Palimpsest - April 2025
At its inception in 1960, Grand Valley aspired to support all of its students in their dreams of equity and freedom, approaching education from a, “progressive and experimental”, standpoint. As part of this experimental direction the school employed many female faculty - which at the time was uncommon - bringing with them a longing to incorporate ideas of social justice into the higher educational systems. Educators such as Professor Tess Wiseheart featured in the upper left corner. Recognizing the power in organized labor, Wiseheart and others - including many gay and lesbian colleagues formed Aradia.
In the 1990’s the Aradia group demanded that Grand Valley adopt domestic partner benefits, to recognize the need for all faculty and staff, regardless of marital status, deserve to enjoy the security of healthcare as same sex marriage would not be legally recognized until 2015. Grand Valley was set to adopt this policy in 1995 until conservative Grand Rapids billionaires Richard Devos Sr. and Peter Cook intervened, threatening to withdraw their funding for the construction of the college's first health building on “Medical Mile”.
A second push for domestic partner benefits was made in 2003 but was once again rejected, with Grand Valley’s then-President Mark Murray choosing to openly prioritize wealthy donors over the well-being of the college employees. Coincidentally, the Cook-Devos Center for Health Sciences, featured in the top half of the image, was completed on “Medical Mile” in June of 2003.