GV kicks off Black History Month

A full range of events have been lined up by Grand Valley State University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs in honor of Black History Month, from film screenings to mission trips to learning more about African traditions. These events will take place throughout the month of February, and all are free and open to the public. Some of these events include “Grand Rapids and Social Activism in Today’s Political Climate: Connecting the Broader Movement to the Local Experiment” Wednesday, Feb. 1; “History and Culture of Historically Black Colleges and Universities” Wednesday, Feb. 8; and “A Taste of Soul” Friday, Feb. 17.

For a full line up of events, visit www.gvsu.edu/oma.

IU Bloomington professor to give talk on racial stigma against Asian-Americans

Indiana University Bloomington Professor Samuel D. Museus will give a lecture titled “The Racial Realities of Asian-Americans in Higher Education” on the Grand Valley State University Allendale Campus Wednesday, Feb. 8. The event will take place from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center Grand River Room.

Museus will focus on the ways Asian-Americans are racialized in contemporary society and higher education and how this can impact their higher education experiences and outcomes, as well as the model minority stigma. He will also be talking about ways in which Asian-Americans are actively trying to end racial stigmas surrounding them. This event is LIB 100/201 approved.

‘Antiracism in Cuba’ event scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 7

Devyn Spence Benson, a professor of Africana and Latin American studies at Davidson University, will deliver a lecture about her 18 months spent in Cuba Tuesday, Feb. 7, from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. in the Grand Valley State University Kirkhof Center. The lecture is titled “Antiracism in Cuba: The Unfinished Revolution.”

Benson will focus on her time spent doing field research in Cuba and her analysis of discrimination and stereotyping in Cuba and South Florida after the Cuban government’s push for social equality in the 1960s.

Her talk follows her recently published book of the same name and will explore similar themes. Benson is a regular visitor of Cuba, having traveled to the island annually since 2003. This event is LIB 100/201 approved.

New campus internet security training approved for faculty, staff

A new training program and malware policy has been approved for administration to Grand Valley State University faculty and staff. The new policy states that any devices connected to the GVSU campus network that are inflicted with a virus or other kind of malware must be disconnected immediately and remain disconnected until the malware is taken care of.

Anybody who doesn’t follow this policy will be banned by IT until they verify their device is clean.

The training program will be emailed to members of the GVSU faculty and staff when the programs are set up. The programs consist of 15 mandatory videos and eight optional videos to be viewed, followed by two to three questions that faculty and staff members have to answer.