Prior to being elected president, Jackson joined the senate at the end of his second year at GVSU and has held the chief of staff position. Vice President-elect Vanlerberghe joined as a freshman and has served as both a general senator and public relations chair. As they prepare to step into their newly elected positions, they hope the student body sees their love and commitment for the University.

“As soon as we got the email with the official election results, we called each other as fast as we could to celebrate,” Vanlerberghe said. “The feeling was indescribable, knowing that all of our hard work had paid off and that we (have) the opportunity to lead the organization we love.”

Jackson said when he first became chief of staff, his goal was to give the brand-new role a lasting impact and make Student Senate more effective, focused and better equipped to serve students.

“I saw an opportunity to bring clarity to our organization’s inner workings, streamline how we operate and create a more balanced structure,” Jackson said.

In his new role, Jackson hopes to expand the ability of students to voice campus concerns and build an inclusive culture. His goal is to create a culture where students feel inspired to play a part in the campus’ future.

“I aim to expand how we connect with students and elevate their voices in every conversation that shapes this university,” Jackson said. “That means advocating for real changes like expanding dining options, enhancing campus engagement on weekends and ensuring students feel heard and included.”

Like Jackson, Vanlerberghe hopes to usher in a smooth transition as he leaves his previous role for the new position.

“The work of the public relations chair is to ensure clear and active communication between (the) Student Senate and the student body,” Vanlerberghe said. “My goal is for no momentum to be lost in transition. I am confident moving forward that my position will be in good hands and I am concentrating on empowering their success as much as possible.” 

Vanlerberghe said building relationships with students and helping them understand campus resources has been one of his biggest personal  accomplishments thus far. He hopes to continue fostering a strong relationship between students and the senate.

“Looking ahead, I am dedicated to growing the strength and community inside of our body and fostering a culture that is eager to work for students, with students,” Vanlerberghe said. “I want (the) Student Senate to be as effective as possible, and am ready to work to do so.”

The Last Lecture series was inspired by Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University professor, who gave a lecture in 2007 about his life after having been diagnosed with cancer. The events leading up to his speech were published in a book titled, “The Last Lecture.” At GVSU, the Student Senate’s spin on the concept involves selecting a professor from the University who has made a significant impact on the lives of their students. 

“The Last Lecture series aims to highlight and honor professors who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to their students and academic community,” said Paris Lawson, Student Senate’s vice president. “It (the event) provides an opportunity for students to recognize a professor’s contributions, gain insight into their life and career journey and foster a deeper connection between faculty and students.”

Lawson added the event encourages meaningful reflections on both personal and professional growth, as well as the inspiration of students through a professor’s experiences and insights. Lawson noted that Copeland, who specializes in civil litigation, civil trials and personal injury areas of law, emphasized adaptability and persistence in this year’s speech.

“She (Copeland) emphasized that change is natural and beneficial, and that challenges, failures and setbacks often contribute to personal and professional development in more meaningful ways than successes,” Lawson said. “Her message encouraged resilience, adaptability and a willingness to embrace life’s uncertainties.”

According to event organizers, attendees were receptive to Copeland’s speech, as her lessons reinforced many values necessary to be a successful student. The ability to adapt to new situations and to remain dedicated when challenges arise are important traits to develop during the college experience. The aforementioned skills allow one to recognize and pursue academic and employment opportunities while also ensuring the preservation of one’s health, happiness and relationships.

Many professors at GVSU have made a positive impact on their students. Those who stand out take a personal interest in their students’ successes, adapt their curriculum and ensure a constructive classroom environment. Such professors are passionate about the material they teach and can spark a significant level of academic interest in their students. 

Professors are nominated each year to take part in the Last Lecture through an online form. Thereafter, the Student Senate takes on the responsibility of reading, discussing and organizing submissions for candidates and presenting their findings. 

“The final three nominees are presented to the (Student Senate) General Assembly for discussion and a vote to determine the selected speaker,” Lawson said. “A professor is considered to have made a ‘significant impact’ based on their dedication to student success, contributions to the University and the personal and academic influence they have had on students.”

After Copeland finished her lecture, students had the opportunity to ask questions and receive further insight from her experiences. Lawson and Karen Theakston, Student Senate’s Events chair, noted that many attendees were left inspired and reinvigorated to finish the winter semester to the best of their ability. 

“Throughout the lecture, students remained engaged, often laughing at her jokes,” said Theakston. “At the end of the lecture, many expressed their appreciation for her advice and approached her with further questions about legal studies and her experiences as a lawyer.”

The student ID bill was sponsored by the Senate’s Chief of Staff, Evan Jackson. According to the bill, students could theoretically display their student ID on mobile devices through near-field communication by adding their ID to their digital wallet. Passed in a unanimous 32-0 vote, the Student Senate is urging the University to look into the cost, security measures, technology partnerships and other needs to make digitization possible.

Similarly, many students at GVSU have shifted to the use of mobile payments and digital wallets for everyday use rather than using physical credit cards. This habit, in conjunction with students’ integration of technology in other daily tasks, led Student Senate to pursue a more contemporary use of IDs on campus.

“Digitizing student IDs will improve convenience, accessibility and sustainability on campus,” Jackson said. “Students already use their phones for most daily tasks and transactions, and carrying a physical ID can be an extra hassle, especially when lost or forgotten.” 

Jackson said the new ID system could be as simple as allowing students to use the digital ID in campus dining halls, convenience stores, the Recreation Center and other events that require student identification. The senate hypothesizes the digital approach could even be adapted to use in on-campus housing, as well as on the Laker Line bus system.

“The bill came about after conversations with fellow students, meetings with key stakeholders like the IT Department and research into other universities implementing digital student IDs,” said Jackson.

When the bill was put up to vote in the senate’s General Assembly, many senators recognized the impact and practicality digitization offers to campus life. 

“The lives of students are busy, and any way that campus can be made more convenient is something worth investing in,” said Student Senate Public Relations Chair Ty Vanlerberghe. “Evan’s bill takes an innovative approach to providing convenience by encouraging the addition of student IDs to smart wallets. Students can have one less thing to juggle when attending (sporting) events, utilizing campus recreation and accessing campus dining,”

Senator Sophie Gemmen helped to develop the senate’s press release for the bill. Gemmen said she is eager to see how the project progresses in the near future.

“I voted in favor of the bill because I believe digitizing student IDs is a fantastic initiative that I know would make my life much easier,” Gemmen said. “I am grateful for all of Evan’s work on this bill, especially when considering the number of stakeholders involved in following through with a project as intricate as this one.”

Gemmen is not alone in her excitement about the prospect. Vanlerberghe said the student body’s reaction to the legislation has been mostly positive. 

“Many of my peers have reached out to me and other members of our body (the senate) to express both their gratitude for the bill, and their eagerness to see this change come to campus,” Vanlerberghe said. “I think that serves as a testament to the importance of this idea, and how it is truly centered around a topic that touches students.” 

Jackson confirmed that despite the excitement, University faculty and staff still have things to consider before the bill can officially be put into action and students are able to add their ID to their digital wallets.

“Since the bill just passed, the next step is for administration to assess the feasibility of implementing digital IDs, including technical requirements and cost considerations,” Jackson said. “While there is no set timeline, students can expect updates from Student Senate as the University begins reviewing the logistics and potential rollout phases.”

The bill was proposed by former Senator Immaculata James, who graduated in December 2024. James was appointed to the international student seat, a newly minted position, following the Senate’s restructuring in 2024.

“Senator James was already incredibly passionate about helping the international student community in any way she could,” said Senate Chair of Policy Alec Palumbo.

There are 600 international students at GVSU. Palumbo said the bill will further welcome students to campus, no matter where they come from, and provide a safe space to connect with others.

“Supporting international students is one of the most important ways to establish a rich culture of inclusion, in which we all feel the benefits,” Palumbo said. 

James was inspired by a previous University program that used to focus on hosting gatherings for those who remained on campus. In past years, the program provided a space for international students to connect with one another when many students went home. Over the Fall 2024 semester, James communicated with other Michigan universities that have similar programs in order to compile the bill. From introduction to editing, James’ bill went through the regular policymaking process.

“One week is used to introduce the bill, answer questions and consider constructive criticism from our members,” Palumbo said. “The next week, the Student Senate body is allowed to vote on the bill. After (that’s) done, the bill is directly charged to the University Academic Senate, which is responsible for considering ways to implement bills across campus.”

Siddhartha Poudel, a senior international student from Nepal, noted the bill means a lot to him.

“It signifies that the University is finally taking action to support international students who can’t go home for American holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Poudel. “Many international students face difficulties during the holidays, as they are the only ones that stay on campus.”

Poudel remembers spending Christmas 2023 on campus with two international friends. They made the most of their time by cooking meals that reminded them of home, and spending time together. However, with most students not at the University, Poudel said their group felt isolated.

“With no family nearby and no one else on campus, we felt isolated and vulnerable,” Poudel said. “Being so far from home heightened our feelings of homesickness, especially when we saw pictures of our American friends with their families, reminding us of what we were missing.”

Poudel is hopeful the bill will provide international students with on-campus programming over academic breaks.

“As someone who has been actively involved in the international community at Grand Valley, I feel incredibly happy and proud that Student Senate is, once again, advocating for us and striving to make the lives of international students better than before.”

Quinten Proctor, the president of Student Senate, is serving his second term. Proctor noted that student feedback prompted the Senate’s goals moving forward this semester. 

“The biggest goal this semester is the broad idea of ensuring that all students have the resources and support they need to succeed at Grand Valley,” Proctor said. “That reflects on the town halls that were hosted in the spring, and concerns from students that there weren’t enough resources.”

Proctor highlighted the University Counseling Center as an area of focus for the Senate, as he believes on-campus resources in high demand could use extra support. Other locations on campus the Senate hopes to support include the GVSU Tutoring and Reading Center and the Mary Idema Pew Library’s Knowledge Market.

Proctor said enhancing various resources for students ties into another focal point of the Senate– building a more vibrant campus culture. 

Following the pandemic, Proctor said GVSU experienced a downtrend in student participation at campus events and student organization membership. Similarly, Proctor noted many students have voiced that a lack of weekend activities leads many to leave campus and return home for the weekend.

“We are finding a way to either partner with Campus Activities Board (CAB), or host events ourselves that try to keep students more engaged,” Proctor said.

The Student Senate hosts general assembly meetings on Thursdays, where senators gather to discuss current issues and new initiatives. Members of the public are welcome to attend. General assembly meetings have two designated time slots, once in the beginning and once at the end, for any attendee to share their feedback with the Senate.

Paris Lawson, the Student Senate vice president, said Senate meetings are a place where students and faculty are encouraged to bring their ideas. 

“As we look to the future, I envision this year’s Senate leaving a legacy of inclusivity and advocacy,” Lawson said. “I hope that the initiatives we are working on today will create a stronger foundation for future students, one where their voices are heard, their needs are met and the campus continues to evolve.”

Proctor said Student Senate allows the University community to be involved in change, and encourages student engagement, even if they are not interested in joining the Senate.

“At the end of the day, the University is here to serve the students,” Proctor said.

In October, representatives from the University Counseling Center will be attending the general assembly meeting to talk about mental health advocacy. This will be an opportunity for the GVSU community to be informed on the state of the Counseling Center, and the needs of the GVSU community.

The Student Senate went through restructuring this year, due to a bill proposed by Senate President Quinten Proctor and Senate Executive Vice President Maggie Hallead called the Omnibus Bill. The organizational change aims to be more representative of the student body.

The Omnibus Bill came following a significant decline in Student Senate participation after the pandemic and some standing issues in the organization.

“At our first meeting of this school year, we only had 12 seats filled out of the 50 seats available and none of us had any experience in any leadership positions on Senate,” Proctor said.

It was incredibly difficult for the Student Senate to tackle the issues facing students with limited senators. Proctor said the reason the Student Senate was on such a steep decline was partially from several seniors graduating, as well as organizational flaws, “because we were so stuck in doing the same things and following the same processes that we had always done,” Proctor said.

Through the Omnibus Bill, the Student Senate adjusted to the current college experience, reserving seats for students in each college within the University including graduate, international and first-year students.

Riley Gessler, a nursing major, is currently running for a college representative seat of the Kirkhof College of Nursing. Being part of the Student Senate is incredibly important to Gessler.

“I love to see real changes happen and I know I could do that with this organization,” Gessler said.

If Gessler wins the spot of Kirkhof College of Nursing representative, they will be able to be a part of things that truly matter to them.

“I get to help with inspiring events such as Elect Her, Last Lecture, Exam Cram and many more,” Gessler said.

Gessler explained if they were to win the senate seat, they are interested in adding the Grand Valley State University Student ID in the Apple Wallet and making physical textbooks more accessible. Overall, Gessler is pleased with the restructuring.

“(The Omnibus Bill) has been very helpful for me and other Senators. I see this new and improved Senate as a way to give more benefits to the students and for us to run more smoothly,” Gessler said.

Freshman Anna Richards is also running for one of the new seats on the Student Senate. Currently a double major in Human Resource Management and Marketing, Richards is running for the new Seidman College of Business seat. If Richards wins, she plans to address “the price gouging of food and other items in the P.O.D stores around campus.”

Since the Omnibus Bill passed, the Student Senate body has grown to 33 members. Restructuring allowed the Senate to expand engagement and adjust each Student Senate member’s workload to be significantly lighter. 

The Senate also reorganized its Cabinet positions in the Omnibus Bill, adding a Chief of Staff position and a judicial branch to keep up with checks and balances. For the first time, students can vote for the President and the Vice President, although only one ticket is on the ballot, voting closes on March 25. Student Senate meetings are now held at both Allendale and Pew campuses to better reach all students.

The new Omnibus Bill is a stepping stone into a new era for Student Senate and the Senate remains hopeful that the new changes will better reflect the student body.

The joint-ticket pair Quinten Proctor and Paris Lawson are the sole candidates for Student Senate president and executive vice president positions as voting opens for students this week after the Student Senate restructuring plan.

Proctor, the current President of Student Senate, said GVSU senators are responsible for bringing student interests to campus administration.  

“The Board of Trustees charges us with being responsible for representing the student body and ensuring that the student voice is heard in University policies,” Proctor said.

According to Proctor, Student Senate works directly with faculty and University administration to make changes and recommendations, along with passing legislation to “recommend policy changes (and) to support different initiatives and developments that are happening on campus.” 

The Student Senate paused legislation in 2023 for restructuring that changed the composition of the senate body and reimagined the function of student government at GVSU. In the State of the Student Senate Address on Jan. 25, the senate announced the passage of restructuring legislation called the Omnibus Bill.

The Omnibus Bill introduced nine proposals regarding visibility, representation and function within the senate. The new model of the organization holds 19 seats for senators to be elected at large by the student body, 15 seats divided between each college at GVSU, four seats for freshman, one seat for an international student and one seat reserved for a graduate student. This model adds to 40 total senators, an entirely different structure then the previous year’s 50-seat model. The Omnibus Bill created also created a judicial branch and a chief of staff position in the senate, and requires that candidates for president and executive vice president run in a joint-ticket.

These changes have caused some sifts in student senate elections because there are different requirements for each seat, as well as different expectations for those who would like to run for student government.

Student Senate President Proctor and Vice President of Diversity Affairs Paris Lawson are running for Student Senate president and executive vice president. Proctor is double majoring in Political Science and International Relations. Lawson is currently majoring in International Relations and minoring in human rights and legal studies.

The two began their campaign on Feb. 10, announced through an Instagram post under the handle of @vote_proctor.lawson. The post explained that the senate’s structure would be slightly different than previous years because the Student Senate President and the Vice President will be directly elected by the students at large instead of by the members of Student Senate, also resulting from the Omnibus Bill. Proctor and Lawson have continued to post to their candidacy Instagram account, explaining their campaign plans along with reminders to vote for them.

Nancy Hoogwerf, the current vice president for allocation, and Magdalyn Hallead, the incumbent executive vice president, were running as president and executive vice president respectively, but suspended their campaign. This leaves the Proctor-Lawson ticket as the sole voting option for those positions.

Both students joined the Student Senate to try and make an impact on their community. Proctor joined the Senate two years ago. He found the Student Senate was a way for him to make a difference on campus and to be a part of a community of people who had similar motivations. Lawson said she joined the Student Senate because she wanted to make sure every voice was heard and was interested in “creating a safe and positive environment on campus.”

If elected, the Proctor-Lawson campaign aims to keep faculty and student involvement in legislation. “We hope to continue advocating for the needs of our diverse student body and collaboratively work with both students and faculty to do so,” Lawson said. 

According to Proctor, the pair will meet with faculty to “ensure the University has the resources and capacity to adequately support all of the students here.”

Proctor and Lawson said they are determined to make the GVSU campus a community where everyone feels at home.

“I would love to begin work to create a more vibrant and energetic campus community,” Proctor said. 

On Monday, March 18, the Student Senate is holding a “Meet the Candidates” event where students will be able to learn more about the specific campaigns of other individuals running for student government. This event will take place in the Kirkhof Center, and attendees will receive a free donut. 

Student Senate has weekly General Assembly meetings every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in Room 2204 in the Kirkhof Center. Voting for new senators is open from March 18 through March 25. Voting information is available on the Student Senate’s page on the GVSU website. To keep up with the Student Senate race, visit the Student Senate’s Instagram. 

The address on Jan. 25 acted as an announcement of the “Omnibus Bill” designed by Student Senate President Quinten Proctor. The bill highlights new roles and redefines the current make up of the senate. Additionally, the address emphasized that diversity and community are the most integral parts of the senate’s legislation moving forward.

Proctor said a large graduating class going into the 2023-2024 school year led to a steady decline in membership and low engagement from students, which consequently resulted in “only 12 senators (left) out of the 50 available seats by the time of our first meeting.” Few of the 12 remaining senators had prior student leadership experience.

However, Magdalyn Hallead, Senate Executive Vice President, said initial reluctance for leadership roles within the body was actually instrumental in restructuring the student government.

“The future of the Student Senate, as President Proctor and the committees and I will tell you, is a complete shift from previous years,” Hallead said. “Rather than repeating old habits and typical senate issues, we’ve taken initiative to change the body for better.” 

Several senators took the podium to address the culminating work of the semester-long restructuring process, which had temporarily suspended new legislation in 2023 and many aspects of the governing body’s typical operations. Through the massive restructuring Omnibus Bill, the senators completely revitalized how the organization is run– down to the function of each committee.

New roles and greater representation

The Omnibus Bill encompassed nine different proposals focused on image, representation, trust, visibility, engagement and function. The most notable changes include the introduction of a judicial branch, a chief of staff position, designated senate seats for each college within the university and a joint-ticket candidacy between potential president and vice president candidates to be elected at large by the student body during the spring senate election.

Presidential and vice presidential candidates have to have experience with the Student Senate and be in good academic standing to run for office. Proctor said he hopes the move will create more visibility and engagement for election campaigns across the board.

“We wanted to broaden (the senate’s) representation to increase student perspectives, to increase our visibility and engagement with students, (and) to improve our reputation and prestige on campus,” Proctor said. “A chief of staff position (will) help balance responsibilities, and to also have a judicial branch, which we’re renaming the judiciary committee, will create a separate, neutral party to oversee our elections processes and (misconduct) procedures.”

 The chief of staff will oversee internal administrative processes and serve as the chief justice of the judiciary committee, a third party able to implement checks and balances. The vice president and chief of staff will work with the president to act as the face of the administration.

“Altogether, the Omnibus Bill is served as the framework for a brand new set of governing documents, which I spent quite a bit of time writing,” said Proctor. “Although it actually was kind of fun, in like a nerdy way.”

The new structure emphasizes the functions of each role in the senate, aiming to represent more perspectives of campus. The senate’s current model has 50 seats, with six seats reserved for incoming freshmen. The new model has 19 seats elected at large by the student body, 15 seats divided proportionally between each of the colleges at GVSU, four seats reserved for incoming freshmen, one seat reserved for an international student and one reserved for a graduate student, allowing for 40 total senators. 

“The reconstruction of our (senate) body as well as our committee is a testament to our dedication to creating a future in which everyone feels seen and valued,” said Paris Lawson, Vice President of Diversity Affairs.

Following opening remarks by Vice President Hallead,  representatives of each committee delivered updates regarding the achievements within their respective committees. Hallead said the senate body is the most diverse in terms of ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ identities and various areas of academic study, like non-political science majors.

“It is crucial to build friendships and connections across the (senate) body. An inclusive, active and optimistic body leads to the progress we are looking for,” said Hallead.

Student Life budget spending report

Vice President of the Allocations Committee, Nancy Hoogwerf, said the senate spent $86,000 of the Student Life budget this year, which allocates funding for GVSU student organizations, an increase from the previous year of $81,000.

Hoogwerf said this is due to an uptick in travel within student organizations, and proves a return to normalcy after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Last and this year’s spending was, rather, an indication of a student life that will continue to be active and vibrant, which we love to see,” Hoogwerf said. “This positive trend can be applied to many factors including club retention and growth, especially within a growing student population.”

Social Media and Community Engagement

Selina Martell, Vice President of the Public Relations Committee, said the reworking of Student Senate’s Instagram allows the organization to better gauge public opinion and spotlight new legislation. The senate’s Instagram account saw over 11% growth in its following over the course of the semester. Additionally, at the time of the meeting, they saw an 885% increase in accounts engaged and an 105% increase in accounts reached over the past seven days. Martell said the Public Relations Committee is confident they will maintain this positive momentum in the engagement link with students.

“Our dedication remains unwavering, and I’m proud to be part of an organization that is so close (knit),” Martell said. “With gratitude for the collective effort, I’m eager to witness the next chapter.” 

Actions to improve future of campus

The Campus Affairs Committee is working to adjust food options available for gluten free and kosher students on campus, and is heavily focused on resolving issues with campus parking.

Vice President of Campus Affairs Richard Dolnick said the committee met with the parking liaison most frequently throughout the fall and hopes to enact changes regarding parking during winter semester.

“Being a part of the Student Senate, it’s a great thing. I’m really happy with the restructuring we’ve done this last semester and I’m very, very excited to see how it plays out,” Dolnick said. 

Similarly, new Senator Alee Strend said their student senate position is part of a community that can make changes at GVSU. 

 “I want to look into student/parent housing. I feel like being a part of the Senate, talking with the (Senate) Resources Committee, I might be able to figure out for upcoming students how to fix that,” Strend said.

Alex-Marie Ford, a brand new member in the Education Affairs Committee said she joined the senate to gain leadership skills. Ford said she felt inspired after sitting in on a meeting with the Allocations Committee. 

“Just to see change, to help a club (or student organization) to make a change to the community and just see how that branches out was pretty cool. I felt so privileged to be there,” Ford said.

Concluding the address, Proctor announced that the senate’s new constitution, bylaws and amendments were approved by the body during the previous General Assembly meeting and by GVSU President Philomena Mantella. The new constitution is in effect before the Student Senate election season.

“It really means a lot to put all this hard work into creating a new constitution and revitalizing the student senate for the students. I’m really excited to leave this legacy at Grand Valley moving forward,” said Proctor.

Alpha Phi Omega is holding an informational night with pizza on Jan. 23. Join APO to learn more about their service group and how students can get involved.

The event will be held from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Kirkhof Room 2266. More information is available on LakerLink.

Harmony Haven: A Japanese Karaoke Extravaganza

The Japanese Cultural Association is holding a Japanese karaoke night on Friday, Jan. 26 from 12-1 p.m. in Language Resource Center (MAK D-221).

More information about the event can be found on LakerLink.

State of the Student Senate

The student government of Grand Valley State University is holding their annual State of the Student Body on Thursday Jan. 25. GVSU students are encouraged to attend. Students can find out more about the work Student Senate accomplished last semester and the work they aspire to do in the future. The event will be held from 5-6 p.m. in the Pere Marquette Room (Kirkhof 2204). More information is available here.

They discussed areas of reorganization and new safety implementations at Grand Valley State University.

“On behalf of public safety, I am really pleased to be able to come here to have a conversation with you about what your police department does for you while you’re here on the campuses,” DeHaan said, addressing the assembly.

GVPD is working to create new safety measures that cater to the growing number of students at GVSU. DeHaan and O’Donnell’s presentation at the Student Senate meeting outlined the safety department’s initiatives and progress toward those goals. DeHaan said GVSU’s dispatch area is “one of the most robust within the state of Michigan.”

“When you take a look at what we have created here in Grand Valley, we have over 1,700 (security) cameras. These are security cameras operated by individuals that are working 24/7,” DeHaan said. “(With) what happened over at Michigan State (the active shooter on Feb. 13), those folks had no one operating those cameras, they did not have the ability to contact and move forward at a rapid pace.” 

DeHaan said the increase in GVSU campus residency at the beginning of the fall semester caused an expansion of GVPD’s jurisdiction. “On-campus” students housed in Campus West apartments means GVPD has allocated new resources to “put in security cameras over there,” according to DeHaan.

“We put a significant amount of dollars and cents into putting security cameras (at Campus West) because these are students that are living on ‘campus property’ and we want to ensure that they have the same rights and privileges as anyone living on campus here,” DeHaan said.

Following the MSU tragedy on Feb. 13, O’Donnell, DeHaan and GVSU President Philomena Mantella put together a safety briefing in a virtual broadcast that is posted to the GVSU Public Safety page. The briefing gave an overall idea of how the university and GVPD plan to respond to both public and safety concerns and active shooters.

DeHaan said other universities are looking to GVSU and GVPD as a positive example.

“Frankly, folks, we’ve had a number of schools come out here at Grand Valley, including MSU, to see what we are doing in response to any active or critical incidents here on the campus,” DeHaan said. “We have become a standard, our camera system, using the visual eye camera system, that is the third largest within the United States.”

O’Donnell said GVSU’s Department of Public Safety is working on GVSU’s “clickable,” a new safety system students can use if danger arises at GVSU. 

“What we want to do is get this clickable right in (students’) hands, this is about 85 percent done. We’re still working with marketing, they have some of the diagnostics that it’s got to be able to take 20,000 bits per second or such, because if everyone uses it at the same time it needs to be able to take those hits,” O’Donnell said.

Additionally, Laker Guardian is a resource that is already accessible to people at GVSU. The emergency call button can send an immediate alert to GVPD with one click, providing the user’s information and GPS location to GVPD.

“It doesn’t give us your information until you hit that button or your timer expires. If you have those two things happen, we know where you’re at, it gives us your GPS location,” O’Donnell said. “We’ll call you and say, ‘Hey, this is University Police. Your Guardian is activated. Are you safe right now?’ It’s a panic button, it’s a timer system, you can text with emergencies, and you can stay anonymous if you want to stay anonymous.”

Through extensive training, thorough research and state-of-the-art security technology, the Department of Public Safety and GVPD aims to create a safe environment for all students, faculty and staff in the GVSU community.