GVPD urges students to lock up belongings after string of burglaries

Over the weekend of Sept. 29, at least $500 worth of items stolen in a string of three off-campus burglaries. The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department is currently investigating the break-ins. What did all of these burglaries have in common? The doors were unlocked.

“If you like it, lock it,” says GVPD Captain Jeff Stoll. Stoll said that most of the larceny crimes GVPD encounters are totally preventable. Lock up your bikes, your phones, your vehicles and anything else you don’t want ransacked.

University Libraries prepares to host Open Access Week

Grand Valley will be hosting a week dedicated to increased accessibility to information Oct. 22 to 28. Primarily organized by University Libraries, the week will be dedicated to provided events and resources to enable students to support open access of information.

Open access refers to materials such as journals, articles and books that are published online and require no fee to use. 

11 courses at GVSU currently utilize Open Education Resources, which use open access materials to lower the cost of the course. Scholarly Communications Outreach Coordinator Matt Ruen said to Student Senate on Thursday, Oct. 4 that University Libraries’ goal is to expand and support use of open access to support students’ scholarly and economic needs. 

GVSU remains “College Best Buy” for 23rd consecutive year

Institutional Research and Evaluation, a research and consultant group focused on higher education, named Grand Valley State University in its list of America’s 100 Best College Buys. GVSU was one of three schools in Michigan to earn the title alongside Hillsdale College and Western Michigan University.

Criteria for the title is based on cost of attendance (including tuition, room and board), average GPA as well as ACT and SAT scores. Of these, colleges considered must have test scores and an average GPA above the national average for incoming college freshmen. Compared to other universities, GVSU also was considered because it either didn’t exceed the national out-of-state tuition by 10 percent or was below it. 

GVPD sets fines for false fire alarms

Vaping is all the rage right now among young people, but some students are paying for more than just mods and juice. Grand Valley Housing has recently implemented a new rule stating that students who set off fire alarms from vaping will now pay a fine.

On Sunday, Sept 30, GVPD responded to several different fire alarms—most of which were set off by vaping.

Vaping in dorms can not only lead to fines, but to more serious consequences depending on how often the issue has to be addressed. Being that this week is Fire Prevention Week, students are encouraged to do their part to keep themselves safe from fire hazards. Don’t leave unused items plugged in, clean the lint trap in driers and dispose of cigarettes properly.