May 27, 2025 The Gender Studies pre-major at GRCC explores how systems of oppression come into play in people’s lives. Through courses that center on gender, sexuality and LGBTQ+ issues, students are challenged to consider how gender and sexuality are shaped by what we see in our social interactions and our social institutions. The program helps sharpen students’ critical thinking skills through a combination of research and lived experience. With an emphasis on social justice, students gain tools to better analyze and improve our social world. Assistant Professor of Sociology, and Gender Studies Coordinator, Dr. Emily Pain started a zine project with her class to highlight these concepts. Zines are a mini-magazine that share a collection of creative works and are usually made on regular printer paper, folded in half and stapled. “We talk a lot about what’s going on and how it’s impacting my students individually. It’s adding to their knowledge and understanding of current events while tying them to academic concepts,” said Dr. Pain. “This project helps students engage in social justice advocacy. Students can focus on gender studies concepts and theories in a tangible way.”   Creating a level playing field Dr. Pain focuses on ensuring all voices are represented, heard and respected in their classroom. “The zines are a project that speaks to my educational approach of decolonizing the classroom. Thinking critically about knowledge production, dissemination and centering the voices of people who have been pushed into the margins. It’s about empowering students, especially marginalized groups,” said Dr. Pain. “Zine making encourages students to view themselves as change makers. It’s a form of cultural production where the voices of marginalized groups are amplified in contrast to dominant culture,” she continued. Zines are an open form of pedagogy where a student’s work exists beyond the classroom. “It’s educational, but it’s also about spreading the knowledge and that it lives on,” said Dr. Pain. A group effort Students work together and share ideas in collaboration with one another, setting the stage for many perspectives to come together as a cohesive team through the zine-making process. Using collage, written word, art, the list goes on, each zine comes together through the eyes of the students without limitations on what their final project must hold. It is a representation of lived experience through creativity. “Some students are sharing their own experience or basing their creative work on their lives,” said Dr. Pain. “It shows certain aspects like intersectionality are a real thing because it’s coming from someone’s real experience. They’re able to demonstrate how the systems of power can exacerbate each other or play off of each other.” Zine Exchange Program During the Fall 2024 semester, Dr. Pain was awarded the Innovations Grant covering the color printing costs of the zines. As a result, the Zine Exchange Program came to life. Dr. Pain partnered with faculty at other local colleges giving students an opportunity to trade, and celebrate, each other’s zines. The zines can be found in the Social Sciences Library, located on the first floor of White Hall for anyone to view. “It’s important to have media out there by marginalized groups to give them power,” said Dr. Pain. “Art helps people visualize and understand concepts in a relatable way. When students are getting out there and teaching about these issues from a social justice lens, it’s advocacy. That is an important piece of gender studies. That’s what the zines are about, getting students out there and having conversations.”   Brave spaces and advocacy Dr. Pain provides space for students to process through how gender impacts all elements of systems and cultures. “We have a wide range of student perspectives. Students are teaching each other things. They’re gaining perspectives on many sides,” shared Dr. Pain. “We do a lot of journaling. If students have some resistance to a new perspective, they have a chance to think through why. I hope they ask themselves what is being challenged in them,” said Dr. Pain. The focus on social justice and advocacy is not just learning about issues for Dr. Pain. They want to help students think about how and what can be done to address the issues in real time. “A lot of the courses have that kind of emphasis, especially Intro to Gender Studies (GST 200). We talk about social movements and allyship. I hope the students find ways to make a more equitable society. It’s one of the values of gender studies. It helps students enhance critical thinking skills to be able to analyze the social world and then ultimately, with that knowledge, figure out how to improve it,” said Dr. Pain. The zine project continues to be one avenue Dr. Pain uses in hopes to bring advocacy to life. To learn more about the Gender Studies program or the Introduction to Gender Studies course, please contact Dr. Pain, Gender Studies Coordinator, at emilypain@grcc.edu . This story was reported by Anjula Caldwell  

May 21, 2025 Looking to kick off summer with a fresh, flavorful beer? Head over to Big Lake Brewing in Holland, Michigan, where you can find School's Out, a mango sour beer brewed in partnership with students from Grand Rapids Community College's (GRCC) Craft Brewing program. This limited-release pub-only brew is more than just a thirst quencher. It's the result of a hands-on collaboration between GRCC students and Big Lake Brewing's head pub brewer, GRCC alum Casey Brunetti. The project was part of the college's upper-level Craft Brewing course (CRB210), which emphasizes real-world experience and professional networking. GRCC Craft Brewing instructor Abbie Groff-Blaszak reached out to Brunetti hoping to create an opportunity for the students to brew in a commercial setting. Being a graduate and advocate of the program, Casey enthusiastically agreed. "I sent the students the recipe the week before so they could come in with an idea of what we're going to be doing and what ingredients we were going to use," said Brunetti. "They had a strong idea of what a brewery looks like and what to expect. They all jumped right in and were very excited to be there. They felt very prepared and looked ready to get into the industry. They knew what questions to ask and had a great idea of what they were doing."   The city of Grand Rapids earned the title of "Beer City, USA" in 2012, and GRCC takes full advantage of its location in the heart of the craft brewing scene. Every student in the Craft Brewing program is required to complete an internship at a working brewery, giving them valuable exposure to the industry before graduation. "The brewing industry is a very tight-knit industry with a lot of collaboration within it," said Assistant Professor Allison Hoekstra. "Even within education in brewing, everything is very collaborative. Getting industry feedback and tying in professionals is an important part of the process. It's encouraging as a student to have brewers and people that are invested in you and your future. We're really lucky here at GRCC to have a lot of incredible alumni that are willing to partner with us. Industry members want to see our students succeed." Through the collaboration with Big Lake Brewing, the students not only developed a new beer from start to finish, they also gained firsthand experience with professional brewing equipment and processes. And the results speak for themselves: School's Out will be available on tap at the Big Lake Brewing pub, and Brunetti plans to can 20 cases of 16-oz. cans to take to summer beer festivals across Michigan. "It's a mango sour, so I think it will be a hot sell," shared Brunetti. Hands-on experience makes a world of difference for the students to gain insights on the different methods that can be used in the brewing process. With every brewery having its own style, the benefit of a mandatory internship sets the students up for success and often leads to a job after graduation.   "When I was in the program, I had to do an internship for a certain number of hours at an actual brewery," stated Brunetti. "I ended up staying at the place I interned. It was my first brewing job out of school. Because of that internship, it was so easy for me to get my foot in the door." In an industry built on passion, creativity and connection, experiences like the collaboration between Big Lake Brewing and GRCC are invaluable. Not only did the students create connections with working professionals in the industry, they crafted a successful beer in the process. "I'm really grateful for the program," shared Brunetti. "It landed me a really great career and I made lifelong friends who are also in the industry. I'm really happy I had the chance to collaborate with GRCC and I'd love to do it again." Learn more about the Craft Brewing Program . To learn more about School's Out, visit the Big Lake Brewing pub in Holland, Michigan. This story was reported by Anjula Caldwell.  

May 19, 2025 What happens when design education meets community need? At Grand Rapids Community College, the answer is homes — real ones — that are affordable, sustainable and deeply rooted in neighborhood values. Students in the Sustainable Residential Design program applied their learning to a real-life project with major community impact. Assistant Professor Corri Sandwick knows all about the real word. She’s an architect and business owner who focuses on residential design in collaboration with affordable housing developers. So when she discovered an opportunity through LINC UP for her students to work on real-world design challenges, she jumped at the chance.   LINC UP is dedicated to empowering residents and fostering sustainable growth in Grand Rapids. Through a variety of programs and services, they address housing, economic opportunity and community engagement to create lasting impact for individuals and neighborhoods. That’s where GRCC students come in. “I met Shanika Gordon, Single Family Development Manager, when I attended a meeting at LINC UP,” Sandwick said. “She shared her need to design small, affordable homes on unique lots, many of which have challenging constraints. We figured out a way for my students to help her with that goal.” Students in Sustainable Residential Design learn guidelines for planning and designing a sustainable home. The final course project for the last two years has involved designing a home for LINC UP clients. “Our design brief this year included two sites in Grand Rapids on which LINC UP plans to build single family homes,” Sandwick said. “The students could grapple with a design for either site, each of which had its own quirks and challenges.”   Students learned about the clients LINC UP serves, and had to incorporate an imaginary buyer vignette into their presentation. In addition to complying with building codes and basic architectural principles, they also had to pack at least three sustainability strategies into their sub-1,000 sq. ft. designs. Those could include things like wind turbines, solar panels, tankless water heaters, rainwater collection systems, low-flow fixtures and many other options. “Sustainability is a win-win,” Sandwick said. “It respects our limited natural resources and helps minimize consumption. It also helps make home ownership more affordable by reducing energy usage and maintenance requirements.” Students presented their designs to their peers and Shanika on the final day of class. She was impressed by what she saw. “Building small, affordable and sustainable homes is no easy task,” Gordon said. “I’m always looking for creative approaches and fresh ideas. The GRCC students in Corri’s class never fail to come up with clever ways to address our constraints. They really get into the spirit of the work by stepping into the shoes of our potential homeowners.” These designs are more than just neat ideas that are graded and then forgotten. “We have built two homes designed by GRCC students,” Gordon said. “One is sold and one is currently available. That’s an impressive achievement to put on a resume, and it’s also a meaningful contribution that stretches LINC UP’s design resources.” Learn more about mechanical and architectural design at GRCC. This story reported by Julie Hordyk.