By Sophia Helbling
With ArtPrize in full swing, Grand Rapids Community College students and staff have an opportunity to enrich their experience with the campus’s Go See Gr program. As the fall semester welcomes many first-year students, many on campus aren’t aware of the program and its benefits.
The program, largely funded by the Student Activity Fee, offers GRCC students and faculty free admission to local museums and the John Ball Zoo. Vouchers, which can be found in the Student Services office, can be presented with a RaiderCard to get free admission with participating partners.
Students and faculty must bring their RaiderCard to the Center for Student Life and Leadership office on the first floor of the Student Center Building to get a voucher, which can then be reused until July 2027 when a new voucher will be made available. The program is free to participate in, and the voucher can be replaced at no cost.
Once the voucher is obtained, participants must write their name on the back, as it appears on the RaiderCard, for it to be valid.
Then, participants are given free entry into participating partner venues: The Grand Rapids Public Museum, The Gerald R. Ford Museum, The Grand Rapids Art Museum, John Ball Zoo, and the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum.
Only one person can be admitted per voucher, except for the Children’s Museum, which allows for two guests.
Tyler Anderson, Student Life’s Service and Technology Coordinator, encourages students to partake in the program.
“It’s oftentimes difficult to engage in events on campus, especially for students who work and go to school or may have families,” Anderson said. “This also goes for online and virtual students as well. We offer this program for them because oftentimes they don’t make it to campus to enjoy some of the events that student life and the general campus holds.”
With many new students having started classes this fall, many aren’t familiar with the area. It can be difficult to find ways to spend time in the city while also staying frugal.
ArtPrize is a great opportunity to go out and explore Grand Rapids, as well as engage with over a thousand art entries while on a budget.
With the Go See GR program, that experience can go hand in hand with the history and culture provided by local museums, as well as the zoo.
