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Visiting Scholar Resources

         Banking                                                     Food                                Schools & Childcare
         Campus Store                                           Health Insurance              Social Security Number
         College Amenities/Visitor Privileges          Housing                            Transportation
         Driver's License                                        Library                              Wireless Access
         Fieldhouse                                                Maps                                Worship       

Banking
Calvin Guest Wireless Access

There are a few areas on campus where wireless access is available to campus guests. Please read Connecting Your Personally Owned Computer to Calvin's Internet. Wireless access in all other buildings is restricted to faculty, staff, and students.

College Amenities and Visiting Scholar Privileges

Obtaining a Calvin picture ID: The Calvin department contact will receive the visitor's assigned Calvin ID# from the Office of the Dean for Research and Scholarship. Pictures are taken in the Student Life office.

Calvin ID's have a myriad of uses around campus including:

  • Hekman Library: During orientation, the department contact should initially bring the visitor to the library's circulation desk and introduce them as a visiting scholar. The visitor's Calvin ID will allow them to check out 25 books at a time for a loan period of 2 weeks with unlimited renewals. The sponsoring department is expected to manage the accounts receivable process for overdue or lost items. For overdue items, there is a 3-day grace period and on the 4th day a $1.00 fine is assessed with additional days at $ .25/day. "Lost" books are billed at a flat fee of $50 each.
  • Spoelhof Fieldhouse access (Available for visitor and family. Visitor or spouse must accompany family member minors at all times while in the facilities.)
  • Free entry to most sporting events
  • Free or discounted tickets to concerts or theater productions
  • Use as a debit card at food locations on campus.
  • Card access entry to some buildings
  • A 15% discount at the campus store on all non-textbook and non-food item
Food
Grand Rapids Web Links
Health Insurance

Non-US visiting scholars are required to have health care coverage for the duration of your stay. Health insurance can be purchased through International Medical Group. Coverage is available to the applicant, the spouse and unmarried dependent children, ages 14 days to 18 years, while traveling to US. Terms of insurance ranges from a minimum of 15 days up to a maximum of 36 months. This plan is not renewable.

Please note this insurance does NOT cover the following: Expenses for a) pregnancy, childbirth or miscarriage; b) routine physicals; c) cosmetic or plastic surgery, except as the result of an accident; d) elective surgery; e) any mental and nervous disorders or rest cures; f) dental care, except as the result of injury to natural teeth caused by accident; g) eye refractions or eye examinations for the purpose of prescribing corrective lenses for eye glasses or for the fitting thereof, unless caused by accidental bodily injury incurred while insured; h) alcoholism or drug addiction or use of any drug or narcotic agent; or i) treatment by a family member.

Housing
  • Calvin-owned housing: Please contact Financial Services.
  • Local Rental Listings:
    • Search Homes for Rent in newspaper classifieds
    • rentGR.com is the PREMIER on-line rental living resource of West Michigan where renters find Cool Places to Live™ by searching for what they need and contacting property owners directly.
    • Calvin Deals is an internal site where faculty and staff can list homes for rent. Often faculty that are on sabbatical use this site to advertise their home for rent.
Local Schools & Childcare

if the visitor is bringing school-aged children, please discuss school options in the Grand Rapids area with the department contact. If the visitor is able to afford private, Christian school tuition, then choosing housing near the school would be to their advantage. If they would prefer to enroll their child(ren) in the public school system, Forest Hills Public Schools and East Grand Rapids Public Schools are close to Calvin.

Obtaining a Social Security Number
Transportation
Worship

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Questions? Please contact the Office of the Dean for Research and Scholarship.