Dear freshmen, How did everything go? Did you have a good first year of college? I sure hope so. I hope you feel like you got something out of having me as your parental figure. But for now, I have to go out for a pack of smokes. Don’t worry, I’ll...

We could use this space to lecture or say that no one without a prescription should be using Adderall or other medications, but we’re all adults here — college is college, and you’re going to do what you’re going to do. That’s not to say...

“In a democracy people will always get the government they deserve.” This quote by some French man back in the day has always been true of representative government but is especially true today. The picking of competent politicians and...

The death of Trayvon Martin was not a random, unusual case of injustice. In regards to the circumstances surrounding his death, nothing separates Trayvon from every other black male in America. Trayvon was minding his own business when he was killed...

Okay, I don’t have very many of these left, so I’ll skip a prolonged introduction and get right to the meat of what I want to talk about (hey, it’s not Meatless Monday, so I can say that guilt-free). College changes everything. I...

I found that the editorial piece “Animal House” oversimplified the issue of a companion animal and unnecessarily defamed Ms. Velzen and others who struggle to cope with depression and other illnesses. To begin, a lawsuit is filed when...

On April 3, a Grand Valley State University student e-mailed the Lanthorn after he was deferred from donating blood at a Pew Campus blood drive. An O- universal donor, he had been giving blood since he was in high school, and had participated in GVSU-hosted...

The world is littered with questionable orange things: carrot-flavored jello, for example, prison jumpsuits, yams, the entire cast of “Jersey Shore.” Yet none of those things prove quite as disturbing as the no-good, dirty, rotten, little...

In response to the two, largely identical, letters to the Lanthorn letters editor, by Casey Vandenberg, a Philosophy sophomore, published on March 15 and 22, arguing that the Affordable Health Care Act (AHC), often called disrespectfully “Obamacare,”...

Well, the great experiment is over. Starting yesterday, I can swear again. Nothing screams “Easter” quite like dropping a few F-bombs. Yes, when I said I was giving up curse words for Lent, I was serious. (Would I ever lie to you?) But I’m not...

The Masters, the most prestigious golf tournament in the world is over, and wasn’t it spectacular when that one guy won? His short game was automatic and his drives flew so far they were tracked by the FAA. OK, it’s obvious I have no...

When evaluating potential schools, incoming students often have a long checklist of criteria for determining what makes a good university — interesting classes, a nice campus, a good reputation, etc. — but one of the most important factors...