Students share views in Openly Secular Alliance meeting

Grand Valley State University students attended Holland’s Openly Secular Alliance meeting March 23. Members from the secular student group attended the alliance’s meeting, which was titled “Secularism: Our Contribution to a Better World.”

The students spoke about being openly secular in their beliefs, how they fit into life on campus and how they contribute to their community. 

“To come out (as secular) here in Holland, there are factors at work in this community that would make it a challenge for folks professionally and students have been bullied from their classmates,” HOSA co-founder Patricia Reilly said to the Holland Sentinel.

Reilly also said that the student participation will be used to demonstrate changes in being openly secular in west Michigan throughout various generations. 

GVSU hosts annual FIRST Robotics competition

40 west Michigan high schools took their robots head to head in Grand Valley State University’s Fieldhouse Arena March 22 and 23 for the annual FIRST Robotics competition.

In the competition, robots were designed by teams to tackle the same prompt: build a robot that can pick up as much cargo in a time limit as possible. 

The event was live streamed on a FIRST Robotics Twitch channel.

The FIRST Robotics competition aims to provide competitive, varsity-level experience for high school students interested in pursuing engineering, coding, marketing and other subject areas related to building a robot, according to FRC’s website. 

GVSU students and alumni also volunteered to attend the event and promote the pursuit of STEM programs as the students transition to college. 

GRCC names Main Building after prominent GVSU donor, Grand Rapids philanthropist

Grand Rapids Community College announced that its Main Building will be revamped and renamed after Raleigh J. Finkelstein following a donation to the college. Finkelstein is known at Grand Valley State University for his philanthropy.

The donation will include a building redesign starting as early as 2021, which will better accommodate students attending classes, counseling areas and increase support for veteran organizations. 

Finkelstein’s name is most prominently known at GVSU through the construction of Finkelstein Hall, a recent building constructed in downtown Grand Rapids bearing his name. Through the support of Finkelstein and over 1,000 other donors, the health sciences building was constructed last summer. 

Finkelstein is a historic supporter of encouraging students to attend Grand Rapids Community College before transferring to GVSU to finish their degrees. He is also known for his extensive support of west Michigan business, specifically in his hometown of Grand Rapids.