Drive sober campaign begins

Grand Valley State University law enforcement officers are working with the Ottawa County, Kent County and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning on the statewide campaign “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

The program began on August 21 and runs through Sept. 7. Police are encouraging college students to be safe if driving during Labor Day weekend. Extra officers will help monitor the roads during the holiday weekend.

During last year’s Labor Day weekend, five out of six traffic accidents involved alcohol.

GVSU receives gold status for support of veterans

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency gave Grand Valley State University the gold status for its commitment to student veterans. This makes GVSU one of 17 schools in Michigan with a gold status.

The university earned this distinction for having a place for veterans on campus, a website, student organization and a way to evaluate academic achievements and job placements.

GVSU supports veterans and service members by providing resources and in-state tuition, participating in the Consortium of Michigan Veteran Educators and engaging in the 8 Keys to Veterans’ Success program through the U.S. Department of Education.

National environment group names GVSU a green school

The Sierra Club, a national environmental organization, has named Grand Valley State University a green university for the fourth consecutive year. GVSU is the top Michigan school on the list.

The university is ranked 34th out of 153 schools and placed the highest in the energy and waste categories. The criteria for this ranking are based on a survey with more than 900 questions about environmental goals and achievements.

For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/sustainability, or call the Office of Sustainability Practices at (616) 331-7366.

Instructional Staff Emergency Procedures

As of March 31, a new State of Michigan legislation requires Michigan universities to train their instructors in fire evacuation procedures. At Grand Valley State University, the police department is requesting all staff to review the procedures and add them to their class syllabi.

Those at the university should be familiar with the exit locations to use in case of an emergency and note that elevators should not be taken if a fire alarm sounds. The faculty is expected to stop classes and assist students in leaving the building.

For more information, contact Sgt. William O’Donnell at [email protected], or visit www.gvsu.edu/emergency.

GVSU welcomes students to campus

Grand Valley State University President Thomas J. Haas and his wife Marcia will serve ice cream to the incoming freshmen class and their families on Wednesday, August 26. This event will begin at 11 a.m. at Kleiner Commons on the Allendale campus.

Haas is one of the hundreds of alumni, staff and faculty volunteers who are helping new students move in between August 23 and August 27. More than 6,000 students are living on the Allendale and Pew campuses this year, a record number.

Faculty and staff will address the new students and kick off the academic year at the annual Convocation, which takes place at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, August 28 in the Fieldhouse. The dedication for the P. Douglas Kindschi Hall of Science occurs at 2 p.m. the same day.