I recently had a conversation with a friend about college students in general and why social aspects like dating and friendships are so hard to come by. And even if students do obtain those advantages, they normally don’t last long. Most people describe...

Recently, a few of the Lanthorn’s columnists (myself included) have written about higher education and the dilemmas that, at least in our view, it currently faces. Mostly, our focus has been on topics that concern us students at Grand Valley: we’ve...

As Grand Valley State University’s Academic Senate works to improve methods for faculty evaluations, it’s important to note that there is inefficiency on both sides of surveys. Perhaps the questions and method of delivery need to become more...

This week, Grand Valley State University began to hold strategic positioning conversations to hear ideas and suggestions from students, faculty and staff regarding the direction of the university. The SPC posed three questions to attendees: What should...

The Problems with the Student-Consumer Model of Education, Part 2 In my last column, I talked about how students who operate under the consumerist model of education tend to view college in terms of enjoyment. As a result, they by and large select...

“Peacocking,” according to Urban Dictionary.com, happens when males wear flashy colors, like the exotic bird, with hopes of attracting a mate. The other day, I saw this ritual at work on a small scale. My lovely friend and I were on campus enjoying...

Well, Grand Valley State University, it’s that time of year again. Battle of the Valleys is this week, and based on last year’s turnout, we think it’s a safe bet that many of you don’t even know what the cut-throat competition is—even though...

For some reason, I remember an easier time in terms of meeting new people and the ways we communicated with them. We had the ability and power to express ourselves whether privately or in public. There was no stigma in the social realm that would prohibit...

The Lanthorn recently published two insightful, yet somewhat depressing, columns on liberal education at Grand Valley. The first, Nikki Fisher’s “The ‘Goldilocks Zone’ of Liberal Education,” reminds us of the social, political and economic...

On Tuesday, the Hauenstein Center hosted a debate between two Grand Valley State University professors on opposite sides of the political spectrum. With even tones, they civilly discussed the U.S. budget, sequestration and the role of the federal government....

We are, above all else, consumers, and this consumerism shapes the way that Grand Valley operates. The consumerist model is the notion that a consumer’s desires should influence the availability of goods and services. In a university setting, this...

There comes a time when one movie changes the whole dimension between the “then” and the “now.” The Jazz Singer made the advent of sound like The Wizard of Oz popularized the use of color. And 2001: A Space Odyssey gave us a glimpse of space,...