Welcome to I Didn't Know That About GVSU, a miniseries that I will be starting on the Odyssey. Each issue will contain information that is relatively unknown to the majority of the student population and includes resources, tips, and fun facts. Readers are also encouraged to send in things that they know that they want me to put in the next article or questions that they want me to look into.

In this edition, we will be discussing parking on campus, the location of a secret microwave, and a little known way that you can bring feedback to Campus Dining. If you sit on Student Senate you probably know about all these topics but I feel like the general student body doesn't know, so that's why I'm writing about these things.

Parking

A hot topic on campus is about parking. Many students find that it's difficult to find a parking spot on campus. There have also been changes to parking, including increases to ticket prices and students are wondering why this has happened.

-GVSU is not intending to build a parking structure any time soon. Did you know that each space would cost about $20000 to build? To put things into perspective, it costs $2000 to build a spot in a flat lot. These values were mentioned in previous meetings with Parking. Some students say that this is still doable because there are 25000 students. However, not all of those students are full time. Plus, there are other expenses that GVSU must pay for that we need to take into account.

-Parking ticket price increases happened because of the fact that students park without parking permits and take the risk of getting a ticket. And the price of a parking ticket allowed them to get ticketed many times and it would still cost less than a permit. This is to combat that strategy.

Secret microwave in Kirkhof

Okay, so you may or may not know about this, but there is a microwave in downstairs Kirkhof and it's open to anyone who wants to use it. It's right across from Fusion (where you have the customized pasta station). I decided to include this because it's something that's overlooked and it's in an interesting location.

Campus Dining Food Committee

On a Tuesday at 4pm, once per month, Campus Dining has a Food Committee meeting. It's usually student senators who attends these meetings but anyone from the university is welcome to attend. I strongly encourage anyone to attend, especially if you eat on campus on a regular basis. I've found that Campus Dining is one of the most adaptive parts of the university, updating and making changes according to feedback. So many people have suggestions but don't know where to go. If you wish to participate, please email any Student Senator or Campus Dining for the next meeting date.

I hope you learned something new about Grand Valley today. Remember that you are welcome to send in any ideas that you would like for me to write about in the next edition as well as anything about GVSU that you would like for me to investigate!