA READS THE LANTHORN: To stay informed with campus events and know what is going on at GVSU

SHOUT OUT/ QUOTE/ ADVICE: Take the advantage of the advantage.

Sponsored by boardwalk subs

Every winner receives a Gift Card to Boardwalk Subs!

Now hiring undergraduates for 2013-2014. Applications due by March 29th.

If you are interested in becoming a consultant, please complete our application for employment located at www.gvsu.edu/speechlab

You speak.

We Listen.

Give us a shout!

For more information or to schedule an appointment visit www.gvsu.edu/speechlab

Contact us at 616.331.8115 or speechlab@gvsu.edu Located in Lake Superior Hall 240

B6

MARCH 18, 2013 Grand Valley Lanthorn

MARKETPLACE Looking for one roomate. 2 minute walk to CHS building. $300/month plus utilities. Call Cory at 616-617-0448 for 5 ROOMMATES NEEDED! more details.

6bed/2.5bath house. August 2013. Rent/room. Rent in- Roomate Needed! Tri-level cludes utilities, wireless inter- house in Hudsonville. net, cable tv, and laundry. $325/month. Utilities. ParkPartially furnished. Located ing. Shared bath/kitchen. on Lake Michigan Drive. Call Satellite tv. Internet access.

616-453-0923 or email Close to GVSU. Full time job available to canidate that kfaulkner2121@gmail.com pays $17/hr.

Email ivanbley@charter.net.

Roommates

Female roomate needed!

August 2013. Loft 45. Two spacious bedrooms.

Washer/dryer. $400/month.

Utilities inclued. Call/text Emily at (734) 718-1829 for more info.

Looking for 1 person to sublease a one bedroom apartment at Campus West for June and July. If interested, contact me at smithak@mail.gvsu.edu

Roommate needed! Tri-level house in Hudsonville. $325/month. Utilities. Parking. Shared bath/kitchen.

Satellite TV. Internet access.

Close to GVSU. Full time job availabe to candidate that pays $17/hour. Contact iranbley@charter.net Subleaser needed! Summer 2013. 48 West. Top floor of 4bed/4bath apartment. Spacious. 2 other roommates.

Wi-fi. Parking. $445/month. $50 for utilities. Email albrectjosie@yahoo.com

Subleaser needed! May-July 1st.

48 West.

Rent $450/month. Will contribute $100/month. 2 other male roommate. If interested, please contact Aaron at 616-209-5170 or airipley@hpseagles.net

FREE CLASSIFIEDS FOR STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF some restrictions apply FOR COMMERCIAL RATES CALL 616-331-2460 classifieds@lanthorn.com

NATIONALGUARD.com

SGT Button 616- 405- 0767

Employment A & L Farm Market and Restaurant Cooks and Servers needed info@aandlfarmmarket.com

CAMP Counselors WANTED for private Michigan boys/girls overnight camps.

Teach swimming, canoeing, water skiing, sports,computers,tennis,archery, horseback riding, climbing, windsurfing & more. Office and maintenance jobs too. Salary is $1900 and up plus room/board. Find out more about our camps and apply o n l i n e a t http://www.lwcgwc.com, or call 888-459-2492.

Grand Valley Housing Guide: presented by

March 25th

BRAIN BUSTERS