Campus housing overflow causes crowding, conflict
With more than 7,000 incoming students and even more returning students coming to Grand Valley State University this fall, Housing and Residence Life is facing new on-campus housing challenges.
GVSU’s residence halls are over capacity. The influx of students signed to campus living contracts caused GVSU’s Housing and Residence Life to make adjustments to existing housing structures to increase room occupancy. This meant putting students in make-shift rooms in converted halls and lounges and housing more than 100 students in off-campus apartments leased by the university. How the university has addressed and managed the issues related to overcrowding has created new challenges for life on campus.
To read more coverage on the campus housing conflicts, click here.
GR community shows support during Suicide Awareness Month
Grand Rapids and Grand Valley State University show support for families and loved ones for throughout Suicide Awareness Month through the “Out of the Darkness Walk” and the “Lakers Keep Lakers Safe” initiative.
With September being Suicide Awareness Month, there are many efforts from a range of activists and organizations to raise awareness and open the conversation about mental health.
The Grand Rapids Out of the Darkness Community Walk on Sept. 17 was a proactive support walk to unite the Grand Rapids community and “acknowledge the ways in which suicide and mental health conditions have affected our lives and the lives of those we love and care about.”
To read more of Abigail Jones’ coverage about suicide awareness in the community, click here.
Ottawa County budget meeting ends with slashed funds, legal uncertainty
After weeks of deliberation, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners reached a decision about the budget for the Ottawa County Department of Health for the upcoming fiscal year. While the meeting was happening, the Chair Commissioner Joe Moss electronically served Health Officer Adeline Hambley’s legal team notification of his filing for her removal.
During the seven-hour session that lasted until nearly 1 a.m. on Sept. 27, county representatives spent over two hours listening to residents’ opinions on the budget cuts. Many of these commenters came directly from a community rally against the cuts which occurred outside the health department prior to the meeting.
To read more of Grace Smith’s & Emma Armijo’s coverage on Ottawa County budget cuts, click here.
LGBTQ students targeted by “street preachers”
Sticker shock: why are GV C-Store prices so high?
Grand Valley State University’s campus stores sell products to students at heavily inflated rates, sometimes as high as about 360% more then the item’s original market value.
Clare Meteer, a Grand Valley State University senior majoring in Business Management and Dance, recently noticed she needed allergy medication. Meteer does not have a car and had very little time in between classes, so she decided to go to the Kirkhof Center C-Store, a convenience store on campus that is part of GVSU’s Laker Food Co., formerly known as Campus Dining, to buy some Claritin.
To continue reading Elizabeth Schanz’s coverage about C-Store price inflation, click here.
Walkouts in pharmacies across the nation; GR could be next
Nearly two dozen CVS locations in Kansas City, Mo. shut down their pharmacies unexpectedly due to staff walkouts on Sept. 21 and 22. Widespread reports from all over the country show that CVS pharmacies are short-staffed and employees have been forced to work under unsafe conditions, which could cause more pharmaceutical shutdowns, and even in Grand Rapids.
According to USA Today, the final straw for the Missouri walkouts was when a manager was fired due to his refusal to force his pharmacists to close their pharmacies to help other short-staffed locations in need of help.
To continue reading Natalie Brooks’ coverage on pharmacy walkouts, click here.
MI introduces gun legislation bills that would loosen gun control restrictions
State Rep. Gina Johnsen and Sen. Jonathan Lindsey have proposed two new bills that would make Michigan a gun sanctuary state. The two Republicans’ plan to make Michigan a state that protects the Second Amendment to a greater degree.
So far, two bills exist, but have yet to be passed: House Bill 5132 and Senate Bill 584. In the strictest terms, they would grant the state license to enforce which federal regulations regarding firearms they would like to recognize. This would mean a lapse in universal background checks, red flag laws and any others that inhibit gun ownership in the state.
To read more of Joseph Poulos’ coverage of MI legislation, click here.
Bioethics professor overcomes challenges, immunocompromisation
Meegan Zickus is a professor of Biomedical Ethics (bioethics) at Grand Valley State University who suffers from a rare autoimmune disease called Necrotizing Autoimmune Myopathy (NAM). NAM is a disease characterized by “necrosis, or cell death, in the muscles, which causes weakness and fatigue.”
Though this condition has altered the way Zickus is able to interact with students, her passion for teaching and appreciation for learning contribute to her continued perseverance and her ability to be asset to her students on campus. Zickus spends her time teaching bioethics courses online, connecting with students and helping the law community through events like, “Know Your Rights” on campus.
To read more of Mallory Burt’s feature on Zickus, click here.
GV sells alcohol at homecoming game
Grand Valley State University sold beer at the concession stands for the first time during the homecoming football game on Oct. 28. GVSU is historically a “dry campus,” which means alcohol is prohibited from university facilities, with some exceptions including designated tailgate areas within a particular timeframe. The sale of beer and other alcohol at the game could potentially adjust the university’s alcohol policy to a permanent move in the future.
Michigan law passed in July allowed in-state universities to sell alcohol in college sports arenas. House Bill 4328 and Senate Bill 247, gave each Michigan university the right to acquire liquor or tavern licenses for the purpose of making alcohol available for purchase to those aged 21 and older one hour before a sporting event.
To read more of Joseph Poulos’ coverage of alcohol sales at GVSU, click here.
Supplying students: Replenish expand to Basic Needs Center
Replenish, the campus food pantry at Grand Valley State University, has expanded its services and reopened as the Basic Needs Center effective as of Wednesday, Nov. 8. The expansion includes access to another room at the facility that houses donated clothes, shoes, kitchen and household supplies, school supplies and other items available for students in need.
Located at the Allendale Campus Replenish, the Basic Need Center’s expanded services help create an equitable campus environment by recognizing that basic needs go beyond food.
The Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity manages the Replenish resource program. Alyssa Beil is a Graduate Assistant at the Center for Women and Gender Equity and is studying in the School of Social Work.
To read more of Chloe Schram’s story about Replenish, click here.
Ferris HC Tony Annese suspended vs GV, can still attend game
The No. 2 ranked Grand Valley State University Lakers are preparing to face off with the No. 3 Ferris State University Bulldogs for the second time this year and the sixth time in three seasons, but this is no ordinary matchup.
The last time the two met on Oct. 14, GVSU jumped out to a 35-0 lead before ultimately beating Ferris State 49-28. When they meet again on Saturday, Nov. 18, it will be without one of the two head coaches on the sideline.
As previously announced on March 23, 2023, Ferris State head coach Tony Annese will be serving a one-game suspension that was issued by the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division II Football Committee.
To follow Nelson Hubbell’s coverage of conflicts with Ferris State HC, click here.
Lecture addresses health struggles within “unhoused” GR community
Accessing medical aid while experiencing homelessness can be challenging. On Thursday, Nov. 16, Beth Makowski, the Medical Director for Michigan State University, hosted a lecture at the DeVos Center at Grand Valley State University about providing healthcare for those experiencing homelessness.
Alongside Makowski during the presentation, “Street Medicine: Caring for the Unsheltered,” were MSU medical students Christa Schafer and Victoria Moaddel. The presentation was a part of MSU’s “Your Health” lecture series. The presentation’s main emphasis was on street medicine, which brings medical treatment to those experiencing homelessness, hosted in conjunction with GVSU and Grand Rapids Community College.
To read more of Max Bufkin’s coverage on the unhoused community in Grand Rapids, click here.
Questions arise surrounding injury care at GV
For many students, college is the first time they find themselves independently navigating the healthcare system. Many factors can make seeking healthcare to be complicated and expensive which adds additional challenges when experiencing an illness or injury. When compounded with the fast-paced environment of academic demands, many students have struggled with the conflict of maintaining their academic schedules and obtaining urgent or emergent care.
Accidents and injuries become more frequent to student-athletes or those involved in physically demanding studies. Grand Valley State University Dance major, Haley Rosendale’s recent injury experience caused her to question how students access healthcare services.
To read more of Grace Smith’s story on Injury Care at GVSU, click here.
