Grand Valley Lanthorn vol. 56 no. 23

G R A N D VA L L E Y L A N T H O R N

‘My child, my child’ Motivational speaker finds inspiration in Congo

GV alumni leads successful acting career, makes Netflix debut

ACTING| A5

GV Professors host virtual talk about death RESPONSE | A10

M O N D A Y, F E B R U A RY 2 1 , 2 02 2 // VO L . 5 6 N O. 2 3

@ GV L A N T H O R N

LANTHORN.COM

A2 | NEWS NEWS BRIEFS GV COVID-19 CAMPUS DATA UPDATE The Grand Valley State University community has had a cumulative total of 7,224 cases since Aug. 1, 2020. The university’s update for this brief was from Friday, Feb. 18.

Through testing results this past week, GVSU’s Virus Action team have so far reported 101 current active cases including nine faculty members, 14 staff members, nine on-campus students, 36 “off-campus Ottawa” students, 24 “off-campus Kent” students and nine “off-campus other” students with active COVID-19 cases.

“Current active cases” is the count of positive cases reported to the Virus Action Team over the past 10 days. This is an estimate of those currently in isolation, assuming a 10-day symptomatic period following the reporting of a positive test result.

Actual periods of isolation are specific to the individual and determined by the county health department.

Vaccination: GVSU encourages all students, faculty and staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible. All students, faculty and staff are required to be fully vaccinated, barring a medical or religious exemption or postponement.

According to the COVID-19 data dashboard, an 80% vaccination rate in the GVSU community is required to reach herd immunity and minimal virus transmission.

Currently, approximately 87% of students report being fully vaccinated, while approximately 93% of faculty and staff reports being fully vaccinated.

There are currently 2,214 students and 139 faculty/staff with approved vaccination exemptions.

Testing and Incidence: GVSU’s own testing program has performed 126,288 tests overall since Aug. 1, 2020, for a cumulative positivity rate of 2.15% from the latest update as of last week. A total of 1,083 tests were performed over the last seven days.

“GV Surveillance” includes the GV/ Spectrum administered programs of randomized testing, regular testing of high-risk groups, and invited testing of individuals connected to potential clusters. A calendar is available. “GV Total” includes surveillance testing plus all symptomatic/exposure tests administered by Spectrum.

GV MOVES FORWARD WITH REACH HIGHER 2025 Grand Valley State University President, Philomena Mantella, notified the campus community through email that the Board of Trustees has approved the Reach Higher 2025 strategic plan.

The board meeting to approve the plan was held on Feb. 18 on the Allendale campus.

This approval follows endorsements by the University Academic Senate, the Student Senate and the Administrative Professional Committee.

Mantella expressed her gratitude for the approval in her campus-wide email.

“I am appreciative for the hundreds of you who shared a comment, came to a meeting, offered direction and wrestled with just the right words that capture the heart and soul of GVSU and its mission, vision and values,” Mantella said.

FOOD

GV Student Senate continues discussion on campus dining

BY ALEXANDER VERHEEK NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

Campus dining has been a topic on the mind of students and administrators for the past few semesters at Grand Valley State University.

With dining halls being closed due to a shortage of student workers and complaints concerning food quality and variety, many students have been calling on the GVSU administration and Aramark, the university’s third-party vendor for campus dining, to address the issues.

On Feb. 17 the Student Senate discussed this ongoing issue at their general assembly meeting.

The Student Senate discussed the campus dining issue extensively last November. However, they’d decided to continue doing research into the matter and begin working on a statement that would be sent out during the winter semester.

As a part of this further research and discussion, representatives from GVSU’s campus dining office attended the meeting to answer any questions raised.

Much of the conversation at the meeting concerned student workers and their relationships with Aramark and campus dining.

Paul Kramer, current director of campus dining at GVSU and former senior district manager for Aramark, said in a typical year campus dining would employ around 1,000 to 1,200 student workers.

EMPLOYMENT: Grand Valley State University’s Student Senate recently discussed common campus dining issues including a lack of employees, not enough variety and lower pay. GVL | MAX RITCHIE

They currently only employ about 375 students despite employment incentives in the forms of bonuses and increased wages during evening and weekend shifts.

Kramer said the campus dining student employee base pay is currently $9.87 and is based off of GVSU’s student pay scale rather than Aramark’s.

“All of our student employees are GVSU employees and they follow that pay scale, the pay scale across campus right now is equal,” Kramer said. “If there were a time that we could negotiate a different pay scale

for dining, that would just have to be incorporated into pricing.”

However, Student Senate Vice President for External Relations, Justin Frappier, said this pay scale is just a guideline for student employee wages rather than a mandatory policy.

He said campus dining workers are potentially able to be paid higher wages than they currently are.

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GOVERNMENT

Governor’s budget proposal could provide additional millions for GV

BY JOSHUA ALBURTUS NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

Discussions are now underway among lawmakers in Lansing over next year’s state budget-- one that could include millions in additional funding to Grand Valley State University.

Under a new $74.1 billion budget proposal offered by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, public colleges and universities like GVSU are slated to receive boosts to operational and other campus-wide funds.

The proposal, intended to outline the

GV SELECTS NEW PROVOST Grand Valley State University President Philomena Mantella announced via email on Feb. 15 that GVSU had selected Dr. Fatma Mili as the next provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs.

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

FUNDING: Gov. Whitmer proposed a budget to boost university funding. GVL | BRI CONWAY

state government’s spending plan for fiscal year 2023, calls for a 10% increase in operations funding for community colleges and universities. 5% of the increase will be ongoing, while the other 5% will be a one-time increase.

For GVSU alone, the proposal calls for over $12 million in additional funds compared to last year’s budget.

The 16.3% increase is the second-highest of any university in the state behind only Oakland University.

Working with a focus on economic and community development in the GVSU political science department, professor Michelle Miller-Adams said she sees the proposal’s increase to higher education funding as a key principle.

“When times are tough in state budgets it’s usually higher education that bears a lot of the brunt of that,” Miller-Adams said. “The reason is simply that higher education has another option for getting money, and that is called tuition.”

This year, however, state resources have grown with federal relief money from sources like COVID-19 funding and last November’s Infrastructure In-

vestment and Jobs Act. Governor Whitmer has claimed that, even with $1.9 billion in additional gross spending compared to the previous year’s budget, it will not raise taxes.

“Soon, I’ll introduce a school aid budget that will mark the biggest state education funding increase in more than 20 years without raising taxes,” Whitmer said during this year’s State of the State address.

Miller-Adams said she hopes that, should the university funding in the proposal remain intact, GVSU may consider halting its decades-long precedent of raising tuition to cover costs.

“I guess the most important thing that Grand Valley could do with it is keep tuition increases down and I hope that’s what GVSU would do,” Miller-Adams said.

However, the governor’s proposal is not a final plan. In order for a state budget to take effect, an agreement on a final deal is also required from the state legislature.

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A3 | NEWS

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

CONTENTS FOOD

| A2

OPINION

| A4

ACTING

| A5

GV ALUMNA

| A6&7

POLICE

| A8

CONVERSATION

| A9

RESPONSE

| A10

CHAMPIONSHIP

| A11

BASKETBALL

| A12

VOL. 56

NO. 22

Lanthorn Videographer KATE KIRBY

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-Chief ZACK GOODROW

Layout Editor KHOI TRAN

Associate Editor AUDREY WHITAKER Associate Editor XAVIER GOLDEN

Layout Designer DONOVAN LOPEZ PROMOTIONS

News Editor MARY DUPUIS Sports Editor HOLLY BIHLMAN Laker Life Editor JACOB DEWEERD A&E Editor

Promotions Manager GRACE O’BRIEN ADVERTISING STAFF Advertising Manager JORDAN GREEN

ENVIRONMENT

GV graduate student explores the negative effects of road salt on lakes

BY GILLIAN HANTON NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

As Michigan residents endure the coldest months of the year, most are comforted by the fact that they can still travel without an issue.

Salt, the most commonly used de-icing agent for highways, roads and driveways, ensures the safety of drivers throughout the state and country.

Because of the effectiveness of this agent, however, people have failed to recognize salt’s properties as an environmental contaminant.

Grand Valley State University graduate student Ellen Foley has dedicated her thesis to investigating the effects of salt pollution in Church Lake and on a larger scale, the state of Michigan.

After graduating in 2020 with a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Notre Dame, Foley decided to continue her education at GVSU by becoming a graduate research assistant at the Annis Water Resources Institute.

When presented the opportunity to study the water quality of Church Lake as part of her research, Foley got right to work.

She quickly realized the lake was experiencing major salt pollution from the East Beltline and contained an abun-

POLLUTION: GVSU graduate student and research assistant, Ellen Foley, is studying the negative effects of road salt on the water quality of Church Lake located in Grand Rapids. GVL | RACHEL SLOMBA

dance of phosphorus; factors that negatively impact bodies of freshwater.

“The thing with Church Lake is that it looks really beautiful from the surface and you wouldn’t know it’s having these issues if you just went to go swim in it or look at it,” Foley said. “I think it’s this ‘out of sight, out of mind’ problem.”

After studying the lake’s chemical makeup for over one and a half years, Foley has established that there is a relationship between increased road salt runoff in the lake and the high phosphorus levels.

Her findings also suggest that salt pol-

lution is not exclusive to Church Lake and has the capacity to affect other bodies of water in Michigan as well.

The Michigan Department of Transportation currently allocates $25 million each year to spend on road salt to keep roads safe and navigable- which translates to approximately 450,000 tons of salt used each winter.

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BUSINESS STAFF

SABRINA EDWARDS

Image Editor MEGHAN LANGREN Multimedia EditorHAILIEGH HUBER

Business Manager MORGAN JOHNSTON

CANCER PREVENTION

Grand PR launches campaign for the Lymphoma Research Foundation

Asst. Business Manager LUKE KREGER Distribution Manager DAYTON HAMMON

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

The Grand Valley Lanthorn is published weekly by Grand Valley State University students 31 times a year. One copy of this newspaper is available free of charge to any member of the Grand Valley Community. For additional copies, at $1 each, please contact our business offices.

The Lanthorn is published on recycled paper and is printed with soy bean ink. This means that our newspaper is entirely compostable. Help us do our part to be kind to the environment by recycling or composting this newspaper after you enjoy reading it.

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PARTNERSHIP: GV’s student communications firm, GrandPR, recently partnered with the Lymphoma Research Foundation. GVL | MAX RITCHIE

Grand Valley State University’s student-run integrated communications firm, GrandPR, have partnered with the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) to raise awareness of lymphoma symptoms in young people during cancer prevention month.

The mission of the LRF is to eradicate lymphoma and serve those touched by the disease. The non-profit puts funding towards lymphoma research and supports those affected by the disease with financial aid, support networks, educational events and more, according to the LRF website.

Lymphoma is the most common type of blood cancer, affecting white blood cells and the immune system. There are three categories: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Hodgkin Lymphoma and non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

“The opportunity to work with the Lymphoma Research Foundation is particularly impactful because multiple

members of our team have been personally affected by lymphoma,” said Grand PR Account Executive Clare Quirin. “We know firsthand how important it is to bring awareness to the symptoms of lymphoma and exercise preventative care, and there’s no better time to do so than during National Cancer Prevention Month.”

Grand PR’s campaign, Know Five F.I.R.S.T., relies on social media and influencers to reach millennials and Gen-Z. F.I.R.S.T stands for fever, itchy skin, rapid breathing, swollen lymph nodes and tiredness, the five major symptoms of lymphoma.

Quirin said that many young people may be surprised by the prevalence of lymphoma in people their age.

“I think there’s a stigma that cancer is only found in old people or that young people don’t have to worry about it,” Quirin said.

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A4 | OPINIONS GVL EDITORIAL CARTOON

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLANTHORN

By Xavier Golden

EDITORIAL

Russia-Ukraine conflict induces anxiety on microscopic, macroscopic scales

A

02/21/22

editorial@lanthorn.com

Is this the pandemic or is this real life?

BY ELIZABETH SCHANZ FRESHMAN NEWS@LANTHORN.COM JOURNALISM

I graduated high school in 2020.

Now I know you’re either thinking, ‘Oh, that really sucks. You got the second half of your senior year taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic.’

Or you’re thinking, ‘Yeah, I’ve heard enough about you having the second half of your senior year taken away because of the pandemic.’

Both these ideas remind me that one, I lost a semi-universal experience before my impending adulthood status. Secondly, I merely have to grieve these experiences because they’re not coming back.

It wasn’t just the loss of some last milestone moments, a prom or a graduation, but the profound effect and change of energy in everyday life.

The craziest thing about becoming an adult during this period is constantly trying to distinguish between the feelings of apprehension, the feeling of floating through life

without intent, the loss of the sparkle and optimism from growing up or the mind-altering trauma induced by three years of uncertainty during a pandemic.

From March 2020 until now, I have seen a lot of people ask ‘What’s the point?’ about most aspects of life.

We deemed things ‘essential’ while the aspects of life that gave it meaning beyond the basics were put on pause. We learned to live without and in turn we lost the drive to live for more.

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Normalize changing your mind, and your major

BY MADDIE ZIMMERMAN JUNIOR BUSINESS EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

Up until the moment you go to college, you’re asked a million questions. Most of them are along the lines of ‘which college,’ ‘have you applied yet’ and ‘why do you want to go to that school.’

The most common one is about your major. Even when you’re in college, it seems like that’s the one com-

mon-ground question that everyone asks. Whenever you’re introduced in college, your major comes up right after you say your full name.

Because choosing your major is so important, a lot of people think they have to choose it before they finish high school. And they’re wrong.

When I was a junior in high school I had a completely different thought process than I do now. I wore different styled clothes, was friends with different types of people, thought differently and definitely wouldn’t have chosen my current major.

When I was a junior in high school, I was convinced that I had to be a nurse. I had heard about what a great career it was, what great money they make and that I’d be perfect for it. Then, I went and shadowed a neonatal nurse. When I didn’t see myself doing that in the future, I changed my mind.

Senior year, my friend convinced me to explore my passions and to not listen to anyone else’s opinions on what I should major in. I was almost 100% sure that I was going to become a marine biologist and live in Florida for the rest of my life.

I had a huge reality check when I decided to go to Grand Valley State University. One, there are no oceans in Michigan and two, there is no marine biology major at GVSU. I soon decided to major in Biology instead as a close second option.

After freshman year, you guessed it, I changed my major to a general business and administration major with a writing minor. And I’m still exploring different routes.

There’s no perfect major for a lot of people.

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merican intelligence is decidedly certain that Russia is going to invade Ukraine. This past weekend, the president of Finland said that the world is now in a “colder war.” The long-running tension between the United States and Russia that defined foreign and domestic politics in the mid-20th century has now been sequelized for the 21st century.

While President Vladimir Putin has been exhibiting threatening behavior towards Ukraine before – and has been doing so once again for the past month – in recent days things have approached a boiling point.

Russia will extend its weeks-long presence in Belarus, which borders Ukraine, into the week of Feb. 21. The deployment consists of 30,000 soldiers, under the pretense of training drills. The military presence has been accompanied by rumors of Ukrainian plans to invade Belarus, which are speculated to be a Russian-ploy to justify an invasion of Ukraine.

According to pentagon press secretary John Kirby, Russia – in classic Moscow strategy – is framing itself as the victim.

Biden has remained open to diplomatic solu-

tions. And on Feb. 20 French President Macron and Putin discussed the possibility of a ceasefire.

But on Feb. 19, the White House released a statement indicating that Russia could invade Ukraine at any time.

Biden met with the National Security Council on Sunday, Feb. 20 but at the time of writing, the outcomes of that meeting haven’t been published.

Beyond the actual destruction and loss of life in all-out war – or a “colder war” – the Russia/Ukraine conflict will have global ramifications. According to the New York Times, Europe is dependent on Russia’s natural gas, and any disruption – war, Putin holding the pipeline hostage or even the introduction of economic sanctions – could have devastating consequences. According to CNN, Europe’s food supply chain could also be impacted. In the past, Ukraine’s agriculture industry has been called “Europe’s breadbasket.”

These recent events have been part of a month-long escalation in tensions.

GVL OPINION POLICY

Letter to the editor should include the author’s full name, relevant title and a headshot, along with a valid email address and phone number for confirming the identity of the author. Letters should be approximately 500-650 words in length, and they are not edited by the Lanthorn staff except to fix technical errors or to clarify. Reader submissions on the opinion page appear as space permits.

To make a submission, email editorial@lanthorn.com or drop your submission off in person at:

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 and columnist opinions published here do not necessarily reflect those of the paper as an entity.

The Lanthorn strives to be a safe vehicle for community discussion. With this in mind, the Lanthorn will not publish or entertain any forms of hate speech, but neither will it discriminate against any other views, opinions or beliefs.

The content, information and views expressed are not approved by-nor do they necessarily represent those of-the university or its Board of Trustees, officers, faculty or staff.

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A5 | NEWS

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS ACTING

GV alumni leads successful acting career, makes first Netflix debut

BY MARY DUPUIS NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

Grand Valley State University alumni, Scott Watson, ‘09, recently made his Netflix debut in the popular real crime docuseries, “Crime Scene.”

Created by award-winning documentary filmmaker, Joe Berlinger, Watson appears in the most recent installment of the series in a three-part show, “Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer.”

Watson plays the role of a serial killer, Richard Cottingham, whose crimes were carried out in the 1970s in New York City.

The show contains interviews and news footage from the time the crimes were committed, as well as reenactments by Watson.

Watson filmed for about a month in the New York and New Jersey areas for the role.

He said he has played darker roles before, so when it came time to step into Cottingham’s shoes, he was ready for it.

“There’s no need to go super deep into the dark horribleness of it because basically everybody walks through life as their own protagonist,” Watson said. “So even somebody who is doing bad things

probably doesn’t think of themselves as a bad person, if that makes sense. So, a lot of times if you’re playing someone who is an antagonist you kind of have to figure out how they’re justifying what they’re doing to themselves.”

While this is Watson’s first appearance on Netflix, he is no stranger to the spotlight.

Throughout his career Watson has appeared in plays and numerous commercials, his most memorable being when he was the face of a campaign for Ray-Ban. He said the commercial took one day to shoot on the beach and that it had a “music video vibe.”

What Watson didn’t know at the time was that this campaign would make its way overseas.

“I had some friends in Europe and they were like, ‘Did you know you’re on a giant billboard in Milan?’” Watson said. “They had literally made this print campaign where it was me in a red Speedo and I was everywhere in Europe like giant building-tall billboards, subways, everything.

That was pretty cool.”

Following Watson’s graduation from

GVSU in 2009 he moved to New York to kickstart his career.

“I paid my first month’s rent and I had $35 when I moved,” Watson said. “I don’t recommend it, but it worked.”

However, he said it was the skills he learned at GVSU that gave him the confidence to take that leap.

Watson was in 17 productions throughout his college career, the most memorable he said was his role as Bottom in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“We did directing classes where we were student directed, too, so there was just a lot of opportunities to be in shows,” Watson said. “Every show was a learning opportunity. That’s the cool part about college theatre, is it’s a place to experiment and try big things and if they don’t work out, well, that’s why you’re there.”

Watson said it was the Shakespeare Festival that drew him to GVSU. “When I went to GVSU’s campus it was so pretty,” Watson said. “I saw the Shakespeare festival and that really drew me in because I’d always been interested in Shakespeare but it was never really some-

thing that I thought about chasing after.”

Due to his commitment to, and love of, the festival in 2018 GVSU reached out to Watson to write a play for its 25th anniversary.

“I was really surprised and honored that they would think of me to do it,” Watson said.

The play Watson wrote was titled, “Defy the Stars” and was inspired by a documentary he had recently watched about a concentration camp that had amenities and arts.

“What interested me the most about that was that a lot of times the artists were spared from getting sent on because they wanted to have this cultural life at the camp,” Watson said. “So if you were in the orchestra for example a lot of times you stayed, you survived so it was like the arts literally saved peoples’ lives so that was kind of the genesis for the play.”

At the festival Watson and other alumni did a stage reading of the play. He has continued to work on it since.

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Join Our Internship Program 2021 R. B. Annis Foundation Intern: Brendan May "The AWRI internship in the Ruetz Lab has been one of my favorite experiences at Grand Valley. The professors and graduate students I worked with were instrumental in helping with research as well as career planning. I was able to participate in projects looking at fish and macroinvertebrate populations as well as water quality tests across the Great Lakes.

It felt great to contribute towards research that is both interesting and impactful, and I feel very fortunate that we have AWRI at Grand Valley. It was an honor to have been selected for this internship and to have worked alongside so many knowledgeable and skilled professionals. This opportunity broadened my interest in aquatic research and helped bring together what I’ve learned in the classroom and in the field, providing learning experiences that I will take with me after I graduate."

The Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State University is committed to the study of freshwater resources, with a special emphasis on Michigan and the Great Lakes basin. Located in Muskegon, Michigan, the Institute’s mission is centered around three main programmatic areas

• Research • Education and outreach • Geospatial analysis “Applications for Summer 2022 are being accepted now through March 1.”

Visit www.gvsu.edu/wri/ and click on Internships.

DOCUSERIES: Grand Valley alumni, Scott Watson, made his first appearance on Netflix as serial killer Richard Cottingham in the show “Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer”. COURTESY | SCOTT WATSON

A6&7 | NEWS

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

BY JAMIE WILSON NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

Graci Harkema is a Grand Valley State University alumna who founded Graci LLC, an international diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm.

On Feb. 11, 12 years after graduating from GVSU, Harkema returned to share her journey with the GVSU campus community.

From a young age, Harkema said she knew she wanted to be a motivational speaker.

Harkema got her degree in communications, with a focus in public relations and advertising. While she had the drive to pursue her dream as a motivational speaker, it wasn’t until later in life that she discovered what she wanted to motivate people to do.

She found her reason 7,000 miles away, in a face she thought she’d never get to see.

Harkema was adopted when she was a week old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo by a couple living in the Congo as missionaries.

Her adoptive parents, who permanently reside in Grand Rapids, stayed in Congo with Harkema until she was about four years old before bringing her back to the Grand Rapids community where she has lived since.

In 2015, Harkema traveled back to Congo with her adoptive parents in hopes of reuniting with her mother, who she thought passed away when she was a child. Harkema’s mother had thought Harkema died as well, but still spoke about her to a friend in Congo.

At the same time Harkema’s mother was speaking about her to a friend, Harkema was asking a friend of her own, in Kenya, about her mother.

“I randomly discovered that my mom was alive and that we were both asking about one another at the same time,” Harkema said. “My friend in Kenya is friends with the person my mom was talking to in the Congo and when my friend from Kenya asked about my mother dying, the person from Congo realized that

my mother was the one who had given birth to me and that I had been adopted.”

Harkema’s mother was living in a mud hut at the time with no internet, so there was no way for her to know that Harkema now knew about her.

Harkema and her adoptive parents got in contact with the current missionaries in Congo through Facebook to help reunite Harkema and her mother. They then flew to Congo and were able to find her mother through word-of-mouth.

“The moment that we met was everything,” Harkema said. “No one had to tell me who she was, no one had to tell her who I was. She hadn’t seen me since I was one week old, but the first thing she said when she saw me was ‘My child, my child, my child.’ In that moment, I felt complete.”

Harkema’s father recorded this moment and, upon her return, Harkema got a tattoo of the sound waves of her mother’s first words to her on her forearm.

These sound waves also became a part of Harkema’s business logo.

At Graci LLC, Harkema builds, conducts and facilitates DEI workshops for businesses and their employees.

Companies also consult Harkema to help them develop social media content and make corporate statements for celebrations of diversity.

“Particularly in 2020, there was a lot of outward racial tension that companies were facing when they would make a social media statement supporting black lives and other groups,” Harkema said. “I helped companies respond to customer backlash or instruct them to delete disruptive content.”

As a result of the increasing racial and social tensions in 2020, Harkema’s calendar was booked. However, when the pandemic hit and the country went into lockdown, every client canceled their appointments.

With her schedule wide open and the nation completely closed, Harkema devot-

ed her time to working on a memoir called “Rising from the Mud,” which focuses on her perspective on life, including components of DEI, authenticity and belonging.

“It’s a great inspirational read, but it will serve as educational material as well,” Harkema said.

“Rising from the Mud” is scheduled to release before the end of 2022.

The death of George Floyd came only a couple of months after the lockdown began and Harkema’s clients needed help once more.

“All of my previous clients contacted me in a panic needing immediate training,” Harkema said. “Since they hadn’t prioritized diversity and inclusion work earlier, they weren’t equipped to educate their employees and create safe spaces for those in turmoil or experiencing discrimination.”

Since then, Harkema has been busy educating and supporting businesses in their DEI efforts.

Harkema said she is motivated by her own understanding of feeling as though who she is wasn’t acceptable.

“My passion for doing this work comes from knowing what it feels like to think you don’t fit in as your authentic self,” Harkema said. “Since the age of six, I knew I was gay, but I didn’t think people would accept me for it. Even in my college experience, and especially as it pertained to the workplace, I felt like I didn’t fit in and I pretended to be someone I wasn’t in order to get the approval of others.”

Harkema said it was her mother who inspired her to embrace herself and strive to encourage others to do the same.

“Later on, when I met my biological mother, I saw myself in her and I couldn’t imagine what she went through just so that I could have life,” Harkema said. “For so many years I was ashamed of my identities, but in seeing her, I stopped viewing my identities as my shame and started viewing them as my superpower.”

Courtesy of Graci Harkema

A8 | NEWS

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

POLICE

Uptick in second-offense MIP charges sparks conversation about addiction

BY EMMA ARMIJO NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

While underage drinking is a common issue on college campuses, having multiple second-time offenses occur around the same time is something out of the ordinary for Grand Valley State University.

Four GVSU students received second-offense Minor In Possession charges (MIPs) on campus over the weekend of Feb. 5.

Grand Valley Police Department captain Jeffrey Stoll said campus safety doesn’t see many repeat offenders getting MIPs and gives credit to students for often “learning their lesson” after the first time.

He said it was surprising to see multiple second offense MIPs given in a short span of time.

“I think it raised a little bit of concern because (the second-offense students’) behavior didn’t change after the first interaction,” Stoll said. “Repeat offenders are indicative of potentially not curbing the behavior and we all know that repeated alcohol consumption over a long period of time has long term health implications and potential dangers associated with it.”

In 2018, the MIP law changed in the state of Michigan, moving the charge from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction. This gives young adults and college students an instance of forgiveness before the event is added to their permanent records.

A first time offense is now considered a petty crime and can often be resolved with

community service and paying a fine.

However, the second time an underage person is caught with illegal substances they are charged with a misdemeanor, given a $200 fine and have to appear in court and possible jail time.

A third offense would result in a $500 fine, possible jail time and the possibility of revoking the minor’s driver’s license.

Alcohol and marijuana are most often underage students’ illicit substances of choice at GVSU according to GVPD. While it’s important to follow the laws and regulations of substance use, Stoll said he is thankful that more destructive harder drugs aren’t frequently found on campus and within the community.

“Our most common citation is associated with alcohol and our second most common is associated with marijuana,” Stoll said.

“We’re fortunate in the sense that we don’t deal very much with any harder type drugs beyond marijuana, like cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and things like that.”

GVSU has multiple resources and counseling services available to students who need them on and off of campus.

Alcohol & Other Drug Services (AOD) is a department within the GVSU Counseling Center that deals specifically with students struggling with addiction or substance abuse.

AOD offers in-person, virtual or anonymous sessions in addition to the online resources on the GVSU AOD website.

ALCOHOL: Following students receiving second-offense Minor In Possession charges GVPD and Alcohol and Other Drug Services encourage students to get help if needed. GVL | MEGHAN LANDGREN

Bonnie Dykstra, Coordinator of AOD Treatment and Recovery, said the program services the needs of students, faculty, staff and community members in a way that is suited to them.

In a program called “Healthy Habits with AOD” students only have to provide their email and can join a live presentation anonymously.

“We know that some students are hesitant to come into counseling because they don’t want to give out private information

and if they’re using substances, they’re concerned about what’s being recorded, ” Dykstra said. “There are groups where they don’t need to, it’s called drop in education.”

Healthy Habits with AOD, along with many other resources and meetings, can be found through navigating the AOD’s website, calling the office, or stopping by the GVSU counseling center.

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OPPORTUNITY

GV Scribe Academy offers hands-on experience in healthcare

BY ANTHONY CLARK JR. NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

PROGRAM: Grand Valley State University students looking for in person hands-on experiences in healtchare are welcome to participate in GVSU’s Scribe Academy and their partnership with Helix Scribe Solutions. GVL | MAX RITCHIE

Grand Valley State University students looking for hands-on experience in healthcare can find it at the GVSU Scribe Academy.

After students complete the course, GVSU’s Scribe Academy provides students with the opportunity to work with local and surrounding healthcare providers.

“This program was created in 2015 and we’ve been up and running ever since,” said Jeff Trytko, Director of the GVSU Scribe Academy. “It was created to help students who want a career in primary care and it’s an excellent source of information and handson training.”

The healthcare system has experienced an extreme lack of employees since the beginning of the pandemic and healthcare providers are still in desperate need of extra hands to assist with primary care.

“We’re partnered with Helix Scribe Solutions,” Trytko said. “Once our students complete our program, we send them over to Helix Scribe to be hired as paid full-time or even part-time employees.”

Students enrolled in the GVSU Scribe

Academy program have the opportunity to experience a hybrid style of learning. Students will be trained in clinical, classroom and online settings.

Once students pass the course, they will receive a certificate of completion.

Although the program doesn’t currently offer credit hours, the certification will be applied to their transcript.

The time frame for completion of this program depends on an individual’s availability throughout the week.

Training through the GVSU-online course takes students three to four weeks to complete on average and will immediately jump into in-person clinical training at Helix Scribe Solutions.

“Our program is still working on getting the badge to allow students to receive credit hours on top of the experience they will gain,” Trytko said. “It isn’t confirmed yet, but I can say with a bit of confidence that we should have it (the badge) by this coming spring or summer semester.”

Cass Crandle, Director of Education for Helix Scribe Solutions, said Helix Scribe was originally developed to provide an emergen-

cy scribe location and has branched out into several specialty sites.

“We have a variety of specialty sites that now make up 70% of our locations,” Crandle said. “These include orthopedics, primary care and neurosurgery, pain management and so forth. There are a lot of specialties that we try to slot students into that come to us.”

Individuals that want to work in scribe-emergency departments have the opportunity to find around-the-clock availability seven days a week.

Students that are looking for medical-office settings will have the ability to create a flexible schedule while working during normal business hours.

Helix Scribe asks that students interested are available for at least two shifts a week.

However, they’re able to work with individuals that cannot work a specific week by adding the missing time to a new week. They also ask that individuals fully commit for at least an entire calendar year, which roughly equates to 900 contact hours.

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A9 | LAKER LIFE

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLLAKERLIFE

A LOOK AT LIFESTYLE HEAR STUDENT-NOMINATED PROFESSORS GIVE THEIR “LAST LECTURE” Last Lecture gives professors the chance to give what would be their last lecture. Polly Diven and Majd Al-Mallah are the student-nominated professors that will be speaking this year. This year’s event will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 22 in the Mary Idema Pew Library MPR. It will be a hybrid event and the Zoom link can be found on LakerLink under the event title “Last Lecture”.

DISCUSS INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA WITH THE LGBT RESOURCE CENTER

Internalized homophobia affects queer individuals presents itself in many ways and can lead to mental health problems in those it affects.

Join students Alonda Smith and Casey Classen on Wednesday, Feb. 23 as they discuss internalized homophobia and its impact on queer individuals. This event is INT 100/201 approved and is open to anyone.

TAKE A MENTAL HEALTH BREAK ON WIND DOWN WEDNESDAY The Center for Women and Gender Equity is hosting a hybrid discussion on mental health on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

According to the event description, Wind Down Wednesday will include discussion topics and activities like self-care strategies, creating healthy boundaries and building social support. Students can attend in person in Kirkhof 1201 or virtually.

This event is INT 100/201 approved and will recur on Wednesday, Mar. 23.

LEARN HOW TO NETWORK AROUND THE WORLD

The Seidman MentorShip Program is hosting an event teaching students how to network with anyone in the world.

MentorShip Captain Gerry Cooke will lead the discussion and share his 20 years of professional sales experience.

Topics covered at this event will include how to leverage and grow a network and how to develop a personal professional brand. The event will take place at the SCB Loosemore Forum on the Pew Campus.

HEAR AUTHOR ANGELINE BOULLEY PRESENT HER NEW BOOK

As part of the Native American Heritage Celebration, author Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, will present her new debut novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter. The book is about a young biracial woman living on an Ojibwe reservation and was an instant no. 1 New York Times Bestseller.

Firekeeper’s Daughter is currently in the works to become a Netflix series. This event is open to anyone and will take place on the Health Campus on Tuesday,

CONVERSATION

New Title IX director discusses plans for institutional change

BY CLEMENCE DANIERE LAKERLIFE@LANTHORN.COM

Grand Valley State University’s new Title IX and Institutional Equity Director Kevin Carmody participated in an informational chat and Q&A titled “Coffee with Kevin” on Feb. 16. The talk was held to introduce the GVSU community to the new director and to give Carmody the opportunity to share his passions and plans for change at GVSU. Carmody is a Central Michigan University graduate who, after years of work in advocacy and violence prevention, started to work as the Title IX director this January.

His passion lies in making changes to improve the response to sexual violence experiences and creating a safe environment for anyone to reach out for help.

“Working in housing, I fell in love with student conduct,” Carmody said. “I loved having those transformative conversations with people who had experienced a low moment.”

A new Title IX staff is currently being assembled, with two positions still waiting to be filled. Rebuilding a staff that’s capable of communicating with a wide audience and fine tuning the program are essential aspects of Carmody’s plan to improve the GVSU Title IX and Institutional Equity Office. Policy changes will also be evolving the office’s capacity for reports and responses.

“I worked in inclusion and equity as a student and I just want to be that person that can help students who are experiencing

CONVERSATION: New Title IX Director Kevin Carmody led an open conversation about Title IX policies and his plans for making changes at Grand Valley State University. GVL | ANNABELLE ROBINSON

sexual harassment,” said Adrian Hall, Assistant Director of the Title IX and Institutional Equity office.

Carmody said that previous mishandling of Title IX reports has been a huge driver for his willingness to take on the job. The framework of Title IX itself focusing on legalities has hindered the law’s ability to help students in the past, but it’s slowly changing to include discourse from social work and the language of advocacy. These changes

will alter the way people think of Title IX. Partnering with other offices and organizations on campus will be one of Carmody’s main focuses. GVSU’s honest partnerships and willingness to share resources between offices and individuals was another aspect that helped convince Carmody to accept the director position.

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DISCUSSION

IRIS department holds virtual info session for Social Innovation program

BY JACOB DEWEERD LAKERLIFE@LANTHORN.COM

On Feb. 17, Grand Valley State University’s Integrative, Religious and Intercultural Studies (IRIS) department held a virtual information session dedicated to its Social Innovation (SI) master’s degree program. The meeting, which was facilitated by Graduate Program Director Dr. Azfar Hussain, featured an overview of the program, student testimonials and discussions about what makes the Professional Mas-

RESOURCES: Dr. Azfar Hussain led the discussion and answered questions about the Social Innovation program. GVL | LAUREN SEYMOUR

ter of Arts in Social Innovation (PMASI) such a unique degree.

According to the IRIS website, SI is a rapidly-growing professional field focused on careers driven by social impact and cross-sector collaboration. SI-heavy industries include government, nonprofit work, socially-focused entrepreneurship and B Corporations. The PMASI aims to prepare students for work in this emerging field, but the program also focuses on skills that will translate far beyond the workplace.

“Our graduate program provides students with the critical skills needed to work collaboratively with key stakeholders and across sectors to address complex social problems in local, regional and even global organizations and communities,” Hussain said.

Throughout the entire information session, Hussain reiterated the importance of collaboration and consultation in all aspects of the PMASI program. Students enrolled in the program work in more interdisciplinary environments than in most other masters programs and the result is a deeper understand-

ing of how to work with people from different schools of thought. When it comes to solving serious social issues, that skill is invaluable.

“We believe that interdisciplinary training is critical to developing student skills like cross-sector innovation, including responsible conductive research, civic engagement and sustainable community partnerships,” Hussain said.

Because SI is a fairly new field, attendees had questions about what sort of jobs they could expect to look for after completing the PMASI. Hussain was ready for that question and came with data to back up his answer.

“You can get jobs in all kinds of areas, particularly health and human services, nonprofit organizations, municipality government sustainability and urban planning,” Hussain said. “This is just one example.

You can become a sustainability consultant making a median salary of over $60,000 according to payscale.com.”

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A10 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ARTS AT A GLANCE LISTEN TO LIVE MUSIC DOWNTOWN

Downtown Grand Rapids Inc is holding another live performance this week in correlation with their World of Winter events. GR Voice Collective will be performing Thursday, Feb. 24. The group will be performing under “The Singing Tree” outside of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. This concert will start at 7 p.m. and last for 45 minutes. The concert is free to anyone who wants to attend. While the group is performing “The Singing Tree” will be active behind them, following their performance with lights. The GR Voice Collective is a local vocal group that focuses on inclusion hoping to help singers achieve their goals.

WATCH AN IMPROV SHOW BY SUBJECT TO CHANGE

On Friday, Feb. 25, Subject To Change is hosting an improv show, “Spring Out of the Cold.” The show will begin at 8 p.m. The goal of this show is to spring into the next season, while making jokes. Tickets should be reserved before attending and reservations will be available until Feb. 25 at 8 a.m. This will be a first come first serve basis so reserving tickets is the best way to secure a spot. Tickets are $1 and can be paid with either cash or Venmo. The show is going to be taking place in the Pere Marquette Room.

GV PERFORMANCE STUDIO SERIES SET TO HOST TWO DIFFERENT PLAYS Starting on Friday, Feb. 25, the GVSU Department of Music, Theatre and Dance will be hosting two different plays. The productions will take place in the Louis Armstrong Theatre. These plays are fully staffed, performed, designed and produced by GVSU students. The first play that will be put on is “The Most Massive Woman Wins,” which will be directed by Isabella Gielniak. This play is a dark comedy showcasing the way women view themselves and their body issues. The second play is “Welcome to Paradise” and is directed by Tay Shull. This play is about two people coming together and finding a family despite societal norms and pressures.

There are three different dates to see these productions, Feb. 25, 26 and 27.

The first two dates will start at 7:30 p.m. and the last one will be starting at 2 p.m.

Tickets are already on sale and often times will sell out beforehand. The productions run for about two hours total.

RESPONSE

GV professors host virtual talk about death

BY AYRON RUTAN ARTS@LANTHORN.COM

Grand Valley State University professors Dr. Gwyn Madden and Dr. Anna Hammersmith hosted a virtual event on Feb. 17 as a part of the GVSU Art Gallery’s “Unpacking the Exhibition” series. During the event, Madden and Hammersmith discussed how the experience of death is defined, honored and navigated.

In addition to the conversation, they took a look at the artwork from “Sorrow/ Fullness: A Reflection on Mourning” by metalsmiths Sue Amendolara, Adrienne Grafton and Renee Zettle-Sterling.

The idea for such an event came about when the GVSU Art Gallery’s User Experience and Learning Manager Amanda Rainey reached out to both Madden and Hammersmith knowing that they both had some expertise on the subject.

“The Art Gallery had an upcoming exhibition on grief and mourning and Amanda was looking for several professors with an expertise area in death/dying,” Hammersmith said. “The United States is quite a death-avoidant culture, with many people staying far away from conversations about death and dying, so I was eager to be invited to talk about this topic with a group of interested attendees.”

Tackling such a serious and emotional topic was something that intrigued the Art Gallery as well as both professors. It was a conversation that Madden felt the nation wasn’t having enough and ultimately one the community could benefit from.

“In the United States we don’t discuss

RESPONSE: Two Grand Valley professors hosted a Zoom discussing a recent GVSU gallery from the lens of their fields, responded to the art and how they viewed these pieces. GVL | LAUREN SEYMOUR

death often,” Madden said. “Our interaction with the dead is limited to attending the funeral or memorial and possibly going to the internment. We have distanced ourselves from the physical body of the dead and in doing so we’re removed from cultural opportunities to express our grief at the death of our loved ones.”

Hammersmith thought it was important to discuss death due to the nature of the “Sorrow/Fullness” exhibit, saying that it only made sense to take on such a difficult conversation.

“The exhibition was focused on grief and mourning – the motivator for the artists’ work was the separation from loved ones through death,” Hammersmith said. “Since the work was centered on loss, it seemed natural to interweave a sociological and anthropological discussion of death.”

The collaborative aspect of the event was also something that appealed to both Madden and Hammersmith, as each professor enjoyed what the other one was able to contribute to the conversation.

“I always enjoy working with faculty across disciplines,” Hammersmith said. “I also have an affinity for anthropology, since it’s closely related to my own field. Working with Dr. Madden was wonderful because she brought such a rich discussion of grief and mourning rituals from other cultural contexts. I thought this complemented my own expertise area well, since my own research often solely focuses on matters related to end of life in the U.S.” LOG ON TO: www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

CONCERT

GV welcomes Russian pianist for concert

BY COLLEEN GARCIA ARTS@LANTHORN.COM

Grand Valley State University welcomed pianist Sergei Kvitko for a concert on Feb. 15. He performed works by Franz Schubert at the Haas Center for Performing Arts.

Kvitko is known for his ability to understand the tone of the piano and play with grace throughout his concerts. He has performed throughout the United States and other countries. In 2018, he embarked on a

GET NOODLES AT NOODLE FEST World of Winter is hosting a Noodle Fest to support local Asian business as well as entertainment. There will be ten different vendors offering bowls of noodles for $5. Those who attend can vote for their favorite noodle dish via donations. The festival is taking place on Saturday, Feb. 26 from noon to 5 p.m.

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLARTS

PERFORMANCE: Grand Valley welcomed Sergei Kvitko who performed for the campus community. COURTESY | GV MUSIC, THEATER AND DANCE

solo concert tour. He performed in 14 cities across the globe, including in cities in Spain, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

Kvitko was born in Russia where he first began playing music at the age of six. He studied music at Michigan State University, where he received his doctorate degree in musical art. Along with studying and playing music, he also composes pieces.

He’s also known for his reputation in classical recording engineering along with being a producer in music. He has been featured in multiple magazines for his work along with being nominated for the Latin Grammy for Best Classical Album.

Dr. Sookkyung Cho is the GVSU professor who arranged for the Kvitko recital.

Cho said that she’s met many talented artists throughout the years at school which helps her reach out for finding performers. With her connections from Juilliard and John Hopkins, Cho has many talented peers to reach out to and many who’re willing to perform for the community.

“It depends, but I have a lot of friends,

from about 10 years of undergraduate and graduate school plus years of working in the field, who are great pianists, so I try to contact those I know will give excellent recitals,” Cho said.

Cho and Kvitko have collaborated in the past which made it easier for her to get him to play on campus. Due to their previous work together, Cho knew she wanted to ask him to perform for the community.

“Sergei was my recording engineer for my debut CD and I knew he was also an excellent pianist,” Cho said.

With the pandemic limiting the amount of people able to be in a shared space GVSU has found new accommodations to allow the arts to continue to be shared to students.

“We have been able to keep live music going, although there is a limitation of how many people we can have in the recital hall,” Cho said. “Most of our events have been live streamed as well.”

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A11 | SPORTS

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

QUICK HITS GV TRACK AND FIELD SUCCESSFULLY CLOSES OUT REGULAR SEASON This past week, the Grand Valley State University track and field team hosted their final tune-up meet on Feb. 18, claiming over 20 top-5 finishers on the men’s and women’s teams. With a total of 15 men and 15 women placing in the top-20 in the nation after a long regular season, GVSU is more than ready to compete in the GLIAC Championships this weekend.

Of the highlights from the tune-up meet, freshman shot-put thrower Matt Thomas threw his personal-best distance, 17.80m, placing him sixth in the nation and second in the event. Senior Hunter Harding, who is currently fifth in the nation for the men’s weight throw, thew a 19.97m, placing first.

Taking all top-five spots of the women’s team for the shot put, junior Emma Richards took first with 14.39m, followed by junior Elizabeth Pyles in second with a personal-best of 14.24m for 17th in the nation. Freshman Mackenzie Bohrer took third, sophomore Rette Thorns took fourth and sophomore Alaina Omonode took fifth, who also placed first in the weight throw at 17.71m.

The pole vault event on both teams was successful for GVSU, starting with three women placing in the top five.

Senior Elli Kimes placed second at 4.09m who is ranked second in the nation as well for her personal-best of 4.16m, with senior Carley Livingston in fourth and junior Kassidie Stimmel in fifth. On the men’s side, sophomore Jacob Krutsch earned first place and best on the team this season with his height of 4.75m.

With 15 men and 15 women in the top-20 spots in the nation on each team, the Lakers will host the GLIAC Championships starting Feb. 26-27 before the NCAA DII Indoor National Championship in March.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Women’s Basketball has historic weekend

BY JUSTICE STEINER SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

The number three Grand Valley State University (23-1) women’s basketball team picked up two more wins this past week, expanding their winning streak to 18. However, the victories brought a lot more meaning this time around as the Lakers clinched the regular-season GLIAC championship.

“You want to win the conference, that’s your number one priority,” said coach Mike Williams. “So it was nice to do that, especially in this conference. I think it’s a really good conference. We’ve probably had a couple of breaks, played maybe more consistent basketball than someone else, but we’re certainly not better than anyone else. We’ve just been consistent and got some breaks.”

On top of the GLIAC championship, Williams also reached a new milestone, securing his 300th career win in his head coaching career between his time at GVSU and Davenport University.

“When you are at great places, it makes it a heck of a lot easier to win,” Williams said.

“When you’ve got great players like we do, people that really buy into your program, it makes it a heck of a lot easier to win.”

As if those weren’t enough, the first NCAA regional rankings were released and the Lakers came in at number one in the Midwest region, edging out Ashland University, which is currently one spot ahead of GVSU in the coach’s poll at number two. This means if the Lakers win out, the Midwest region will most likely have to go through Allendale.

“I don’t think our kids get caught up in it, I really don’t,” Williams said. “I think maybe what it does is, it puts a little more pressure on them and we have to take care of that. As coaches, we have to do something to curve that.”

The first victory of the week came on the road at Davenport University (2-23), which was a battle between first and last place in the GLIAC. However, the Panthers gave the Lakers all they could handle.

In the second quarter, the Panthers gained a 17-12 lead and held the Lakers scoreless for the first four minutes and 30 seconds. Laker sophomore center Joslyn Brennan broke the cold spell with a layup to give GVSU their

first basket of the quarter.

From there, the Lakers began to turn it around and finished the half on a 13-3 run, which was capped off by senior guard Qay Stanton beating the buzzer with a layup.

“Obviously, I know the first half was not pretty for a lot of us,” said sophomore guard Ellie Droste. “We kind of discussed at halftime like, ‘okay, this is where we need to step up and stuff.’ So I think our whole team just tried our best to kind of step up in the second half.”

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LACROSSE

GV lacrosse winsto season opener regain momentum as they scored three

BY JAMES HERRICK SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

GV TENNIS TEAMS HOST SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND GAMES

The Grand Valley State University men’s and women’s tennis teams both earned wins this past week, with the women’s season improving to 4-2 and the men’s to 6-1.

The women competed against Walsh College on Feb. 19, sweeping the doubles matches. The first match ended in a 6-3 win for seniors Marily Cannellopoulos and Marija Leko, the second a 6-1 win for senior Vera Griva and sophomore Vasileia Griva and the third a 6-1 win for junior Taylor Barrett and freshman Estefania Hernandez.

Leko, Barrett, Vaselia Griva and Hernandez all earned wins in the singles matches to walk away with the victory.

On the men’s team, the Lakers swept the meet entirely defeating Walsh 7-0.

UNSTOPPABLE: The women’s team has only two games left as they currently hold an 18-game win streak for their 16-1 GLIAC record, earning them the regular season GLIAC title. GVL | SYDNEY LIM

HOT START: The GV women’s lacrosse team opened up their season in Florida, bringing home two wins. GVL | ANNABELLE ROBINSON

The Grand Valley State University (2-0) women’s lacrosse team began their 2022 season when they traveled to Florida to take on Saint Leo University on Feb. 17 and the University of Tampa on Feb. 20. For their first game of the season on Thursday, the Lakers had an impressive showing that resulted in an 18-11 victory.

GVSU got off to a hot start as junior midfielder Molly Bursinger controlled the first draw and then scored within the first minute of the game. The Lakers dominated the remainder of the first quarter after Bursinger added four more goals along with sophomore midfielder Hailey Crittenden’s one.

During the Lakers offensive barrage, Saint Leo was able to score two goals resulting in a 6-2 score after the first quarter.

“A lot of (the success in the first quarter) was in the play of Molly Bursinger,” said coach Mackenzie Lawler. “She was great on the circle, of getting early draw controls, which I think made Saint Leo a little flat-footed since they’re used to getting those easy possessions.”

In the second quarter, Saint Leo was able

unanswered goals until graduate student attacker Sophie Conroy scored to end the Saint Leo’s run. For the remainder of the quarter, the teams traded goals. The Lakers’ offensive efforts were led by sophomore midfielder Sydney Stone who scored four goals before the end of the quarter. Heading into the half, the Lakers led 11-8.

Coming out of the half, GVSU took over the game. In a team effort, four different players scored as the Lakers put up six points. Meanwhile, their defense stayed strong as Saint Leo was only able to score two points. This pushed the Lakers’ lead to 17-10.

In a quiet fourth quarter, each team put up one more goal and the Lakers held on to win 18-11.

The Lakers scoring efforts were led by Bursinger as she scored six goals, followed

by Stone’s five goals and one assist. Conroy contributed three goals and three assists with junior midfield Maggie Hammer adding two goals and an assist as well.

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FEBRUARY 21, 2022 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

A12 | SPORTS BASKETBALL

Men’s Basketball wins last home game

BY SHAWN ROBINSON SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

The Grand Valley State University (16-9) men’s basketball team defeated the Northwood University Timberwolves with an outstanding 82-58 victory on Feb. 19 at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena on Senior Night.

The Lakers improved to 10-8 in GLIAC play for their final regular-season game.

A total of four different Lakers finished with double figures. Senior forward Christian Negron led the team with 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals and missed only one shot through eight attempts. Senior forward Jake Van Tubbergen notched 14 points and nine rebounds with three steals while senior guard Jordan Harris scored 10 points and six assists. Sophomore forward Marius Grazulis and guard Ja’Kavien Lewis led in points off the bench with 10 out of their 30 total.

“Glad we had a good performance,” said coach Ric Wesley. “It’s Senior Day and it’s always a special day. It can be a little emotional at times and overwhelming with six seniors this year that have had so much impact while they’ve been here. It was really important we came out and honor them by having a good performance and for the most part, I think we did.”

Both teams traded baskets through 8:15 in the first half as neither team had a lead larger than four. GVSU got a little breathing room with 8:13 remaining after a made jumper by Grazulis. Northwood made it a one-point game when De’Airrus Ware made a three-pointer, 24-25. The Timberwolves took the lead with 6:31 left in the half — their first since the 6:28 mark.

The Lakers went up by as many as seven with 2:24 remaining, the largest lead of the game after senior guard Issac Gassman got a fastbreak basket. The Timberwolves basket cut the deficit to five, but it was the only basket allowed as the Lakers closed the half out on a 10-2 run.

“Well, in the first half, I didn’t think our offense was there all the way,” Wesley said.

“Right out of the gates, we started out okay.

We had a couple fumbles, bumbles early and we were up 7-2. We should’ve been up 12-2 or 14-2 and sure enough, we allowed them to inch back in there. For a period of time, I just didn’t think we shared the ball very well. We were too antsy and didn’t finish well around the bucket.”

Northwood came out and scored their first two baskets in the start of the second half, cutting the Laker lead to three with 18:42 left. The lead was then extended to as many as 11 with 14:38 remaining after

Gassman’s three-point make. The Lakers went on a 11-2 run to go up as many as 17 points, the largest lead of the game.

With 11:52 remaining, the seniors started to have a little fun in the game when Lewis threw an alley-oop pass off the backboard to Negron for a slam dunk.

“It’s crazy because, JK (Ja’Kavien) and I, when he first got here, we developed a chemistry throwing lobs and in the game, it just never came into fruition,” Negron said.

“So then finally we got an opportunity and I saw JK at the front court. I was at the free throw and my eyes just bolted wide open and at half court; I was calling to JK backboard and he took one look back, took another dribble and then threw it.”

The Lakers went up as many as 23 with 10:28 remaining in the game. GVSU would secure the victory thanks to a great defensive second half and got the 82-58 victory over Northwood.

“In the second half, our defense was a lot better,” Wesley said. “Because it was better, it created some easier offensive opportunities for us.”

The Lakers are on the road for their final two games of the regular season, starting Thursday, Feb. 24 in Detroit with Wayne State University and Saturday, Feb. 26 at Saginaw Valley State University.

FINAL: For their last home game, the men’s team honored their seniors and came out with a win to go 16-9 on the season. GVL | SYDNEY LIM

SOFTBALL

Women’s Softball preps for spring ball

BY JOSH CARLSON SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

The Grand Valley State University women’s softball team is ready to return to the field for the spring 2022 season after going 1-2 at the College World Series last year.

READY: The women’s softball team has been adjusting their new roster to ready themselves for the upcoming 2022 season. GVL | ARCHIVES

This season starts with some question marks for the team, starting with the task of replacing graduate infielder Nikoma Holmen. Holmen’s role on the team brought huge production, which makes this season’s roster even more difficult to reorganize.

“There’s no replacing a player like her,” said coach Dana Callihan. “We’re still playing with that a little bit; it’s a pretty big hole in the lineup that we need to figure out. We have a different dynamic and it may not be the same type of offense that we have had last year. We had Nikoma in that four-spot for four years and now I have to play with some different things. You don’t replace a player like Nikoma; you just hope you can get someone else that can fill that role and produce.”

The Lakers will have an abundance of options to try and help fill the production they lost with the graduation of Holmen.

The Lakers are returning all but three players this year and have an addition of four freshmen.

“The first ten or twelve games we will be playing with the lineup,” Callihan said.

“Some of it will depend on who is hot. We have a lot of options and a lot of speed. So this year could be a completely different look than last year.”

This year, a bright spot heading into the season is the return of star redshirt junior pitcher Hannah Beatus. Beatus returns after a season where she was named GLIAC pitcher of the year and given unanimous All-American honors. Beatus pitched 28 complete games with 25 wins and a 1.33 ERA and a no-hitter in the GLIAC regular-season championship to win the tournament.

Callihan says the return of Beatus is invaluable to the team of what she brings in leadership on and off the field.

“Her leadership by far, and obviously her maturity, are very beneficial,” Callihan said.

“She is not afraid to point out things and that is going to make the team better. Her work ethic is just phenomenal day-in and day-out, and her attitude is always positive.

Between Hannah, Taylor Reigor and Bailey Thatcher, they’re hungry, and they’re giving everything they got knowing that this isn’t going to last forever.”

After returning from a season that many only hope to achieve, Beatus knows what the team can achieve and is doing what she can to make sure the team is ready to take on this upcoming season.

“I think a focus for the team and me personally is knowing and trusting that the skill is there,” Beatus said. “At this point it’s

more of an emphasis on the mental aspect, the will of wanting to win the game and the will of working hard in practice. There are things you reflect on from last year — yes, you had such a successful season, but there are improvements that I’ve learned from last year.”

The team starts this season unanimously voted to win the GLIAC and is set to play their first games in the Lewis Dome tournament in Illinois and will then travel to Florida for their spring trip.

Callihan says their focus isn’t on the location of where they’re playing, whether they’re on grass or if it’s dirt or indoors on turf. Instead, the team focuses on playing their best ball.

“We go about it by a games approach,” Callihan said. “Even if you are on grass or dirt, it’s all different. We know it and these players have grown up with it; it’s just a matter of trying to get a practice on the dirt when we get down to Florida. We don’t make a big deal out of it; this is what we got.

Whether we’re on turf or whether we’re on dirt, it doesn’t matter, we just have to go out and play our game.”