News Briefs 4.8

Nick Moran

Student senate holds last meeting with 2018-19 body

Student senate’s April 4 general assembly featured a plethora of goodbyes and hellos, as the old body tied up loose ends, shared sentiments and welcomed in next year’s senate. 

During the meeting, Chair of Michigan’s University Appropriations Subcommittee in Lansing Scott VanSingel spoke to senate about Grand Valley State University’s lack of state funding, pledging to work with them further to help delegate state funds to the university. 

GVSU President Thomas Haas also gave his final address to the old body, thanking them for their service to the university and for inspiring him to become a better leader. 

During the new body’s assembly, outgoing president Rachel Jenkin explained how meetings run and facilitated the nomination process for next year’s cabinet, which will be voted on during their April 11 meeting. As of the meeting, six positions were being filled with uncontested nominations, but that may change come April 11.

To read the Lanthorn’s full coverage on student senate’s last meeting, visit lanthorn.com.

GVPD still seeking information on campus road rage incident 

Grand Valley Police Department sent an email alert to all students requesting information on a suspect who threatened two students with a gun April 2. GVPD believe that the incident was related to road rage.

Around 4 p.m., the suspect followed the students into a parking lot near Laker Village Drive and Pierce Street. They then pointed a handgun at the students and got out of his car yelling at them before the students drove away. No one was hurt. 

GVPD still have not issued an update on the situation and are actively looking for any leads on the suspect. He is described as an African-American male with a mustache, between 18-22 years old standing around five-feet-10-inches and weighing between 280 and 300 pounds. 

Anyone with information should call GVPD at (616) 331-3255 or Silent Observer at (877) 887-4536.

Professor recognized for “Top 10” research paper

Grand Valley State University computer science professor Scott Grissom was recognized by an international group for his research paper on instruction of introductory computing. 

Grissom, who is also assistant director of the School of Computing and Information Systems, was cited as a co-author for a Top 10 paper of all time by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), an international organization specializing in computer science education. 

The paper, “A Multi-institutional Study of Peer Instruction in Introductory Computing,” focuses on peer instruction, which involved moving students from passive roles to hands-on participants.

Alongside his co-authors, Grissom was recognized at SIGCSE’s 50th annual symposium in March in Minnesota.