Grand Valley Lanthorn vol. 55 no. 21

One Year Later

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

Campus community reflects on over year of COVID-19

Some ineligible students receive COVID-19 vaccination due to university mistake COVID-19 | A2

Vinyl records find homes with West Michigan bands, music fans alike VINTAGE | A10

M O N D A Y , M A R C H 1 5 , 2 02 1 // VO L . 5 5 N O. 2 2

@ GV L A N T H O R N

LANTHORN.COM

A2 | NEWS NEWS BRIEFS GV COVID-19 CAMPUS DATA UPDATE

The GVSU community has had a cumulative total of 2,576 COVID-19 cases since Aug. 1. The university’s update for this brief was from Friday, March 12.

Through testing results this past week, GVSU’s Virus Action team have so far reported 43 current active cases including 2 members of faculty, 2 staff member, 10 on-campus students, 19 “off-campus Ottawa” students, 9 “off-campus Kent” students and 2 “off-campus other” student with active COVID-19 cases.

“Current active cases” is the count of positive cases reported to the Virus Action Team over the past ten days. This is an estimate of those currently in isolation, assuming a ten-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.

Testing and Incidence: GVSU’s own testing program has performed 61,569 tests overall since August 21, for a cumulative positivity rate of 1.35% from the latest update as of last week.

“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.

VIRUS ACTION TEAM REMINDS STUDENTS TO STAY SAFE AMID SLIGHT RISE IN CASES

COVID-19

Some ineligible students receive COVID-19 vaccination due to university mistake

BY RACHEL MATUSZEWSKI NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

When images of trucks carrying vaccines across the country played on the news, hope appeared that the efforts and hardships of the past year would not last and good things were on the horizon of 2021.

On March 3, an email was sent to the Grand Valley State University student body addressed to the campus community that vaccines were available to students. It stated there was a supply of extra doses due to noshows and appointment cancellations. However, over 24 hours later, another email was delivered explaining the vaccine was meant for clinical students only.

Junior Melanie Laforest jumped on the opportunity when the email arrived. She called the phone number the email provided, waited with 921 callers ahead of her, and was patched through to an operator at Spectrum Health who helped her schedule an appointment for the next day.

After driving 30 minutes to the vaccination site, she stood in line with other students.

Yet, some students who exited the doors in front of her warned their peers they had just been turned away with no explanation.

Confused, LaForest stayed in line with another student who was in line ahead of her to see for themselves. Once she approached the nurse’s table, she was turned

In the past week GVSU has seen a slight uptick of COVID-19 cases, however, the overall number of cases on campus is still low.

The weather is getting warmer, so the Virus Action Team took this opportunity to remind students to continue wearing face masks and social distancing when outside with others. Students who have received the vaccine are still required to follow these guidelines.

The Virus Action Team also advised against travel during this time because it is one of the highest risk activities in contracting a variant of COVID-19. One of the locations with the highest variant rates is Florida. For those traveling, they urge students to follow the CDC and GVSU travel guidelines.

VACCINE: An email deliovered by mistake sent GVSU students downtown to the schools vaccine site.

Students were turned away and went home dissapointed, except for a few. GVL | SHELIA BABBITT

away with one answer.

“They asked if I was a college student and just said no,” LaForest said. “They didn’t really give me an explanation.”

However, some students, like senior Emily Errington, were able to get the vaccine.

When Errington saw the email appear on her laptop, she said her heart skipped a beat.

“I have always said the second I am able

to get the vaccine that I would get it,” Errington said. “I did not expect that to be for months though. I knew this was the only opportunity I could have for a while and that if I was going to do it I needed to jump on it.”

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STUDENT LIFE

Students, professors feel mixed after first of two winter break days

BY ZSOLT PALMER NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

GV LEADERSHIP TEAM TESTIFIES IN LANSING

Grand Valley State University Student Senate Vice President for External Relations Joe Pagel joined President Philomena V. Mantella and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Susan Jandernoa to testify at a legislative panel at the Capital. The team from GVSU virtually testified at the meeting of the higher education appropriations subcommittee of the House of Representatives.

At the March 11 meeting, Mantella brought the subcommittee’s attention to GVSU’s recent performance and asked the committee to focus on Michigan’s education gap.

MARCH 15, 2021 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

HEALTH: Instead of a normal spring break, COVID-19 made GVSU officials settle for two mental health days. GVL | SHELIA BABBITT

Classes were canceled on March 10 for the first of two mental health days in the Grand Valley State University winter semester.

These ‘break days’ were added to the semester to give students a mental health break from their studies after concerns were raised by the Student Senate that a fifteen-week semester may not be healthy for everyone. Since Spring Break had been originally canceled due to pandemic concerns, a compromise was made, and two separate break days were placed into the semester.

“One of the rationales for starting the semester a week later and eliminating spring break was to discourage two activities that can accelerate the spread of COVID: extensive travel leading to large gatherings,” said Ed Aboufadel, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. “So, the break days were chosen to be mid-week rather than on a Monday or Friday. We settled on a Wednesday and a Thursday. Thursday was chosen rather than a

Tuesday because there are fewer 3-hour graduate courses on Thursdays. March 10 was chosen to be after midterms exams and April 1 was about halfway between March 10 and the end of the semester.”

The day has come and gone, and some GVSU students were left somewhat underwhelmed by the experience, though others indicated that it was still better than nothing.

“It was nice having the day off,” said first-year student Jillian Pompo. “It helps that Wednesday was my Honors Day, but I really wish we’d still have had a Spring Break.”

Some of the issues students had with the mid-week break day was concerning the fact that their heavy workload prevented them from being able to take any break at all.

“I definitely don’t think that it was what students needed,” said second-year student Hanna Halstead.

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MARCH 15, 2021 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

CONTENTS

A3 | NEWS GRAND RAPIDS

COVID-19

| A2

EDITORIAL

| A4

Van Andel Global Trade Center hosts 22nd annual Automotive Suppliers Symposium

ECONOMY

| A5

BY JACOB DEWEERD NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

REFLECTION

| A6&7

EVENTS

| A8

CAREERS

| A9

CINEMA

| A10

POLICY

| A11

TRACK & FIELD

| A12

VOL. 55

NO. 22

Lan thorn EDITORIAL STAFF

Layout Editor VIVIANA RUBIO

Editor-in-Chief NICK MORAN Associate Editor OLIVIA FELLOWS

Layout Designer KHOI TRAN PROMOTIONS

Associate Editor XAVIER GOLDEN News Editor MARY RACETTE

Promotions Manager ALEX DAGOSTINO ADVERTISING STAFF Advertising Manager SHANE MCATAMNEY

Sports Editor ZACK GOODROW Laker Life Editor YSABELA GOLDEN

The Van Andel Global Trade Center (VAGTC) hosted the 22nd Annual West Michigan Automotive Suppliers Symposium on Thursday, March 11. For the first time, the event was conducted virtually, with industry professionals from companies like Lucid Motors, Rivian, and IHS MarkIt speaking over Zoom.

The symposium is held every year to share industry forecasts, cover current issues and give attendees networking opportunities.

This year, most of the discussion was focused on emerging trends in the automotive industry. Electric vehicles (EVs) were the hot topic, with presentations from up-and-coming EV manufacturers Lucid and Rivian being the main highlights of the symposium.

Mike Smuts, Lucid’s Vice President of Finance, was the first speaker of the symposium.

His presentation, titled “Accelerating Adoption with a New Benchmark EV” covered Lucid’s experiences developing and approaching production with their first vehicle, the Lucid Air. Smuts saw the event as a chance to share Lucid’s story at an important time, as the company is expected to start producing the Air in the coming months. Lucid aims to have deliveries start this year.

“I would say that being able to participate in the event was a great opportunity to describe our company and strategies as well as provide some insight into where

AUTO TRADE: The Van Andel Global Trade Center hosted a symposium that featured several panelists and speakers focused on the automotive industry. COURTESY | ARTIFLEX MANUFACTURING

Lucid presently stands on its exciting journey to advance sustainable transportation,” said Smuts.

Rivian, another EV manufacturer on the cusp of producing its first vehicles, also participated in the symposium. Rivian’s University Partner Sabreen Mere gave the presentation “The EVolution of Talent” that covered Rivian’s talent acquisition strategies, mission as a burgeoning EV maker and goals for the future.

Mere highlighted that many EV startups are relying on talent from experts that have been in the automotive industry for decades,

rather than hiring new, younger workers that could bring more to a company.

“Some of these startups have been functioning off of industry experts who have already gone into retirement,” Mere said.

“Hiring them back into the company as contractors is not sustainable. I see job descriptions that ask for five, 10, 15 years of experience. What’s the point when you have so much talent that’s available to you at the early-career level?”

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BUSINESS STAFF

A&E Editor MARY DUPUIS Image Editor MEGHAN LANDGREN

OPPORTUNITY

Business Manager RACHEL MCDOWELL

Grand Rapids business center helps

Asst. Business Manager DAYTON HAMMON

women reach economic goals

BY HAILEIGH HUBER NEWS@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.

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ENTREPRENEUR: GROW helps women looking to be successful in business and helps bolster their skills. COURTESY | GROW BUSINESS CENTER

Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW) works with women who are aspiring business owners and are looking to become economically independent. By offering small business training, networking opportunities and entrepreneurial training, GROW gives women the encouragement and resources needed to take the first steps.

Marketing and Communications Manager Elyse Wild has been with GROW since August 2020 and helps “create an empowered and equitable West Michigan through business ownership,” she said.

GROW provides business loans to people with low credit and nothing to secure the loan. They work with their clients to get them approved and help guide them on a successful track to pay it back.

Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) is taking off at GROW. It

provides credit and financial services, and GROW receives money from the federal government to deploy into underserved minority communities.

Clients don’t have to be applying for a loan to use the resources that are offered.

Whether you are a new or established business owner, GROW offers free training and webinars that are open to anyone where clients can gain the information they need to reach their economic goals. Clients are paired with an on-staff business development officer, and that officer is the client’s resource for everything.

“The officer doesn’t hold their hand but walks by their side,” said Wild.

It wasn’t until 1988 that women could obtain a business loan without a male relative’s signature.

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A4 | OPINION GVL EDITORIAL CARTOON

MARCH 15, 2021 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

By Katie Cussans

EDITORIAL

Student travel fumbles COVID-19 ball at goal line

I

3/15/21

editorial@lanthorn.com

Starlink: Upgrading rural areas to the modern world

BY FABIAN SEGURA SENIOR FILM & VIDEO, MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

Elon Musk is a man of many things.

While his social media usage is a bit on the messy side, you have to commend the initiatives he has taken to modernize the world – bringing electric cars into

the mainstream, revolutionizing the space industry and now bringing those without good internet connections a new solution.

By using his already-established SpaceX rockets, Starlink uses thousands of micro satellites scattered around in low orbit to bring high-speed internet anywhere on the planet. This is a huge step up from traditional satellite internet from say, Hugh’s Net, as those satellites traditionally sit much higher up in a geosynchronous orbit.

This lets them project down in a fixed spot on the Earth but the large distance to land drastically reduces internet bandwidth and latency. In contrast Starlink’s constellation of satellites move around the earth at a high speed, roughly making a complete orbit in 100 minutes.

It’s because of this high speed that Starlink relies on a much higher count of

satellites that has ever been put in space before. All of this does come with the added benefit of allowing internet connections to rival that of traditional cable internet and blowing right past rural DSL or even dial-up connections.

The staggering amount of satellites being proposed for this network has given some concern however. For one, if an accident such as a collision were to occur like it almost did in 2019 with an ESA satellite, the debris of the impact could multiply exponentially in an effect called Kessler Syndrome. If you recall the movie Gravity, its potential destructibility is shown in great effect.

For another potential issue, astrologists have voiced concern of satellite visibility.

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Are GV’s mental health days really enough?

BY MADDIE ZIMMERMAN FRESHMAN BIOLOGY EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COM

During college, there are a lot of things to look forward to: meeting new friends, partying and seasonal breaks, like Christmas and spring break.

But things are a little different this year. Instead of a full week of spring break with no classes, we have two mental health days.

The big question that has been lingering among students is, is it really enough? Out of the whole school year are the 4 mental health days truly enough of a break for college students?

At least from what is being said online, students generally argue that it’s not enough. Among thousands, I am one of them.

How are we expected to perform at our highest when we are all burnt out by this time of year?

During a normal year, midterms are finally coming to an end. Spring break is right around the corner. When students think, ‘finally, a break to take

a breather,’ sike – there’s no break.

It’s downright not fair of the university to cut out spring break as a whole, let alone to have the mental health days be somewhat discretionary among professors who just pile up the usual work the class before or after.

I still had a slew of assignments due last Wednesday, which was the first mental health day. After seeing that, the mental health days should be called “catch up on homework days.”

The day was still nice to have a quick breather, so the implemented mental health days are better than nothing, but I felt like I blinked and I was back in my 10 a.m. Writing 150 class.

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t’s been a year since Michigan’s first recorded cases of COVID-19, and half a million people have died, with many more hospitalized or facing the long-term effects of the virus. To add to that, millions have lost jobs and are experiencing food and housing insecurity.

There’s a grim reality that sits on our shoulders as we carry the immense losses and lifestyle changes associated with the start of the pandemic a year ago, but some people are still stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the reality of the situation, just like they did a year ago.

A quick scroll through social media shows students returning to beaches as they did before we understood the true severity of the virus, as well as how to limit its spread. Even as vaccines begin to roll out, rumblings of a potential “third wave” stem from unwarranted relaxation from people largely sick of dealing with the pandemic for over a year now.

This year has not been easy, and it’s understandable that students would want a break; despite the fact that the people traveling right now probably aren’t the ones who have had it the worst.

Changes to schooling have amplified the stresses of attending college.

From professors shifting workloads to students being forced to adapt their

former time management strategies, the burnout is tangible. Paired with the lack of a spring break to detox from the usual stressors, students have every right to want to escape to a beach and recuperate their mental health. For many, the pandemic has felt like an anti-social prison.

However, with the interconnectedness of a campus community that still largely hosts hybrid and in-person classes, what students bring back with them from their travels might be a twoweek quarantine for a contaminated classmate. Even worse, it may be a trip to the hospital for them or a loved one.

While it’s been said before, it’s worth restating that we’re in the home stretch.

When the weather gets warmer, we tend to get out more. The vaccine rollout has seemingly provided us with a similar reaction, as more people are vaccinated, we’re seeing more people feeling comfortable going out, dining and drinking indoors, and enjoying themselves.

Part of this lack of fear is rational in that while some of the fully-vaccinated people going out are reportedly safe to do so, but masks and social distancing are still encouraged by the CDC even if you’ve received both shots of the vaccine.

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GVL OPINION POLICY The goal of the Grand Valley Lanthorn’s opinion page is to act as a forum for public discussion, comment and criticism in the Grand Valley State University community. Student 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.

Letters 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 500650 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:

0051 KIRKHOF CENTER GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY

MARCH 15, 2021 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

A5 | NEWS

ECONOMY

Grand Rapids races against pandemic to revitalize sections of local economy

BY TREVOR HUBERT NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

As the COVID-19 pandemic slowly comes to a close, the city of Grand Rapids is looking for its economy to bounce back quickly from a year full of lockdowns and business closures. The restaurant, entertainment and hospitality industries were among the hardest-hit areas of the economy due to various indoor capacity restrictions that have been in place since March 2020.

Now that some restrictions have eased, cases have trended downward and Michigan continues to distribute the vaccine, some of the focus can shift to the city’s recovery effort. City officials believe that Grand Rapids is already on the path to economic recovery, thanks to initiatives it has taken to keep things afloat.

“With an emphasis on the recovery of local businesses, the City awarded $525,000 in Small Business Economic Recovery Grants,” read a statement from the City of Grand Rapids. “It also invested in resident resiliency contracts totaling $3.3 million for housing security and support services, neighborhood support and technical assistance and

youth employment.”

Seidman College of Business Associate Dean Paul Isely believes that the support for West Michigan must be a focused effort, no matter where the relief money is coming from.

“The real issue for us right now is making sure we’re supporting that fraction of the economy that is actually hurting,” Isley said.

“A large chunk of the economy isn’t actually hurting. In the sectors that are doing pretty well, like manufacturing and construction and professional services, they’ve actually run out of workers”.

Even with the most impacted sector of the economy beginning to stabilize, Isely says that 20-25% of restaurants in Grand Rapids will be closed permanently.

“We know that we’re going to have to figure out how to facilitate people buying into bringing back that feel,” Isely said. “Part of what’s really supercharged Grand Rapids is the nightlife, that downtown feel, and all those local restaurants and the diversity of eating. We have to find ways to make sure that the ones that have survived make it through.”

With the virus coming down and more stimulus money coming in, Isely projects a

REINVIGORATE: Grand Rapids’ economy has trended poorly due to the pandemic, but local leaders are already looking at strategies for improving business in the area. GVL | KATHERINE VASILE

road to economic recovery faster than anticipated when COVID-19 first struck.

“If the vaccination is on par and it’s moving as fast as it is, and it stays ahead of the problems that are caused by the new variants, we will have a very, very good summer in West Michigan,” Isley said.

He believes that the recovery also depends on how quickly people spend their newfound disposable income.

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PANDEMIC

What the American Rescue passed by Senate means for Michigan

BY OLIVIA FELLOWS ASSOCIATE@LANTHORN.COM

HEALTH CARE: The American Rescue plan bill includes aid for households with pandemic financial needs. GVL | JONATHAN LANTIEGNE

On Saturday, March 6, the United States Senate passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, with the aim to rush a much-needed influx of aid in many forms to struggling people and businesses around the nation.

Senators passed the bill through budget reconciliation, a process that required no Republican support but every Democratic vote.

The broad legislation includes direct payments of up to $1,400 to most Americans, a $300 weekly boost to jobless benefits into September, and an expansion of the child tax credit for one year. It also puts new funding into COVID-19 vaccine distribution and testing, rental assistance for households and providing money to K-12 schools for reopening costs. Many Michigan schools are in the process of preparation for reopening in the fall.

Michigan senator Debbie Stabenow expressed positivity at the bill’s passage, stating that the provisions included will make an incredible difference in the reopening and support of Michigan.

“Michigan families have been through so much this past year just trying to keep their families safe, educate their children at home and survive the financial challenges

of this health pandemic,” Stabenow said in a press release. “They need and deserve to know that their government has their back.

The American Rescue Plan does just that.

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A6&7 | NEWS

MARCH 15, 2021 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

ONE YEAR LATER

my future plans included medical school.”

Healthcare workers were deemed essential during the pandemic and vitally important to maintaining the health and care of people, but the stress of dealing with COVID-19 cases is a heavy weight to bear.

“I have seen so many of the worst-case scenarios from working in the hospital,” Bryce said. “I have seen things like too many people on ventilators to a kid that literally lost his limbs due to not enough oxygen circulation from COVID. Even though I am fully vacci-

nated, I am still afraid of a third wave.”

With the pandemic still hovering over her life a year later, Bryce struggles to envision what the future looks like.

“I really can’t picture life afterward,” Bryce said. “I know one day it will be like nothing ever happened, but currently it is still hard to think about. I cannot wait for it to be gone, and for it to be safe again so I can see my little niece. As cheesy as it is, I just want the normal human interaction again along with hugs.”

Junior and Health Communication major

Mikaela Brzuchowski got the news of Michigan’s first case while in Florida with her mom on spring break.

“When I first heard the school was closing down, I really just thought it was going to be an extension of spring break,” Brzuchowski said. “I didn’t think for a second we would be where we are today.”

The following year has been a struggle, though Brzuchowski still tries to remain positive under the hard circumstances.

“It’s been a ride trying to manage men-

tal health in the past year,” Brzuchowski said. “At first I was just kind of confused, and now I’m just anxious for it to be over.

I’m excited to be able to do things with my friends while simultaneously still being safe instead of isolating.”

Restrictions have lifted somewhat in Michigan, with restaurants now seating up to 50% capacity. Although some things are looking up, there are different strands of the virus that are being carefully watched: the pandemic is undeniably not yet over.

Students, professors still struggle with COVID-19 learning adjustment

BY ELIZABETH SCHANZ EMAIL@LANTHORN.COM

A YEAR FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS: Students have been living with the changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year now, and many agree that much has changed. International closures, mandates and policy changes not only kept students from experiencing a traditional school year, but prevented some students from seeing family and taking part in significant events around them. GVL | SHEILA BABBITT

Students reflect on COVID-19 lifestyle shift

BY AUTUMN PITCHURE LAKERLIFE@LANTHORN.COM

A year ago on Mar. 10, 2020, Michigan had confirmation of its first two COVID-19 cases. At the time, many people didn’t understand the impact this virus would have on their lives.

Schools and colleges had to face the challenge of moving classes online. Two days later, there were twelve confirmed cases in Michigan. Numbers of the virus started growing rapidly every day.

On Mar. 16, Governor Whitmer issued an order to close all bars and restaurants dine-in, gyms, coffee houses, and most public places as COVID-19 cases totaled more than 50.

On Mar. 17, just a week after Michigan had its first two cases, Michigan confirmed its first COVID-19-related death. Cases broke the 100 mark.

A major game-changer occurred on Mar. 21, when the US-Canada border began to close to nonessential traffic.

“I remember being kind of excited to have online classes, but little did I know it was going to be way more than a monthlong thing,” said senior Hayley Bryce, a Biomedical Sciences major.

On Mar. 23, something happened that had

no precedent in Michigan history. Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a statewide stayat-home order for all non-essential workers.

Individuals were informed that they could only leave their homes under very limited circumstances such as working in a hospital.

The number of COVID-19 cases broke 1,300, while the death toll rose to 15.

“When the actual lockdown began, I stayed in my apartment in Allendale for a while due to working nearby at an assisted living center,” said Bryce.

When the pandemic was worsening, Bryce decided to head home to quarantine herself due to her sister having a baby on the way. She didn’t want to take the chance of getting the virus from her roommate or co-workers.

“I went home for some time during the summer to be fully quarantined,” Bryce said.

“But a few days after I was home, my Dad tested positive.”

From being in contact with her Dad, Bryce was not able to see her newborn niece.

“As my quarantine was up, I came back from my hometown on the east side of the state to Grand Rapids to begin a second job at Spectrum Health Hospital,” Bryce said. “It was really hard to sit back and not do anything to help. I knew I had to help because

DAILY RITUAL: A COVID-19 self-assessment has become part of the daily routine for many Grand Valley State University students. Those who do not pass are pointed to testing resources. COURTESY | GVSU

March 13, 2020, was marked as a day of chaos when the world was completely changed by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns in the United States. People rushed to the stores to find empty shelves, borders were closed and students packed their belongings to leave the schools for what they thought would be only two weeks.

Professors and students were thrown into a new virtual world over the remaining months of the school year. With some teachers having never taught online and the lack of preparation with the technology necessary to support university-wide virtual learning, the adjustment was harsh for all parties.

Now the world is a year into the pandemic which has changed our lives from what it once was to a “new normal.” Professors and students have been adapting their routines and workflow to interact with virtual platforms such as Blackboard Collaborate, Zoom and Panopto.

Grand Valley State University students had the opportunity to return to campus for this 2020-2021 school year with many adjustments from what college-life previously looked like.

“Last year, I danced in my bedroom,” said junior Clara Crossley, a double major in dance and biomedical sciences. “I moved my bed to the side and I had a tiny spot, so it’s really nice to have that studio time (this year) — though it’s half the time we usually have — and to just be around people and in a studio.”

The changes in the classroom setting with many different options for classes: online, hybrid and in-person. Even with these opportunities, there are concerns with how these methods are

impacting various students.

“Very motivated, experienced students do well in this new environment, but students who are new to college or may lack skills that they need to succeed tend to fall through the cracks in the online classroom,” said history professor Grace Coolidge. “This concerns me because I want to teach everyone and be sure that nobody gets left behind.”

Coolidge also feels that students who struggle with mental illness are hindered by this learning environment, along with the student body who is missing the experience of true college learning.

“I think students increasingly miss the chance to talk to each other,” Coolidge said. “I’m teaching one completely face-to-face class this semester, and those students are really happy to do small group work and have conversations in class. I think they’re lonely.”

Some students are also facing the problem of separating their personal lives from their school time. With the lack of structure of physically going to classes, students are faced with the problem of using time management and integrating school into their lives.

“I just feel like I am in a constant state of schooling,” said Crossley.

With many people receiving the vaccine there is hope that more normal life post-pandemic is around the corner. Many universities are already announcing their plans for the coming school year with the idea of primarily in-person classes.

Additionally, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer made an announcement that all Michiganders, age 16 and up, will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by April 5th, which has the potential to help the community reach the end of the COVID-19 tunnel.

THE NEW NORMAL: As the pandemic struck, community members raced to grocery stores to stock up on food in panic. Now, some adjustments just feel normal. GVL | AUTUMN PITCHURE, SHEILA BABBITT

AN ADJUSTMENT: Outside of on-campus COVID-19 testing, students and faculty alive have had to adjust to the changes presented by the pandemic. Many experience the need to adapt their workflow and others express they feel like they are in a “constant state of schooling” this semester. COURTESY | GVSU

MARCH 15, 2021 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLNEWS

A8 | NEWS EVENTS

Job networking websites help students kickstart careers

BY KYLIE ELWELL NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

The “Work Like a Laker Conference” hosted by the Grand Valley State University Career Center has a schedule packed full of events March 8-18. This virtual event is provided to guide students through how much the job market has changed due to COVID-19. This conference is virtual, providing extra safety and numerous events and time slots for students’ busy schedules.

One of the main virtual tools and networking sites to aid in job searching is LinkedIn. The schedule of events included categories like preparation sessions, professional development, industry information, and the GVSU Virtual Career, Internship, and Summer job fair. All of these categories included many links to helpful webpages, workshops and presentations given by alumni and career professionals.

Lori Staggs, associate director of GVSU’s Career Center said, “LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool…especially now since we aren’t meeting face to face as much as we used to. LinkedIn, if used strategically and effectively, can be a great way to develop professional connections with people in your desired career field. GVSU has a LinkedIn page, and within that, you can see

100,000+ alumni, as well as where they work and live, what they do, what they studied.”

On March 9, LinkedIn branding consultant and career coach, Cole B. Edwards presented students and alumni with ways they can utilize LinkedIn in their college and professional careers. Edwards is a 2017 GVSU Graduate, with experience in sales, marketing, branding and more.

A few main topics that he covered included how to understand your career path, setting up internship job alerts, researching companies of interest and connecting with people in your industry.

“LinkedIn can benefit college students by starting with the networking aspect, networking, job searching, and building your professional brand are the three major spots with LinkedIn,” Edwards said. “They all kind of go hand in hand, but there’s a lot of career development involved as well.”

The Career Center offers help to students by reviewing their LinkedIn profiles and offering suggestions on how to make the profiles more complete. GVSU’s Handshake platform is similar to LinkedIn in that you can create a profile, upload a photo and attach your resume. In Handshake, student users can see which organizations are connecting with and hiring from GVSU specifically.

“I think both platforms (LinkedIn and Handshake) are excellent resources to uti-

CAREERS: This year’s Work Like A Laker conference is being held virtually, but has all of the same aspects and highlights student career tools like Indeed and LinkedIn. GVL | ANNABELLE ROBINSON

lize… and the more complete your profile, the more likely you are to be found by recruiters,” Staggs said. “The Career Center is here to help with all aspects of a career, from choosing a major, learning more about particular career areas, helping students find opportunities, assisting with career prepa-

ration (resumes, cover letters, interview coaching), and talking through other career questions a student may have.”

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POLICE

GVPD, GV pushes education as Sexual Assault Awareness Month approaches

BY ADAM TROMBLEY NEWS@LANTHORN.COM

SAFETY: The GVPD works with GVSU students to make improvements on campus safety on a regular basis. COURTESY | GVL ARCHIVES

Sexual Assault Awareness Month is approaching in April and the GVSU community plans to use this as an opportunity to bring awareness and education to these incidents and how they can be prevented.

“In this demographic, the issue is very appropriate to talk about because we see it consistently year after year and it’s an issue that does impact our students and our community,” said Capt. Jeffrey Stoll of the Grand Valley Police Department.

As first responders, the GVPD is usually the first group to find out about incidents and they are the first to have contact with the victim. Stoll says their goal is to make sure they can offer the victim or survivor both safety and support during this horrible experience.

“Sexual assault is something that is very

real to our department,” Stoll said. “We work very hard to prevent it, mitigate it as much as possible, and try to provide any support to any victim or survivor whenever it is appropriate.”

The GVPD offers their officers extensive training on expressing empathy and support to the victims and survivors. Stoll said it is important for them to be able to listen and hear the victims so that the victims can guide the conversation in order to help regain their mentality as much as they can.

The GVPD knows how intimidating it can be to come and speak to them. Because of this, the GVPD has set up a comfort room with couches and softer lighting in order to help make it less intimidating for those who come to them. The GVPD will try to gain information as it is appropriate, but they recognize that it can be hard to give the information relative to the incident because of the trauma that occurred.

Throughout the month of April, programming will be held by both Housing and Resident Life as well as the Center for Women and Gender Equity in order to provide this important information about sexual assaults.

Although the programming will be limited due to Covid-19, it will still be held virtually in order to provide this important education.

One of the main ideas of this education is the idea of topic bystander intervention and using it to help prompt people to recognize when these situations are happening so they can try to prevent it as much as possible.

“Consistently for us, the overwhelming majority of victims are female with males being the suspects,” Stoll said. “A large majority of our cases, involve victims and suspects that knew each other prior.”

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A9 | LAKER LIFE

MARCH 15, 2021 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLLAKERLIFE

A LOOK AT LIFESTYLE WORK LIKE A LAKER JOB FAIR CONTINUES For students who missed the first week of Career Center events, no worries: the WLAL conference lasts until March 18, and features a number of professional development and industry information events leading up to the culminating Virtual Career Fair on Thursday.

Anyone interested in attending events like Tuesday’s “Networking 101 Power Hour with Disney” or the two day long Teacher Recruitment sessions can find Zoom links and a full schedule of events on the Career Center’s website, at www.gvsu.edu/careers.

AOD CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK’S DAY WITH SCAVENGER HUNT This week, Grand Valley’s Alcohol & Other Drugs Services (AOD) is hosting a “St. Patty’s Day Treasure Hunt” that starts on Monday and ends on Friday, Mar. 19. Treasure bags containing gift cards, t-shirts, snacks and more have been hidden across the Allendale campus.

Those eager to find prizes can find clues to their locations at AOD’s Instagram, @gvsuaod. A full list of Grand Valley’s events for St. Patrick’s Day 2021 can be found on the Division of Student Affairs website, www. gvsu.edu/studentaffairs.

STUDENTS INVITED TO DISCUSSION ON HISTORIC LOCAL WOMEN This year, the Kutsche Office of Local History is hosting their 12th Annual History Roundtable as a virtual series of events throughout the month of March. Their theme, women’s leadership roles, is being represented this week through a discussion on “Lesser Known Women in West Michigan History,” which will focus on community leaders who leveraged their interests and abilities to make waves in their respective industries.

The roundtable will take place over Zoom from 10-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 17.

Those interested can register for the event, as well as find a full schedule with recordings of past roundtables, on the Kutsche Office of Local History website at www.gvsu.edu/kutsche.

GV AGAIN NAMED A VOTER FRIENDLY CAMPUS Grand Valley State University has once again been labeled as a Voter Friendly Campus for 2021-22, selected along with 231 other higher education institutions.

Awarded by the Campus Vote Project and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators to universities and colleges that encouraged student participation in local and national elections. The first time GVSU recieved the award was back in 2016.

GVSU’s Community Service and Learning Center is one office on campus that does extensive work in registering voters, planning election drives and poling stations on campus, and spreading voter, election and candidate information to students on campus.

For more information about the Community Service Learning Center’s work and events, visit www.gvsu.edu/service.

CAREERS

Work Like A Laker conference kicks off strong

BY KATHERINE ARNOLD LAKERLIFE@LANTHORN.COM

A question on many graduating student’s minds is how they can successfully navigate the professional world. How do we navigate in that professional atmosphere, while keeping other important information like interview best practices and networking in mind?

Starting March 8, the Work Like A Laker conference (WLAL) kicked off a two-week series of events dedicated to helping students learn more about careers and teaching them how to prepare for their future.

From resume workshops to panels for specific majors like writing and STEM, the WLAL conference covers a wide variety of themes and topics pertaining to the job search. The events are split into four categories: preparation sessions, professional development, industry information and the virtual GVSU Career, Internship, and Summer Job Fair itself.

On Tuesday, March 9, “Researching Employers and Evaluating Workplace Culture” from the professional development section was hosted by the Career Center to discuss the importance of considering workplace culture and equity when interviewing for companies.

The panelists for the event featured Jessica Campbell, Program Coordinator of the Center for Women and Gender Equity; Juanita Davis, Assistant Director in the Office of Multicultur-

OPPORTUNITY: The GVSU Work Like A Laker Conference highlighted work in specific majors like statistics, STEM and mathematics, and will continue through March 19. GVL | KATHERINE ARNOLD

al Affairs at GVSU; Mark Saint Amount, Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center at GVSU; Courtney Simmons, Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Herman Miller; and Koleta Moore, Assistant Dean of Student Engagement for the Graduate Program Operations in the Seidman College of Business.

Over the course of the panel, the panelists answered questions relating to the general

importance of employer research, what can be learned from the languages and images employers use, who works there and in what roles, and finally, interview questions and follow-up strategies.

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LEADERSHIP

Grand Rapids activist speaks on leadership

BY YSABELA GOLDEN LAKERLIFE@LANTHORN.COM

Much of the programming at Grand Valley State University’s Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy revolves primarily around the 60+ students in its cohort, but their events hosting talks from community leaders are open to all. Such was the case with Kelsey Perdue, the project director of Kids Count in Michigan who was invited to give

a virtual lecture on “Local Leadership from Global Experience.”

“There’s a global truth in this struggle of hunger and conflict and paranoia,” Perdue said. “We are all in the middle of this battle for justice, and as much as you may want to, you cannot excuse yourself from this fight.

You might have heard the saying, that ‘no response is a response.’ Decisions will go on, with or without your direct input: decisions that cause our neighbors to go hungry.”

This isn’t the first talk Perdue has given at GVSU. In 2018, while working for the Grand Circus learning institute, she spoke at a TEDxGVSU conference about the fluidity of our social identities. Now, in 2021, she’s also a part of the Michigan League for Public Policy, the Grand Rapids Community Relations Commission and the Michigan Black Leadership Advisory Council.

“My work is in advocacy,” Perdue said. “I study and I speak up on political and economic issues, and often those issues have a tie to policy and to the law.”

Perdue was born and raised in Grand Rapids, a city her career has returned her to after years spent traveling abroad. Her time studying in Spain and teaching in the Dominican Republic only compounded lessons she learned growing up.

“Even as a little girl, I witnessed the divide between the haves and have-nots,” Perdue said.

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GUIDANCE: Kelsey Perdue spoke about leadership and how students can utilize social and networking skills to be a leader in their own communities and on their campus. GVL | YSABELA GOLDEN

www.lanthorn.com FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

A10 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ARTS AT A GLANCE FOURTH INSTALLATION OF GV WRITER’S SERIES SETS STAGE FOR POETRY READING Rebecca Hazelton, an award-winning poet, writer, critic, and editor, will be doing a virtual poetry reading for the fourth event of the 2020-21 Grand Valley State University Writer’s Series.

Hazelton’s works have received numerous honors, ranging from the Wheeler Prize from Ohio State University for her first book, “Fair Copy,” to the publishing of her poems in numerous literary journals and national magazines. Her work can also be found in the Pushcart Prize anthology and Best American Poetry.

Currently, Hazelton is working on a new book of poems centered around the role of the “husband” in contemporary marriages and American masculinity. She is also working on some experimental essays about the #metoo movement, bisexuality and experimental essays.

The reading will be taking place on Wed., March 17 from 7:30-8:45 p.m. and those who wish to attend are asked to contact the Department of Writing for the Zoom link.

WOMEN’S WAY INITIATIVE IN GRAND RAPIDS FEATURES NEW STREET SIGN, MURAL The Women’s Way alley activation initiative was first announced by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. a year ago in March 2020.

Although much work has been done, they still plan to continue with their aspirations to elevate the awareness of important historical narratives and local women leaders while rejuvenating overlooked public spaces.

The most recent installment is new street signage featured in Grand Rapids for “Harriet Woods Hill Way” placed in the previously nameless alleyway off of Louis Street NW located near the Grand Rapids Police Department.

On the alleyway wall there is a mural painted of Harriet Woods Hill, the first Black woman to serve as an officer in the Grand Rapids Police Department.

Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. has also announced that an original mural of Maurilia Ortiz Blakely will be the focal point of the next installment in the initiative.

GV ART GALLERY INSTALLS NEW EXHIBITION There are currently four small atypical gallery spaces featured across campus that the Grand Valley Art Gallery changes out multiple times throughout the year.

The most recent exhibition, installed March 11, is located in the Eberhard Center Wall Gallery on the Pew Campus in downtown Grand Rapids and features photos from the “2020 PIC PICS Study Abroad Photo and Video Contest.”

The contest was offered to any and all GVSU students who had studied abroad and documented their journey through unique photos. The first place winner received a GoPro Camera, the second place winner received a GVSU jacket, the third place winner received a GVSU sweatshirt and honorable mentions received GVSU apparel.

MARCH 15, 2021 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLARTS

CINEMA

GV Summer Film Project featured on Amazon Prime for first time

BY ALLISON RAFFERTY ARTS@LANTHORN.COM

In 2019, Grand Valley State University’s Summer Film Project produced the film, “Driftless.” Fast forward to 2021 and for the first time in the Summer Film Project’s history, the film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

GVSU’s Summer Film Project is a course designed to help students get professional experience in filmmaking. The project brings together students, faculty, and industry professionals to work together and create a new film each summer.

Kim Roberts, professor of film and video production and the film’s executive producer, said the project is a fantastic way for students to get involved and get excited about their potential future careers.

“The Summer Film Project is a true immersion into filmmaking with hands-on, experiential learning,” Roberts said. “There’s so much pride for our Summer Film Project because we have developed it to have maximum impact on student learning, teamwork, and creative problem-solving.”

Roberts said with each film comes its own unique challenges, providing students with the most realistic type of learning experience.

“Every film project is different so there is a great deal of creative problem-solving as challenges arise and teamwork to make sure every

STREAMING: The GVSU Summer Film Project is now on Amazon Prime. It’s the first time, a student film from the prjectroject will be avaliable on a major streaming service. GVL | JONATHAN LANTIEGNE

detail is handled with care and consideration,” Roberts said. “Our alumni often say that the Summer Film Project was the most valuable class they took while at GVSU.” There were 50 GVSU students in total who played a part in the creation of “Driftless.” Half were involved in the production and the other 25 were a part of the post-production work. All of the students involved are credited for their work on the film on IMBd. In honor of GVSU’s annual Summer Film Project’s 25 year anniversary in 2019, it was decided that the film would be feature-length instead of the usual short film. After lots of hard work, the film came out in 2020 and is a running total of 75 minutes long.

“Driftless” tells the story of how the Park Rangers at Driftless State Park, led

by Nova Abbey, protected the park and its visitors during a State Government shutdown on the 4th of July weekend.

The idea for the film can be credited to John Philbin, a retired Department of Visual and Media Arts faculty member and the film’s co-writer and director, as it is based on one of his previous documentary films.

“I made a documentary about Yosemite park rangers many years ago called ‘The Law of Nature’ and decided it would make a good fiction film,” said Philbin.

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VINTAGE

Vinyl records find homes with West Michigan bands, music fans alike

BY PARKER LEARMAN-BLAAUW ARTS@LANTHORN.COM

The phonographic record, or what would later become known as the vinyl record, or simply a vinyl, has been a staple of the audio industry since it was first introduced to the world by Thomas Edison in 1877.

Most commonly molded using polyvinyl chloride — hence the name — records were

RECORDS: Vinyl collectors rejoice as local bands come to the medium. GVL | MEGHAN LANDGREN

used to store albums, EP’s, and singles.

There’s no doubting vinyl’s domination of the music market throughout the entirety of the 20th century. The advent of more efficient methods of data storage and playback near the millennium seemed to spell certain death for the classic record format, however.

Cassette tapes rose and fell, CDs seemed to usher in a new industry standard, and eventually, MP3 files themselves became popular due to smaller, more data-efficient players.

Currently, streaming commands the consumer music world, eliminating tangibility altogether.

Yet, somehow, vinyl persists. Despite the deck stacked against them, records have seen a resurgence of interest starting in the early 2010s. Sales of records nearly tripled from 2009 to 2014 alone.

According to New Musical Express (NME), in 2020, the record for most vinyls sold in a single week was broken, and then broken again the very next week, with a staggering 1.98 million

records sold. It was also the first year vinyl outsold all other physical formats since the 1980s.

Ryne Clarke, a Lowell, Michigan native and 22-year-old frontman for The Ryne Experience, is both an avid vinyl collector and an artist familiar with the process.

“I started collecting records when I was about 12,” Clarke said. “I have a personal vinyl collection of over 1,100 records.”

When Clarke first began collecting, he said he was mostly interested in the cover art that adorned the record sleeve. His true love, sitting down and just listening to an LP, didn’t arise until Clarke’s grandfather had him transfer his collection of hundreds of albums onto CDs using a special record player.

“I had to sit down in real-time and space out each of the songs, and that’s what got me hooked,” said Clarke.

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A11 | SPORTS

MARCH 15, 2021 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

QUICK HITS

ELIGIBILITY

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS TO ASHLAND IN NCAA TOURNAMENT

The 4th seeded GVSU women’s basketball team lost in their first game of the NCAA Midwest Region Tournament.

Against the 5th seeded Ashland University, GVSU struggled to find their shot from deep and lost 68-60.

Ashland started the game with a lead, going into the second quarter up 21-13.

GVSU fought back, but they weren’t able to overcome the deficit.

For the game, GVSU shot a mere 14% from the 3-point line and committed 18 turnovers. GVSU shot an overall higher percentage from the floor than Ashland at 45%. The young team couldn’t put it all together in the back half of the game to close out their opponent as they failed to make a single 3-pointer in the second half.

Qay Stanton led the team with 15 points, four rebounds and one steal. Ellie Droste also had 15 points coming off the bench and contributed four rebounds and two assists.

Hannah Kulas was a force on the defensive side of the ball. She finished the game with seven points, three steals and one block. She also added six rebounds.

Despite losing their first game of the tournament, the future is bright for the GVSU women’s basketball team. The young squad will look to improve heading into next season. More time together and the experience from the season will likely factor into their success next year. They’ll be looking to make their seventh straight appearance next year in the NCAA Midwest Region tournament with better results.

GV VOLLEYBALL SPLITS SERIES AGAINST DAVENPORT

Last week, the GVSU volleyball team faced off against Davenport University.

GVSU won the first matchup 3-1 to extend their win streak to four games. In the following contest, however, GVSU lost 1-3.

In the first game of the matchup, GVSU lost their first set. They proceeded to win the next two rounds. In the final matchup, GVSU went on a 12-3 run to regain the lead and the victory.

In this series, Ali Thompson led the team with 21 kills, two aces, five blocks and 15 digs. Jaelianna Primus led the team with eight blocks and contributed nine kills.

Rachel Jacquay had 45 assists.

In the second game of the series, GVSU won the first set but lost the next three. In this series, Primus led the team with 12 kills, eight blocks and one ace. Jacquay contributed 27 assists, 11 digs and two blocks.

Thompson had 21 digs, three assists and an ace.

COMING BACK: Last year, the NCAA allowed student athletes to extend their eligibilty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While it may seem straight forward, there are many scenerios to factor in. When making these decisions, athletes and their coaches deal with many factors. COURTESY | NCAA

Understanding the NCAA COVID-19 eligibility extensions

BY ZACK GOODROW SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

Last year, the NCAA granted student athletes the ability to extend their own eligibility if their team was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Student athletes normally have five years to play four seasons of their sport. The NCAA extended this eligibility into six years to play all four seasons.

“Well, I don’t think that we understand everything about it either,” said Associate Director of Athletics-Compliance Wendy Wilson. “The hard part is that the situation is different for every student.”

There are two forms of extensions that the NCAA set in place. The first one is a season of competition waiver. All winter and fall sports from this past year automatically qualify for this waiver. The season of competition waiver means that none of the seasons for these teams count towards a student’s year of eligibility.

Last year, spring sports got some of their games in and students competed. The NCAA gave all these athletes a season of competition waiver because they didn’t play a high percentage of their games. For fall sports, the NCAA did the same thing. A few months later, the NCAA gave the same waiver to winter sports.

For 2021 spring sports, however, this changes. If a team plays more than fifty percent of their games, an athlete’s season counts towards their eligibility. Spring sports have a cap since they don’t play a conference-only schedule.

This waiver also gives schools the right to cancel games when they need to. It gives students the opportunity to come back and compete, but it also gives collegiate institutions the ability to protect their players’ health.

“It gives schools the ability to cancel things when they need to,” Wilson said.

“We’re not going to try and stretch the com-

petition. There could be a case where we have two COVID-19 cases and we want to cancel, but we really need to get this game into finishing a schedule. This decision gives flexibility to us and to the students.”

The second form of extension from the NCAA is the extension of eligibility. This allows students to come back for another year even if they were planning to graduate in 2021. This also offers non-seniors a chance to add an extra year of eligibility to their collegiate career. Not every student has to use it however and it’s a difficult decision to make for student athletes.

The case is different for every student athlete who has the opportunity to extend their eligibility. A senior fall athlete coming back in 2021 is very different than a junior playing in a spring sport who is returning for their senior year.

The rule applies differently to everyone.

There are many factors that also go with these decisions, like financial aid, career opportunities, and a student’s academic schedule.

“From GVSU’s perspective, it’s very much an individual conversation between coach and student athlete,” said Wilson.

When looking at a student’s credit situation per semester, the baseline is that an athlete has to be taking 12 credits to be a full-time student. For graduate students, it’s nine credits. If a student is in their last semester before they return for another season, they don’t have to be full-time. The student athlete has to take the remaining credits towards their degree during their time back.

None of it is required for student athletes or for collegiate institutions, however. Universities have the ability to self-impose their waivers.

For example, the University of Wisconsin told student athletes they needed to move on. The school didn’t grant their students the opportunity to return.

GVSU on the other hand has offered this to their student athletes. Not only has GVSU

had to work with their own students who decide to extend their eligibility, but they also have to deal with transfer students who want to come since their former schools don’t offer an eligibility extension.

These decisions also affect teams’ financial aid situations. The NCAA gives schools financial aid limits for their teams. Institutions, coaches, and students decide on financial aid.

At GVSU, the final word on financial aid decisions comes from a team’s coach. Student athletes have to discuss with their coaches about financial aid if they do decide to return to play another season.

The administration at GVSU is still hashing out the final numbers for the team’s financial scholarship budget. There are other factors for these decisions, like the number of new recruits coming to the team next year. This bizarre sports year caused by COVID-19 hasn’t stopped GVSU from vigorously recruiting new students.

For the 2022 academic year, the NCAA will exempt a student athlete who would have graduated in 2021 from a roster. Teams can keep their original roster sizes even with athletes returning who exercise their COVID-19 eligibility extension.

However, roster size is also affected by the financial aid aspect. Since this is the case, it is again a very difficult conversation to have with a player’s coach about returning for another season. There also isn’t an official deadline for student athletes to make this decision.

“We still don’t know everyone who is coming back,” Wilson said. “For example, last spring we mapped out plans for student athletes coming back for the 2021 academic year. As soon as we were done, sure enough, we had about four or five students between May and August decide they needed to move on from the school and pressure their new careers. In that respect, it continues to fluctuate.”

MARCH 15, 2021 GRAND VALLEY LANTHORN @GVLSPORTS

A12 | SPORTS TRACK & FIELD

GV track and field teams dominate national tournament

BY JOSH ROCHETTE SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

The men and women’s Grand Valley State University indoor track and field teams both entered last week’s NCAA Division II tournament as champions of the GLIAC. The men were ranked second behind Ashland in the polls and the women were at the top of the rankings.

This thriller of a national competition found the rankings to prove true, with the women securing their third indoor title and the men falling 17 points short in second to Ashland.

The action was spread across three days from March 11-13 and brought GVSU’s best from Allendale to Birmingham, Alabama.

The women’s title is the fifth national title of head coach Jerry Baltes’ 22 seasons at GVSU, though his tenure has shown to be one of major success over those years.

“For half the roster, this was their first time at a national meet, so to have that, come in, and still take care of business is promising,” said Baltes.

Though the men came in behind Ashland, they still distanced themselves from the competition by showing the same depth on events that won them the GLIAC title.

“The more 10-point spots the better, but

TOURNAMENT: Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams posted impressive performances at the NCAA Division II Tournament. The women’s team won their third title. COURTESY | MLIVE

nickel and diming we call it, is getting all those other points to stack on top of that,” said Baltes.

The Lakers had several notable performances throughout the event from the likes of the distance medley relay, senior Dennis Mbuta in the 800-meter run, senior Isaac Harding in

both the 3,000 and 5,000-meter run, and senior Justin Scavarda in the shot put.

Dennis Mbuta was the only national champion to come from the men’s team this indoor season, but the women came out with several of their own. Among those

were senior Ellianne Kimes in the pole vault, senior Angelica Floyd in the 60-meter dash, the distance medley relay team, and senior Nicole Sreenan in the 400-meter dash.

Though all of the women’s national champions performed to the best of their abilities and contributed to the win as a whole, Sreenan alone put up 21 points across 3 events. She ran in the 4x400 meter relay getting 4th place, then the 200-meter dash to get 3rd, and finally, a first-place finish in the 400-meter.

Sreenan was named Midwest Track Athlete of the Year for the second indoor season in a row, and Baltes was named the best women’s coach in Division II track and field.

“I got that award last year, but the season ended before nationals,” Sreenan said.

“To get it again and win a national title makes it feel more real.”

Baltes named Sreenan as a key performer for the women and named her as the woman on the team that gets at it harder than the rest, something that the scoresheet corroborates.

The indoor season may be over, but the outdoor season picks up in less than a week on March 19, with the men and women of both teams competing in Tampa. They look to continue the indoor season dominance and begin in Tampa on proving why the Lakers belong on top.

Column: U of M, MSU lose in Big Ten Tournament after rivalry

BY HOLLY BIHLMAN SPORTS@LANTHORN.COM

On Sunday, March 7, the Michigan State Spartans stole the win from the Michigan Wolverines, currently ranked first in the Big Ten conference. The Spartans, sitting in 8th, are at 15-12 (9-11 in the Big Ten) while the Wolverines have climbed to the top of the NCAA rankings at 20-4 (14-3 Big Ten).

The Spartans previously had some big wins against the University of Illinois and Ohio State University in February despite their lower ranking in the NCAA. This rivalry game solidified the Spartans spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Spartan sophomore guard Robert “Rocket” Watts led the scoreboard with 21 points coming off the bench, while the Wolverines’ Eli Brooks had to leave the game with a twisted ankle four minutes into the first half.

The Wolverines offensive game was lacking, as the team missed 15 out of 22 threes and shot just 41.7 percent from the floor. MSU found cracks in Michigan’s game and went in full throttle.

MSU junior forward Aaron Henry fol-

lowed closely behind Watts with 18 points.

Watts may have solidified his place in the starting lineup for the Spartans, certainly showing Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo what he has to offer off the bench.

In the last minute of the game, redshirt senior Josh Langford gave the Spartans the lead with a three pointer, putting the score at 6459. Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson brought the Wolverines close to victory, but the team lost by two points by the end of game.

In a heartfelt moment between coach and star player, Tom Izzo was pictured hugging Watts after the game. It was an emotional game for Watts as his mother was back in the stands.

After the big win for Michigan State, the Big Ten Tournament began on Wednesday, March 10.

Michigan’s loss on Sunday could be because of Brook’s departure from the game early on, but now with another big threat on the team being out for the season, Michigan may be in trouble. On top of Eli Brooks’ twisted ankle, Isaiah Livers will be sidelined indefinitely with a stress injury on his foot for the NCAA Tournament.

Another upset followed U of M into the Big Ten Tournament as they fell to OSU 6867. After battling back into the game by the final seconds of the contest, Michigan had one last controversial possession where they failed to score. The Spartans faced off against Maryland University and had similar luck as the U of M had. MSU lost to Maryland 68-57.

Although Michigan has had a successful season, their losses to MSU and OSU were shocking and frankly a little embarrassing considering their seed in the Big Ten. Despite Michigan’s track record of being among the top teams in the Big Ten and NCAA, these losses show an inability to succeed in crunch time and in big moments.

Michigan State’s lack of urgency on the court has been the cause of their rough season. Even with their loss to Maryland, MSU is still in the NCAA tournament because of their victory against the U of M. Izzo may still be able to get his team ready for redemption as they await their seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Selection Sunday will reveal their firstround matchups and give both teams another shot at bringing home another win for

the fans. This will also give Michigan another opportunity to redeem themselves after two upsetting losses.

RIVALRY: After their rivalry game, both U of M and MSU lost in the BIG Ten tournament last weekend. COURTESY|CLICKONDETROIT