With Battle of the Valleys week approaching fast, the rivalry between Saginaw Valley State University and Grand Valley State University is at its peak.

Recently, a student at GVSU wrote an article titled, "Top 10 Reasons GVSU Is Obviously Way Cooler Than SVSU."

As a student at SVSU, I caught myself reading through the article and realizing half of the "facts" are clearly untrue and thought what better way to set the record straight than to write a response article! Here's my response as to why SVSU is "obviously way cooler" than GVSU.

14. Diversity is key

When building a strong university, SVSU believes diversity is key. We are a diverse campus who are accommodating to any background, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Diversity is the key to learning because, without it, you can't grow as a student. That's one of the things SVSU exemplifies that GVSU does not.

13. All of the buildings at SVSU are connected

Some may not realize the importance of this point, but if you have lived through a Michigan winter, it's very important. The convenience of not having to walk outside as much in the winter because you can simply walk through all of the buildings to get to class is great. Way better than having to walk outside in the freezing cold or having to take a bus.

12. Free parking is way better than paying for parking

At Grand Valley, you have to pay for parking, but at Saginaw Valley, you don't! The parking isn't that bad either, you can usually get a pretty close spot.

11. We have the best school spirit

Attend a football game or even a basketball game and you will quickly realize SVSU's student body and alumni have the best school spirit. Win or lose, we are cheering our team on until the very end.

10. Saginaw Valley State University’s name has "Saginaw" in it

That alone should say it all. If you didn't know, Saginaw is a town where the community comes together with everyone working hand and hand to make it great. Often times Saginaw is stereotyped as a "bad area" and yes, Saginaw has gone through rough times, but just because of that we should stereotype the entire area and university forever? No. Saginaw is an amazing town and I wouldn’t want to get my education anywhere else.

9. SVSU has Donald Bachand, 'nuff said

If you were to meet President Bachand, you would realize he is the most amazing person on the planet! Any event on campus, you will see him there. While walking to class, you will see him and be greeted with a smile, a hello, and a handshake. This man is one of the best things to happen to Saginaw Valley State University. T. Haas isn’t the only one who takes selfies with students, either. I mean, no offense to T. Haas, but Bachand is the winner.

8. We have never experienced the GVSU "Wrecking Ball"

SVSU has never experienced GVSU's "Wrecking Ball," nor do we want to. I don't know about you, but I think swinging on a wrecking ball almost naked doesn't really give people the best impression of a college.

7. Coop the Cardinal is actually the coolest mascot

Coop the Cardinal is hands down the best mascot. We didn't need a fake person/cartoon to base him off of; a Cardinal is a strong bird and his personality exemplifies that. He's the number one person to get you pumped up at events and everyone wants to be him. Also, Coop has social media accounts and he’s quite entertaining.

6. SVSU's campus is actually the most exceptional in comparison to GVSU

Have you seen Founders Hall, The Bell Tower, Presidents Courtyard, or even the Zahnow Library? These are just a few of the most beautiful places on SVSU's campus. Not only is it beautiful, students describe it as the safest campus in Michigan.

5. SVSU only takes the best

Saginaw Valley State University has a smaller student body for a reason: we only accept the most promising students. We don't let just anyone into our university. We want driven, intelligent, involved students who make SVSU the great university that it is.

4. Campus Dining

SVSU has so many places on campus to eat, all of which are diverse and continually changing. Did you know SVSU is about to open Panda Express in the newly named Cardinal Cafe? Why? Because that's what the students asked for and the university cares about what students want. Other dining locations include Starbucks, Subway, Papa Johns, Einstein's Bros. Bagels, Freshens, Greens-To-Go, C-Store, and the most famous Marketplace at Doan. We also have some of the best dining staff that GVSU could never beat. Our SVSUFood social media accounts also rank higher than Grand Valley's accounts. I would never describe it as "disgustingly good", just plain "amazing" would describe our food on campus.

3. Saginaw Valley continues to raise the most money

Every year since 2008 SVSU has stomped GVSU in fundraising. In 2016, SVSU raised $26,000 while GVSU only raised $17,000. In 2010, we beat them by almost $30,000. SVSU continually exceeds GVSU's fundraising amounts and we will continue to do so every year. In the GVSU student's article, they claimed they have destroyed us in donations, but if you go to http://svsu.edu/bov/benefactors/ you will see we have actually "destroyed" GVSU. Just because you beat us in football, which granted in 2016 you only won by a few points in double overtime, doesn't mean you're better than us. We are the ones raising more money for good causes.

2. SVSU is ranked as #18 for best dorms in America

According to Niche, SVSU dorms are the 18th best in America (also #1 in Michigan). Where is Grand Valley ranked you ask? They're ranked #230. We'll let the ratings speak for themselves. https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-college...

1. SVSU is a family

Because of our smaller student body and more of a close-knit campus, we have something GVSU doesn't: a sense of family. Anywhere you walk on campus you never feel alone or judged because we're all a family. Any staff member you see will greet you and smile and make you feel like you aren't just another student on campus. "Family" is exemplified in our sayings because we always begin them with "WE". Also, we really care about animals *wink, wink*.

Saginaw Valley State University is and always will be “way cooler” than Grand Valley State University. Not only is our university continually growing to the students’ advantage, we are a loving, safe university that all future college students should consider. At SVSU we don’t sink, we SOAR.