The most recent poll tracking Michigan’s gubernatorial race continues a trend in recent weeks finding incumbent Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s lead over Republican challenger Tudor Dixon tightening ahead of Election Day.
The new polling released by national polling company Cygnal found Whitmer leading Dixon by six points among respondents, 50% to Dixon’s 44%.
Previous Cygnal polling from a week prior had the race in a statistical dead heat, with Whitmer leading Dixon 48% to 44% –close enough to be within the poll’s margin of error.
Polling from various trackers has shown Whitmer’s once-wide lead over Dixon narrowing significantly in the final weeks before Election Day. Aggregate data from various pollsters collected by ABC News’ FiveThirtyEight still places Whitmer with an 88-in-100 chance of prevailing over Dixon. However, such has declined rapidly from its peak on Oct. 8 when Whitmer held a 97-in-100 chance of winning.
The Michigan Department of State (DoS) released its latest early voting numbers on Oct. 18 that showed nearly one-in-five Michigan residents having already requested to vote absentee in the Nov. midterm elections.
According to a press release from the DoS, 1.7 million Michigan residents out of just over 10 million living in the state had requested to vote absentee.
The number accounts for about 21% of all registered voters in the state, totaling 8.2 million Department records.
WZZM reporting found that Grand Valley State University’s Ottawa County had already sent out 53,000 absentee ballots as of Oct. 20, totaling 23% of the county’s 227,165 registered voters according to the DoS.
The Biden-Harris administration made an announcement in August of a one-time student loan debt relief plan that provides student loan borrowers the opportunity to be relieved of up to $20,000. On Oct. 17, the Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid made the first version of its application for the relief available to borrowers.
The opening of this application has sparked differing opinions about the plan among Grand Valley State University students and community leaders.
“More than 40 million borrowers stand to benefit from the plan, with 15 million borrowers holding less than $10,000 in debt,” said GVSU Political Science Professor Michelle Miller-Adams. “Many of these people have been repaying their loans for years, sometimes decades, with interest rates and fees making it impossible for them to pay off their balances.
APPLICATIONS: The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid released its online application for debt relief on Oct. 17. GVL | MEGHAN TRIPP
Getting clear of this debt burden will make a huge difference in their lives, freeing up resources to spend on other things.”
The sizable amount of student loan debt forgiven could provide relief for people who need it.
“There is a lot to love about this plan,” Miller-Adams said. “It balances multiple priorities in the interest of giving the maximum number of students a reasonable amount of relief.
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JAMES HERRICKAt the Lanthorn, we strive to bring you the most accurate news possible. If we make a mistake, we want to make it right. If you find any errors in fact in the Lanthorn, let us know by calling 616-331-2464 or by emailing editorial@lanthorn.com.
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Gas prices in areas surrounding Grand Valley State University remain high after rebounding from a steady decline in previous months.
According to GasBuddy records, prices within eight miles of the GVSU campus ranged from $3.72 to $4.33 as of Oct. 23.
Although plateauing at higher-than-average levels, the prices are less than what was recorded in early Oct. following multiple disruptions to regional and global oil supplies.
According to the American Automobile Association, the statewide average in Michigan for a gallon of gas stood at $4.05 as of Oct. 23, down from an average of $4.34 on Oct. 6.
The slight decline came following President Joe Biden’s announcement that the U.S. would release 15 million barrels of oil from the nation’s strategic reserve to help curb rising prices.
BY KATHERINE RAUHUT NEWS@LANTHORN.COM
Approaching the midterm elections on Nov. 8, new polling data from Lansing-based EPIC-MRA found that fear over the implications of the upcoming elections for American democracy continues to run high among Michigan voters.
In a poll conducted between Oct. 6 to Oct. 12, EPIC-MRA found that 64% of those surveyed agreed that “in the upcoming November election, our very democracy is at stake” when considering the events on Jan. 6, 2021, the increased restrictions on elections and growing claims of widespread election fraud.
Affiliate Professor of Political Science at Grand Valley State University Roger Moiles highlighted what he believes are the damaging impacts mistrust in elections may have on democratic institutions.
“If the people don’t believe that our elections are valid, then every-
ELECTIONS: An increasing number of Americans and scholars are expressing fears over the continuance of modern democracy. GVL | MACAYLA CRAMER
thing that results from them comes under that shadow,” Moiles said.
“This is one of the ways that democracies die. Every Michigander, and every American – Republicans, Democrats, third-party voters, and independents alike – should be very concerned about the damage that has been done and what may continue to be done to this process.”
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New polling, GV experts sound alarm over democratic stability ahead of midterm elections
The United States is one of the only democratic countries that holds elections on weekdays. This can often lead to conflicts between going to the polls and other responsibilities like work, school and taking care of family.
A law that was originally passed in 1845 to establish this voting schedule is not only extremely outdated, but wasn’t created to keep up with the realities of a modern society.
editorial@lanthorn.com
can’t sit outside to study or be with friends and every day feels repetitive.
One great way to break up the winter and get involved is intramural sports.
BY SAM NOWOTNIK JUNIOR BUSINESS MANAGEMENT EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COMIt's getting to that time when the majority of us are already dreading the weather that will be here soon. The days feel shorter with the sun setting so early. We
I played a sport every season during my four years at high school, and when I went off to college I always thought I would join one but never fully committed to it. It was a combination of me worrying that it may take up too much time and worrying it would be too intense or competitive for me to play. I ended up joining my first intramural sport this fall and I had a great experience, and all of the things I was worrying about were never
an issue.
I played a sport I have never practiced or played and it was not a problem at all. There are players of all skill levels who are there to just have a good time.
When it comes to time management it is so easy to find a time that works around your schedule. There is a combination of multiple days to choose from along with multiple time slots. Games are only played once a week so that they can truly be stress-free for all of the players.
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her "inappropriate" attire was too much hair protruding from her hijab. Amini died in a hospital in Tehran on Sept. 16.
Police said that she collapsed from a heart attack while in custody; however, Amini’s family, witnesses and injuries report evidence that she was beaten.
BY HOPE LEINEN JUNIOR BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES, ENGLISH EDITORIAL@LANTHORN.COMThe women’s rights movement in Iran has surged to a whole new level since the death of Mahsa Amini.
22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini was arrested by morality police and sent to a “reeducation center” after wearing "inappropriate" attire on Sept. 13. The circumstances for
These sorts of targeted injustices have been prevalent in Iran for decades. Though the rules have changed over time, now allowing women's hair to be visible, the country has required all women to wear hijab since 1983. This came following the 1979 Islamic Revolution when the new conservative ruler, Ayatollah Khomeini, made it compulsory in order to follow the teachings of the Quran. Even when it was first decreed, women took to the streets in protest and were met with violence.
These women, who are pro -
testing for rights that we take for granted every day in the U.S, are being arrested or murdered for their dissent against the Iranian government. Mahsa Amini wasn't the first and certainly wasn’t the last to become a victim of this regime, as over 200 protestors have been killed since protests erupted in September. The women of Iran are fighting for something that we all desire and deserve: bodily autonomy.
It's important to note that this issue is not with Muslim culture or religious beliefs. This is about a woman's right to govern their own bodies and practice their beliefs freely. The goal of the protests is to bring attention to the atrocities being committed against women under the Iranian regime.
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To ensure accessibility for voters, a growing number of voting advocates and lawmakers have pushed to make Election Day a federal holiday, allowing many places of business to close to ensure that people have the time to make their voices heard.
However, even without national measures, local communities and entities such as universities can make their own efforts to support the democratic process. Should they so choose, higher education institutions can create a day off for elections so that students and staff have the
opportunity to vote. While Grand Valley State University officials and entities have made great strides in their efforts to boost on-campus turnout - efforts that have shown to be effective according to data from the Campus Vote Project and the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement - relieving campus community members of collegiate responsibilities on this all-important day is a critical step in assuring that as many students and faculty as possible are able to participate in this sacred democratic process.
With the intense polarization of relevant entities including the United States Postal Service in recent years, many are now worried that their ballots may not even be counted in time for the elections should they vote absentee. This could make students unlikely to vote amidst concern that their voices will not be heard.
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The goal of the Grand Valley Lanthorn’s opinion page is to act as a forum for public discussion, comment and criticism in the Grand Valley State University community. Student and columnist opinions published here do not necessarily reflect those of the paper as an entity.
The Lanthorn strives to be a safe vehicle for community discussion. With this in mind, the Lanthorn will not publish or entertain any forms of hate speech, but neither will it discriminate against any other views, opinions or beliefs. The content, information and views expressed are not approved by-nor do they necessarily represent those of-the university or its Board of Trustees, officers, faculty
or staff.
Letter to the editor should include the author’s full name, relevant title and a headshot, along with a valid email address and phone number for confirming the identity of the author. Letters should be approximately 500650 words in length, and they are not edited by the Lanthorn staff except to fix technical errors or to clarify. Reader submissions on the opinion page appear as space permits.
To make a submission, email editorial@lanthorn. com or drop your submission off in person at:
0051 KIRKHOF CENTER GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ALLENDALE, MI 49401 616-826-8276
Grand Valley State University Provost and Executive Vice President for the Division of Academic Affairs, Fatma Mili, addressed the university’s Student Senate at their meeting on Oct. 20. During the meeting, Mili introduced herself and discussed possible ways to improve the university with senators.
One concern raised by Student Senate Executive Vice President, Justin Frappier, was how to provide more of a connection between GVSU’s Allendale and Grand Rapids campuses.
“It’s more than just connecting student to student, I’d love to see the academic side of things connected in that way as well,” Frappier said. “There’s a lot I can learn from my peers that are studying things that are different than me, but I think it can be really hard to cross paths.”
Mili said that connecting the GVSU community across the campuses is also a topic the university would like to address.
“We have a master plan, this is where architects, urban planners and university leadership look at what they want the university to look like 10 years from now and how do we renovate our spaces so that we can fit that,” Mili said.
A part of the plan that Mili described was an expansion of the downtown campus to include more pedestrian areas, and something similar to the area at the center of the Allendale campus, to provide more opportunities for students to connect.
“We have to be an adaptive organization,” Mili said. “If we are not changing, there is a problem.”
Mili said she believes her work at other universities gave her the experience she needs to have a profound impact as GVSU’s provost.
“By nature, I have always been multidisciplinary, I really love to work in the intersection of disciplines,” Mili said. “So, the role of provost really was a great fit for me.”
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BY CHLOE SCHRAM NEWS@LANTHORN.COM
On Oct. 18 Grand Valley State University’s Career Center hosted a Graduate School Fair in Henry Hall on its Allendale campus.
The Graduate School Fair took place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and gave students and alumni an opportunity to learn more about their futures ahead of them.
The Graduate School Fair allowed students to discover their options for graduate school and talk with representatives from different graduate programs to find a program that suits them best.
Various universities and programs attended the event alongside those at GVSU, including programs from Western Michigan University, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Madonna University.
Jessica Otey, a senior at GVSU, said she became interested in going to graduate school for psychology through exploring different courses.
“When I came to college, I didn’t quite know what I wanted, so I decided to see what sparked my interest,” Otey said. “After taking some psychology courses, I knew that I couldn’t see my-
The Graduate School Fair allowed students like Otey to browse different collegiate programs to find what would help them achieve their desired careers. Other students attending the fair explained their reasoning for choosing to explore graduate programs of interest to them.
Sophia Rose, a student at GVSU, said that she hopes to go to graduate school to become a physician’s assistant.
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GV hosts Graduate School Fair to connect undergrads with opportunities
BY MELIA WILLIAMS LAKERLIFE@LANTHORN.COM
This past week Grand Valley State University prepared for its homecoming game against Northern Michigan University (NMU). There were a variety of events to help increase school spirit for the game at the conclusion of the week led by the Campus Activities Board (CAB).
“Some of the events are traditional events like the pep rally, but we also tried to come up with some additional activities to introduce the whole Homecoming court,” said Katie Garrett, the programming coordinator for CAB.
Homecoming week kicked off with a lip sync battle in the Fieldhouse Arena. The five different teams that competed were from various sorority and fraternity organizations along with some others, like the hockey team. Every year this battle has a theme announced a week in advance that the teams must follow. This year, it was “Y2K” or “Year 2000.”
Each team choreographed a dance and lip-synced to a song that came out in the 2000s. In between performances, the host of the event, Bridie Tolley, had the Homecoming court come to the stage so she could ask the crowd silly questions.
“If you were a kitchen utensil, what would it be and why?” Tolley said.
Each member of the court gave entertaining answers that had the crowd laughing.
“I would be a fork, because everyone needs a fork,” said senior court member Nieya Thompson.
In addition to each organization, both the Laker Dance Team and the Move to the Beat hip-hop dance club got the opportunity to perform at the event. After the performances, winners were given awards which
were given to all teams ranking from first to fourth place.
In fourth place were Sigma Kappa and Sigma Pi, Tri Sigma Pi Kap took third, Delta Zeta took second and the reigning champs of the lip sync battle Phi Mu and the hockey team pulled off another win.
The Homecoming week continued into Monday with pumpkin painting. With 100 pumpkins available to students in attendance on a first come first serve basis. This event had a large turnout, filling multiple rooms in the Kirkhof Center.
“I wanted to attend because it’s something creative and I figured since our room doesn’t have many decorations that this was the perfect opportunity to get a fall decoration,” said GVSU student Cameron Layson.
CAB went through supplies quickly as many students turned up to paint their own pumpkins.
Tuesday started off with the car decorating to help students show their school spirit. Students could pick up supplies from the office of student life to get started. Unfortunately, there were not many students who participated due to inclement weather.
Of those that did participate, the whole Homecoming court painted cars and students got to vote for their favorite on the CAB Instagram page.
Tuesday evening concluded with the annual GVSU Homecoming pep rally in the Kirkhof center lobby. The first 100 attendees of the event got the chance to receive a limited edition GVSU Homecoming t-shirt. Apple cider and donuts were available while supplies lasted.
As students entered the Kirkhof lobby, the GVSU cheerleaders and Laker Dance Team lined the building from door to door, performing with the band. Multiple songs were played, including the GVSU fight song. When the band was done performing, each Homecoming court member got
an opportunity to say what they loved most about Homecoming week.
“I love the unity; being able to make connections with old and new people,” said senior court member Sierra Gulli.
Head coach of the GVSU football team Matt Mitchell then went on stage to thank the band, cheerleaders and the crowd.
“We have one of the best crowds in the country,” Mitchell said, on the crowd sup port at football games this season.
It was highlighted at the event that the football team has had a good season thus far, including beating Ferris State Univer sity for the first time in eight years. Going into Homecoming undefeated made GVSU a likely candidate for the playoffs.
“We hope that you stick with us, we have a long season ahead of us,” said quarterback Cade Peterson.
Starting off early Wednesday morning CAB set up a campus-wide scavenger hunt across the Allendale campus. Students could look for small cardboard boxes placed at random spots around campus. In the box was a number that students could take back to the of fice of student life in order to claim a prize. All day students poured into the office one by one to claim their prizes which ranged from mini fans to small fall decorations.
The football team capped off a successful Home coming week with their victory over NMU, 56 to 3 on Saturday.
Case rates of monkeypox have continued to decline in the United States following a summer peak. As the disease’s initial rapid rise has now slowed, local experts are forming conclusions as to why the virus did not reach pandemic-level proportions that many feared it would after several years of COVID-19 fatigue.
Monkeypox is a rare infectious virus that has been mostly confined to African countries until recently, according to the CDC. It is suspected that African rodents and primates harbor the virus and are capable of infecting humans, explaining the lull between the discovery of the virus in 1958 and the current outbreak.
Monkeypox is in the family of the Variola viruses, which also cause diseases such as smallpox. As a result, symptoms between monkeypox and smallpox are essentially the same, however, monkeypox tends to produce much milder symptoms and is therefore much less fatal. Contrary to popular belief, monkeypox is not related to the chickenpox virus. However, like all -pox viruses, monkeypox spreads through physical contact with an infected person or contaminated objects.
While monkeypox has not reached the levels of infection of COVID-19 as many feared, the virus is still a subject of concern for many Michiganders and healthcare professionals. The CDC reports roughly 27,600 confirmed monkeypox cases nationwide as of Oct. 18. 313 of those cases were in Michigan, with six cases affecting Ottawa county residents.
Last week, Ottawa county identified its first case of monkeypox since August. As the virus was originally perceived to be a more significant public health concern than it ended up being, there is a great number of suspected causes for the low incidence. Dr. Gwen Unzicker, Medical Director of the Ottawa County Health Department said that it is due to the management of risk factors in the community.
“Experts are still looking into the reasons for the decrease in monkeypox cases, but evidence currently points to a combination of significant behavior changes in the groups at highest risk, leading to a decrease in the number of people exposed to the virus, and an increase in the number of at-risk individuals receiving the vaccine before or after possible exposure, potentially decreasing the number of people who became ill,” Unzicker said.
Unzicker also said that the Ottawa County Health Department will continue
to monitor outbreaks in the greater Grand Rapids area and provide education and vaccinations for at-risk populations.
As for the vaccine, limited supplies are available should case rates of the virus begin to climb again in the future.
Research shows that the JYNNEOS vaccine, developed by Bavarian Nordic, is safe and effective. However, because the incidence of monkeypox is much lower than COVID-19, data is not as widely available to researchers. For scientists to
accurately evaluate the new vaccine, they must compare infection rates of exposed individuals who have obtained the vaccine to those who have not. Therefore, because there are not many cases currently, they are unable to fully evaluate the effectiveness of large-scale vaccination.
In the absence of a new spike in monkeypox cases, the U.S. is unlikely to purchase large amounts of the JYNNEOS vaccine as case rates continue to decline.
Following the release of a monthly economic survey from experts at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business, the upcoming economic forecast in the area indicates that the Grand Rapids area as well as West Michigan as a whole will most likely experience a shallow economic recession at some point in the near future.
Recessions in the West Michigan area typically last around six to nine months. It is important to note that when the economy begins to increase once again, technically speaking there is no longer a recession period, but the economy could take anywhere from a year or more to return to its original standing.
The United States has been able to maintain very strong employment numbers, keeping unemployment rates below 4%. However, there is still less output being produced than what is needed to keep up with the demand.
This is evident in the shortages of various products seen on empty shelves in supermarkets and limits on the number of specific items one person can get.
The contradicting part about the situation of United States economics is the overall economic output declining while the labor market is able to maintain consistency and strength.
Economics Department Chair Daniel C. Giedeman of the Seidman College of Business at GVSU said the economy is in a very unusual state following the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the way supply chains have been interrupted has caused an imbalance of America’s output, in addition to increased spending as people were released from lockdown and life began to return to the new normal.
“The Federal Reserve is still hoping they are going to be able to do a soft landing, to slow inflation down without actually causing the economy to go into recession, causing unemployment rates to go really high,”
Geideman said. “That’s where the debate is right now, because the Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates for a number of months, and we’re still seeing the labor market be very strong, which is somewhat unusual.”
The Federal Reserve, controlled by a board of governors in Washington, D.C., essentially functions as a central bank system in the United States by regulating monetary pol-
icies and providing a nationwide fund for banks kept in reserve when in times of economic uncertainty.
Geideman predicts the Federal Reserve will take action to tighten the money supply, thus increasing interest rates and influencing people to spend less money.
“If you are a student, and you can pay a 5% interest rate in your credit card, you might be much more willing to buy stuff than if you had to pay a 25% interest rate,” Geideman said. “If interest rates go higher, (people) are going to be less likely to borrow, and that would decrease demand in the economy.”
Some factors that may impact the supply and demand chains are the geopolitical overlap, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine causing higher energy prices, as well as job loss and the lowering of wages to compensate for harsh economic conditions.
Geideman doesn’t expect a devastating, lengthy recession like that of the 1970s, and advises students and community members to only worry about what is within their control.
On Wednesday GVSU’s Campus Activities Board will be hosting an event where students can hang out with free snacks and entertainment.
There will be multiple different live performances ranging from singing to dancing and poetry. There will be hot chocolate, cookies and other drinks and snacks provided for free while supplies last.
The event will take place at the Holton Hooker fire pit from 7-9 p.m.
Alternative Break (AB) is hosting an informational night on Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Henry Hall Atrium to answer questions students may have when planning their alternative breaks.
The organization puts together and executes volunteer service trips for a variety of issues.
According to AB’s website, it is a drug and alcohol free experience and is not religiously affiliated.
The organization will be recruiting for trips for spring break during the winter semester and discussing scholarships and fundraising. There will be free candy and t-shirts for those in attendance.
CAB is hosting a Halloween themed game night for students to attend this Thursday from 6-8 p.m.
Students will be able to play a variety of different games and winners will be given prizes. CAB is encouraging students to come dressed in their Halloween costumes to get in the seasonal spirit.
The games will take place in the Kirkhof Thornapple room and Fusion Lobby. In addition to the games, there will be trivia and free refreshments.
This Thursday CAB is partnering with the Rec Center to host a Monster Mash Zumba Dance Party in the Fieldhouse from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Those who attend can dress up in costumes, but they should be dance friendly. This event is free and open to all GVSU students.
Campus Ministry will be hosting a costume themed bowling night at the Hudsonville Lanes from 9-11 p.m. on Friday night.
It costs $8 for two games, those who attend can bring cash or pay via Venmo. There will prizes handed out to best costume, best couple or team costume and best group costume.
Homecoming took place this past week at Grand Valley State University and was chock full of activities to celebrate school pride.
One of GVSU’s longstanding homecoming traditions is Homecoming Royalty Court nominations. One student out of eight nominees was crowned Homecoming Regent at the Saturday homecoming football game to represent GVSU’s community.
These representative students were nominated by their fellow classmates, coworkers and faculty because of their involvement and subsequent impact on the GVSU community. Their dedication to GVSU has made them all standout students. All of them are heavily involved in clubs, extracurriculars and other responsibilities adjoined to GVSU.
After a round of formal interviews with all students nominated by their peers, eight standout students were officially entered into the running competition.
The students nominated were Kevin Estrella, Jesse Goodyear, Sierra Gulli, Faith Kidd, Steven Lawrence, Mekelle Pace, Evan Potter and Nieya Thompson.
Their week was packed with activities that built a strong team bonding and
connected them to the community even more. A lip sync battle was held on Sunday, Oct 16. where the nominees performed their favorite songs and heartily competed for a cash prize at the end of the night.
In addition to the lip sync battle, other events such as pumpkin carving and window decorating brought the nominees together. Their participation in the homecoming events impacted their chances to be selected for Homecoming Royalty.
Members of the community were also encouraged to vote for the nominee they believed would be the best fit to represent
GVSU. Voting was closed in the middle of the week, a few days before the announcement was made on Oct. 22.
“I love giving back to the campus and helping out any way I can, so to be nominated and hear that I am actually making a difference on campus means so much,” Lawrence said. “To get to say that I am nominated with other candidates who have committed so much to the Grand Valley community means a lot too.”
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BY MADISON ZIMMERMAN LAKERLIFE@LANTHORN.COM
There was recently a study abroad fair in Kirkhof at Grand Valley State University.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, travel outside of the United States has been heavily impacted. This year, traveling abroad is slowly but surely coming back.
The study abroad fair was held to expose students to various travel opportunities as there are faculty-led programs and independent study programs. Walking around the fair students could stop by several booths to learn about the trip, the credits associated with the trip and other details regarding financial aid.
“Mostly my passion is to learn more about Spanish,” said Madison Brusak, a
fifth-year student at GVSU. “I’ve been studying it since I was in middle school and so I knew when I came to GV it was something I wanted to continue doing, and also the desire to travel.”
Brusak studied abroad in Mexico while finishing her Spanish minor and stayed with a host family.
“I was there for about nine months, I did two semesters there,” Brusak said. “I took all Spanish language and culture classes and then I was able to travel to six different countries all throughout Europe when I was there as well. I got to live with a host family
and got super close with them and I’m actually going back to visit them this summer.”
Due to studying abroad and taking language, teaching and culture classes, Brusak was able to learn the language easier while being immersed in Spanish and is currently teaching the language. Before her time abroad, Brusak didn’t speak Spanish.
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The GVSU Department of Music, Theatre and Dance is hosting a performance entitled “Free Play 48: Nick Photinos” that features multi-Grammy Award-winning cellist Nick Photinos.
This performance is part of Photinos’ week-long residency. During this time he will perform on and off campus as part of “Cello-Fest” and work with student composers and performers.
The event will take place on Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sherman van Solkema Recital Hall in the Haas Center for Performing Arts.
As part of CelloFest, guest artists Natasha Ferny and Eliran Avni will perform on Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sherman van Solkema Recital Hall in the Haas Center for Performing Arts.
The duo will perform music by female composers with Farny playing the cello and Avni on the piano.
This event is free and open to the public.
GV Opera Theatre is holding performances of “A Minister’s Wife” from Oct. 28-30 and Nov. 4-6.
This production is a musical that is based on George Bernard Shaw’s “Candida.” The play is set in late 19th-century London. The action centers around a love triangle between Candida, the wife of Reverend James Morell, and Eugene Marchbanks, a young poet who aims to win affection of Candida.
The performances will take place in the Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre in the Haas Center for Performing Arts. Tickets can be purchased online.
As part of the GV Shakespeare Festival, the GVSU theatre program will be holding its performance of “Bard to Go: Bardic Inspiration” on Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. in the Louis Armstrong Theatre located in the Haas Center for Performing Arts.
This performance presents Shakespeare’s stories through the story of a group of friends playing a Shakespeare-themed role-playing game. Within this story, actors present scenes from “Macbeth,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Tempest.”
This event is free and open to the public.
Grand Valley State University is hosting the 2022 season of the Visual and Media Arts (VMA) Spooktacular. Included in the Spooktacular event is the “Urban Legends!: Tales to Tell in the Dark” art gallery at the Padnos Student Gallery in the Calder Art Center.
This exhibit features pieces created by students, staff and faculty. The event gives individuals the chance to have their fall-themed art displayed for all to view during the VMA’s Spooktacular.
The event is headed by Durwin Talon and student organizer Briana Skerpan. They said the event is meant to bring the entire department together and create a space for people to share their art and celebrate it.
“This was the time we merged film and video so we thought this was a creative and wonderful way to get together,” Talon said.
There are over 100 pieces submitted in a wide range of mediums such as jewelry, digital art, animation and sculptures.
In addition to running the event, Talon submitted his own pieces inspired by General Mills’ seasonal monster cereal including “Boo Berry,” “Frank Berry” and “Count Chocula.” He developed this idea in the style of 1950s movie posters.
“I love putting odd things together so there was this fun little synthesis of these two worlds coming together in one piece,” Talon said.
Although most of Skerpan’s free time has gone to setting up and running the event among the other board members, she submitted her own piece as well. Her piece entitled “Backstage” features a creepy clown peeking behind a curtain.
Isabella Good, a participating artist and senior at GVSU, submitted a total of three pieces - two large digital prints and a sculpture. Her works are called “Cannibal Soup,” “Revelation” and “Separation,” all reflect the media she consumed when she was growing up in rural West Michigan.
“I think it’s important to try to stay informed and reflect on your environmental and societal connection within the world you interact with,” Good said.
“Cannibal Soup” reflects the “man-eatman” world in a visual of various human organs submerged in a dark viscous liquid.
“(‘Cannibal Soup’ represents) breaking down each other to get to our own goals –to sustain ourselves,” Good said.
Her other piece “Separation” consists of a polymer clay pig hanging in a glass jar surrounded by crimson ink.
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DISCUSS
BY OMARI SEABERRY ARTS@LANTHORN.COM
Grand Valley State University’s Visual and Media Arts Department hosted guest speaker and visual artist Nayda Collazo-Llorens. At this event, she spoke about her latest projects, the inspirations for them and gave brief glimpses of her new digital projects.
Collazo-Llorens is a San Juan, Puerto Rico native and uses her roots to convey feelings or thoughts within her art. With the United States as her second home, she uses ideas from those experiences to convey deeper understanding and connections to her relationship with the Puerto Rican diaspora.
Collazo-Llorens held the position of Stuart and Barbara Padnos Distinguished Artist in Residence at GVSU from fall 2014 to spring 2017. During this time, she worked with GVSU to showcase her art in the department of art and design. Her interdisciplinary approach to art-making worked to connect to other areas of study at GVSU like writing and theatre.
Within Collazo-Llorens’ creative process, she starts each project with a plan to
meet her goal of opening her audience’s minds. She may start with just a small idea and expand upon it. For instance, she may begin her drawing with just letters or numbers that she could be thinking about. As her work progresses, she sometimes implements movement and sound to create interconnectedness in digital art.
Collazo-Llorens said through her work she hopes to get audiences to think thoroughly and find messages in her pieces. She said this is especially prominent in her three-channel video installation entitled, “Rupture.”
“When I talk about ‘Rupture’ or what is rupturing, it could go from the failed systems that we are witnessing- whether it is economic, capitalism, or ecological- the breaking of these systems also allows for some sort of transformation,” Collazo-Llorens said. “I think of it as a process. It is not just rupturing to put it back together, but it is rupturing as a necessary process to open or to change things for the better.”
Grand Valley State University’s Division I hockey club has had a promising start to the 2022-23 season as they currently sit at 8-3 after their most recent matchup against the University of Illinois.
The Lakers faced this opponent in backto-back matchups and defeated them 7-2 on Oct. 21 and completed a shutout on Oct. 22 that finished 5-0.
GVSU will continue its road trip as they face off against Roosevelt University in another pair of matches between Oct. 28-29.
On the other end of things, the men’s DIII club has started an undefeated streak after defeating their first two opponents; Davenport University and Michigan State University.
The Lakers pulled out a close 4-2 battle against the Panthers on Oct. 13 to start their season, and would ultimately win the following match against them, 7-1 in a dominant showing. More recently, the club also closed out their matchup against the Spartans with a 5-2 score.
Information regarding the DI and DIII schedules can be found on gvsu. edu/clubsports.
Both the men’s and women’s rugby clubs have added several wins to their overall records as both seasons are nearing a close.
The women’s club is currently 3-1 as they have defeated Michigan State (31-22), Western Michigan (32-17) and Saginaw Valley State (32-21). The Lakers were also originally scheduled to face Calvin College but the match was canceled due to unknown reasons.
GVSU’s first loss was in a tough match against Bowling Green State that finished 26-42.
The men’s club is also tallying several wins after dropping their first matchup of the season against Notre Dame, 3-20. Since then, the club has defeated Calvin College (93-5), Central Michigan (26-18), Trine University (50-7) and were given a win against the University of Toledo after the team forfeited the match.
The men’s team will play their next home match in an undecided matchup against either Oakland University or Ferris State on Oct. 29 with a 1 p.m. kickoff.
The women’s final match of the season will also be played on the same date against Ferris State in Big Rapids.
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs lost their recent meet against the University of Indianapolis on Oct. 22 that finished 178-115 (men’s) and a close 155-143 (women’s).
GVSU’s next match is on the road against Northern Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 29 starting at 12:30 p.m.
In an offensive onslaught, the Grand Valley State University football team defeated Northern Michigan University 56-3 in the annual Homecoming game to maintain their undefeated season (8-0).
The Oct. 22 victory saw an overall team effort not only from its explosive offense but from the defense and special teams as well.
“I think it’s a credit to the character of the coaches and players on this team,” junior quarterback Cade Peterson said. “There’s a lot of humility; every guy wants success for each other and that’s the best thing when it comes to a football team. Offense, defense and special teams - there’s not a spotlight.”
After an unsuccessful opening drive by the Lakers and a forced three and out by their defense, NMU was forced to punt the ball away.
Sophomore wide receiver Darrell Johnson took full advantage of phenomenal blocking on the return as he ran the pigskin 87 yards for the first of many points of the afternoon.
Sophomore kicker Kollin Kralapp converted the extra point attempt and made the score 7-0.
Following the huge play, Northern Michigan attempted to respond with a touchdown of their own after a huge 24-yard pass completion that set them up deep into GVSU’s territory (26 yard line).
However, the Wildcats’ offense was jammed up by the Laker defensive line and were forced to kick a field goal that sailed through the uprights and put the score at 7-3.
The Lakers expanded on the momentum with a combination of the pass and run game as sophomore
wide receiver Kyle Nott rushed for a 10-yard gain and a completed pass from Peterson to sophomore wide receiver Jahdae Walker for 14 yards setup GVSU at NMU’s 47-yard line.
An offsides penalty by the Wildcats and a 14-yard rush by Peterson eventually led to junior running back Tariq Reid finding the endzone on a two-yard run to put GVSU on top 14-3 after Kralapp capped off another extra point attempt.
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The Grand Valley State University women’s golf team closed out its fall season in the Saint Leo Invitational as they finished ninth overall against eight nationally ranked opponents.
Considering the previous statement, this invitational could be viewed as the toughest of the Lakers’ fall season as five of the eight ranked opponents are ranked within the top-12 teams in Division II.
Although GVSU managed to hold off the unranked teams participating in the invite, they were unable to place above any of the eight ranked teams.
“It was definitely the strongest field we played in all year,” said head coach Rebecca Mailloux. “As a coach, you always want more, but overall, I’m happy with what we did down in Florida.”
The Lakers had a rough start in the first round, shooting a score of 313 (+25) and falling into 11th place as they were only five strokes ahead of Coast Georgia.
The second round was cut short due to low visibility (dusk), and GVSU would finish the first day at 36 strokes above par (612 score).
With day one behind them, the Lakers closed out the second round with a slightly better shooting performance (299, +11) and taking over Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s 10th-place position.
The Lakers kept the momentum rolling, shooting an even 288 to complete the third round and overtaking Palm Beach Atlantic University for ninth place with a score of 900 (+36).
“We had a pretty terrible first round, but you can see the progression that was made over the rounds,” Mailloux said. “I think that was a way of the girls
saying ‘we’ve got nothing to lose at this point, so let’s just go play some golf.’ I’m definitely happy it went in that direction instead of the other direction.”
Sophomores Paula Badino and Olivia Stoll led the Lakers as their final scores finished within just one stroke of one another; Badino (71, -1) jumped six positions with her third-round score to place in a three-way tie for 19th at 221 (+5).
Stoll had a rough start to the invitational, finishing round one with 81 strokes (+9). She reeled it back in and shot 73 (+1) in the second round and 68 (-4) in the third round. Stoll jumped up 19 spots to make a fierce comeback and finish in a three-way tie herself with a 222 score (+6).
“I thought Paula did really well,” Mailloux said. “She was super steady and consistent, and she closed it out on a high note with her performance. Olivia ended the season on a high note as well. Shooting four under par on the final day was super impressive. Finishing it out the way both of them did was really solid.”
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GVSU’s women’s volleyball team played in back-to-back home games this past weekend against Michigan Tech University and the Northern Michigan Wildcats.
After taking their first match earlier this season in a solid sweep against the Huskies, the Lakers struggled against MTU in the second faceoff as the four-set match finished 18-25, 2512, 19-25 and 15-25.
MTU came out with an intense start in the first set as they would go on a 2-9 scoring run to end the set. However, the Lakers fought back hard in set two as they responded with a dominating 25-12 set two to even the match, 1-1.
In sets three and four, MTU again used a late scoring run to get ahead and ultimately took control over the next two sets, taking it 15-25 to win the match.
Even with a tough loss at home, head coach Jason Johnson believes the team put up multiple strong efforts to battle back through their continuity.
“I think our girls did a great job of working through mistakes they made and didn’t allow too many things to get to them tonight,” Johnson said.
“The transition in set two with (senior middle blocker) Mattie McCabe going in started that transition of the energy, the connectivity (and) the verbal communication as far as how we were connecting on the court.”
Freshman outside hitter Kendall Stover led the team in kills in the match (13), as senior middle blocker Jaelianna Primus (11) and junior middle blocker Sarah Wight (10) followed in second and third respectively.
Freshman setter McKenzie Johnson (20) and junior libero Emily Holbrook (16) also put forth valiant efforts to keep the team alive through their defense as they led the team in digs.
Following the loss, the Lakers held their annual homecoming match against Northern Michigan which was nothing short of a cutthroat battle.
Concerns of another sweep by the Wildcats and an upset at home began to rise after GVSU dropped the first two sets 23-25 and 19-25.
However, the Lakers were able to find their groove in the third set as they managed to pull away with a 25-19 win in a back-and-forth battle. GVSU expanded on the newfound momentum with another dominant set win in the fourth as it finished 25-14.
Finally able to get their passes under control a bit more and utilize their strong hitters, GVSU’s energy was visibly stronger as the bench and home crowd began to buzz.
Junior setter Rachel Jacquay stated that these types of momentum boosters play a significant factor in how the team performs overall.
“Our bench was always electric, and you could see how it positively impacted the court,” Jacquay said.
Tied at 2-2 and heading into a win -
ner take all set, the Lakers hoped to complete the comeback in front of their home crowd.
GVSU started the final set 3-0 as signs continued to point to a fierce win. However, the Wildcats regained their composure in the eleventh hour so to speak, and would ultimately mount the deficit in yet another backand-forth affair, 12-15.
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Grand Valley State University’s men’s basketball team lost their first game of the season on the road against a Division 1 opponent in Oakland University that finished 76-92.
It was also head coach Cornell Mann’s first game, a previous assistant coach for the Golden Grizzlies (2016-17), who noted that it was a humbling experience to be back in his old stomping grounds.
“It felt good to have my family come since I have been gone from the state for so many years,” Mann said.
The Lakers had a shooting performance to forget in the first half as they shot 26.5% from the field overall (9-34), 20% from three and 66.7% from the free throw.
Oakland on the other hand saw better percentages from the field overall (48.3%) and at the free throw line (86.2%) while matching the same threepoint percentage as the Lakers.
At the sound of the halftime buzzer, the Golden Grizzlies led the Lakers 30-55, a large deficit to overcome whether on the road or not.
GVSU mustered a far better perfor-
mance in the second as they outscored Oakland 46-37 on better shooting percentages (51.5% from the field, 50% three-point). However, the scoring efforts were unavailing as the opponent never allowed their tremendous lead to dwindle below 20 points.
Mann commented on the major turnaround from the Lakers and said that most starts to the season will see nerves being a significant factor in how a team performs overall, especially when a roster is on the younger side.
“I think everybody just adjusted and settled down,” Mann said. “Eight of 13 guys were playing their first college game, so it’s fair to say that they had a little bit of jitters.”
Redshirt freshman guard Trevor Smith was one of those eight players mentioned, stating that it was a humbling experience to be back in the city he grew up in.
“It felt great representing Grand Valley, especially playing in my hometown - it was an honor and a blessing,” Smith said.
However, Smith said that he would like to have more influence on how the team performs overall as he struggled to get a basket (0-3) but added five assists and three boards.
“I just need to be more assertive,”
Smith said. “I think that we would’ve been more successful if I got downhill more and created more chances for me and my teammates.”
Sophomore guard Trevon Gunter led the team in points with 20 on a solid shooting night (6-10 three-point, 7-12 overall) in 22 minutes. Freshman guard Jalen Charity was the only other Laker to finish in double digits with 12 points (4-5 field goals).
“My teammates did a great job of finding me in open spots, especially in transition,” Gunter said. “Coach always says that ‘shot-ready’ shots go in, so just being shot-ready did the rest.”
Graduate student forward Chinedu Kingsley Okanu added seven points and nine rebounds while junior guard Austin James finished with eight points and two boards.
“At first, we were a little antsy since it was the first game, but we put up a good fight, especially in the second half,” Okanu said, who suited up for his first time ever for the Lakers.