 Calvin-Parents newsletter takes a "spring break"
We are thankful to report that Jim Van Wingerden, Calvin parent relations director, successfully underwent heart bypass surgery this past Friday. Our prayers are with Jim and his family as he recovers over the next several weeks. April issues of this Calvin-Parents e-newsletter may be abbreviated, but parents may direct questions to info@calvin.edu or call 616-526-6142 for assistance with any questions or concerns. If you wish to send Jim a get-well message, use his personal e-mail address at jrv8@calvin.edu.
Deadline to request a tutor is April 11
 Students have been reminded that tutors are available in the Office of Academic Services, offering advice on how to study effectively and assistance with mastering course material. Tutor request forms are available in that office, located at HH 446. Students have been encouraged to request help in a timely fashion. The deadline to request a tutor for the spring semester is the end of next week on Friday, April 11.
Annual health insurance verification: due by April 15
 Beginning in mid-March, each returning student is asked to submit information about their current health insurance coverage through their KnightVision account. The verification process must be completed by April 15th. Students are given the opportunity to enroll in or waive out of Calvin's KnightCare student health insurance plan for the 2008-2009 school year. Students who choose to waive out of KnightCare must be prepared to answer questions about their current health insurance coverage. Some students will need to obtain this information from a parent or guardian. Students who enroll in the plan and students who do not fill out a waiver form will have charges posted to their miscellaneous accounts in May. Plan coverage begins August 15, 2008 and expires on August 15, 2009. Please direct questions to Kelly Moore or Rachel VanSchepen at 616-526-6568 or health@calvin.edu. For additional information about student health insurance please visit the Health Services Web site.
Academic advising for fall semester 2008: April 22 and 23
All first-year, sophomore, and junior students have been informed that they must make an appointment with an academic advisor to plan a selection of courses for the 2008 fall semester. Advising will be done by faculty members in their offices this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 22 and 23. Classes normally scheduled for Tuesdays and Wednesdays will not meet on these dates. Students can access additional information about the spring registration process on the Office of Academic Services Web site.
Spring Exam treat: order deadline is May 1
 Help your hard-working student jump-start spring exams with your vote of confidence! The Spring Exam Treat ($15) features a box filled with study snacks (popcorn, candy, granola bars, etc.) and study supplies (bluebook, pens, and pencils). The order deadline for this treat is Thursday, May 1; the treat will be delivered to students on Tuesday, May 6. Remember that you can also surprise your student with the popular "Pizza and a Movie" treat, which can be ordered anytime and often! This treat features a certificate for a large two-topping pizza, a bag of popcorn, and a Blockbuster® gift card!
Breakfast for parents of graduates: May 17
Come and celebrate with us! Join President Byker, student-selected "2007 Professor of the Year" Dr. Joy Bonnema, and other Calvin administrators for this special Commencement event on Saturday, May 17 from 9:00-10:30 a.m. in the Prince Conference Center. Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased from the Calvin Box Office at 616-526-6282. Seating is limited to the first 300 parents who place their order. Tickets for this event will not be sold after May 12, 2008. (Note: During this event the graduates will be participating in the annual Senior Brunch held in the Commons Dining Hall).
Purchase a Prism for your student today (price correction)
 How often do you dust off your high school or college yearbook to look up old friends or maybe someone you ran just ran into? You probably don’t remember how much you bought your book for, because to you it’s priceless! Prism, Calvin's yearbook, is the only publication that captures the spirit of an entire year at Calvin College. Your student will look up past classmates, remember the professors that inspired them, relive the big game moments, and read copy written by students, staff, and professors across campus about life at Calvin College in 2008.
Recently in the Parent Newsletter we advertised the sale of the book for $27. We advertised the wrong price. The book’s price is $30, or $34 if shipping is needed. For your convenience and purchasing peace of mind, the book is now available for purchase through the Calvin Campus Store website. The deadline for purchasing books has been extended to May 17; books will be released in the fall. Note: If you have already purchased a book at a lower rate, not to worry. We will cover the costs on our end to make it right. We’re sorry for this confusion!
Read a history of the Prism as featured in a recent Spark article: "Prism: A Colorful Reflection."
Student Life events at Calvin
 This weekly feature of Calvin-Parents attempts to showcase student life events—movies, concerts, weekend events, etc.—by highlighting links to the student Web resources below:
• "Weekend-haps" (this past weekend!)
• Student Activities (SAO) Web site
• Campus Calendar |
Calvin Sports: This week's athletic events
 For information about athletic events visit the Sports Information Web site. Need Calvin sports results fast? Call the Calvin sports hotline at 616-526-6522 for current sports updates. You can also sign up for the Calvin Sports-Report, a free e-mail bulletin notifying Calvin sports fans of current sports news.
Concert Calendar: April
April is a great month for music-lovers at Calvin College! We're pleased to announce these upcoming concerts and events:
• Student Recital: Airin Efferin, piano - Tuesday, April 8 at 7:30 pm (Fine Arts Center Auditorium; tickets not required)
• Chamber Winds Concert, Tiffany Engle, conductor - Friday, April 11 at 8:00 pm (Calvin Chapel; tickets not required)
• Student Recital: Sarah Looman, clarinet, and Lee Heyer, clarinet - Saturday, April 12 at 4:00 pm (Calvin Chapel; tickets not required)
• Alumni Orchestra Concert, Robert Nordling, conductor - Sunday, April 20 at 3:00 pm (Berean Church, 365 Seminole Rd., Muskegon, MI; tickets not required)
 • Gospel Choir Concert, Charsie Sawyer, conductor - Sunday, April 20 at 4:00 pm (Fine Arts Center auditorium; tickets not required)
• Campus Choir Concert, Sean Ivory, conductor - Sunday, April 20 at 7:30 pm (Fine Arts Center auditorium; tickets not required)
• Calvin Band Concert, Tiffany Engle, conductor - Friday, April 25 at 8:00 pm (Fine Arts Center auditorium; tickets not required)
• Student Recital: Phillip McMillan, violin - Saturday, April 26 at 2:00 pm (Calvin Chapel; tickets not required)
• Oratorio Society - "Psalms and Praise of Eastertide," Joel Navarro, Music Director - Saturday, April 26 at 8:00 pm (Fine Arts Center auditorium; tickets are required. Calvin Box Office, 616-526-6282)
• Alumni Orchestra Concert, Robert Nordling, conductor - Sunday, April 27 at 3:00 pm (Fine Arts Center auditorium; tickets not required)
• Capella Concert, Joel Navarro, conductor - Sunday, April 27 at 7:30 pm (Fine Arts Center auditorium; tickets not required)
• Naomi Kudo, piano: 2008 Gilmore Young Artist - Tuesday, April 29 at 7:30 pm (Fine Arts Center auditorium; tickets are required. Calvin Box Office, 616-526-6282)
• Handbell Ensemble, Knollcrest Band, and Jazz Band, Stephanie Wiltse, Tiffany Engle and James Sawyer, conductors - Wednesday, April 30 at 7:30 pm (Fine Arts Center auditorium; tickets not required)
CTC: The Women of Lockerbie - April 10-12, 17-19
 The Calvin Theatre Company will present The Women of Lockerbie, by Deborah Brevoort and directed by Stephanie Sandberg, on April 10-12 and April 17-19 in the Gezon Auditorium at Calvin College. A mother from New Jersey roams the hills of Lockerbie Scotland looking for her son's remains which were lost in the crash of Pan Am flight 103. She meets the women of Lockerbie, who are fighting the US government to obtain the clothing of the victims found in the plane's wreckage. The women, determined to convert an act of hatred into an act of love, want to wash the clothes of the dead and return them to the victim's families. Although the characters and situations in the play are purely fictional, The Women of Lockerbie is loosely inspired by a true story. Written in the structure of a Greek tragedy, it is poetic drama about the triumph of love over hate. Tickets are available from the Calvin Box Office; 616-526-6282.
Dance Guild performances: April 11 & 12
 Dance Guild will present its spring performance on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 at 8:00 pm in the Fine Arts Center Auditorium. This annual event is well-attended so be sure to get your tickets now! Tickets are $3 each and are available through the Calvin Box Office; 616-526-6282.
5K Spring Classic Run/Walk & Fun Run: April 26
 Calvin parents, families and friends are invited to participate in the 5K Spring Classic on Saturday, April 26. In past years several out-of-state families participated and made a fun family weekend of this annual event! There is a 5K Run/Walk scheduled to begin at 8:30 am. A Family Fun Run for kids ages 12 and under (and anyone else who wants to join in the fun) is scheduled for 9:15 am, immediately following the Run/Walk. All kids 12 & under that register for the Fun Run will receive a race t-shirt, race number and runner packet. All ages are welcome to participate, so bring your mom, dad, grandma and grandpa! And, when your fun run is over, there will be prizes and cash give-a-ways (held this year in the Prince Conference Center) for all registered race participants. For more information visit the 5K Spring Classic Web site.
Calvin Alumni Choir in Chicagoland: April 26 & 27
The Calvin Alumni Choir, under the direction of Pearl Shangkuan, will provide two fine concerts for alumni, family and friends in the greater Chicago area:
 • The music of Stephen Paulus, "You Shall Have a Song" - Saturday, April 26 at 8 pm at Bethel Christian Reformed Church, 3500 Glenwood-Lansing Rd., Lansing, Illinois. Free admission; an offering will be taken for the Chicagoland/NW Indiana Chapter Scholarship Fund. Reception following.
• "Go Where I Send Thee," the music of Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory '92 - Sunday, April 27 at 5 pm at First United Methodist Church, 516 Church St., Evanston, Illinois. Tickets for the Sunday concert are $18. Call the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago at 847-535-9873.
For more information, visit the Alumni Choir Web site or call 1-877-526-2276.
Glenn Bulthuis & the Tonedeafs: May 2-3
 Glenn Bulthuis, a 1977 Calvin grad and "Calvin Rock-n-Roll Icon" for the past thirty years, will perform with his band, the Tonedeafs, at the historic Ladies Literary Club (61 Sheldon SE) in downtown Grand Rapids on May 2 and 3. Show times are at 8:00 pm on both nights. These shows are billed as "CD Release Parties" for the upcoming "Greatest Hits" CD that will be coming out this spring. Glenn sprinkles numerous "Calvin songs" throughout his concerts. Tickets are available through the Calvin Box Office, 616-526-6282. To learn more about this event and Glenn and his band, visit the Glenn Bulthuis Home Page.
Calvin Around Town: Grand Rapids Ballet - May 6
 The Calvin Alumni Association Grand Rapids Area Chapter will host its next edition of Calvin Around Town at the Meijer-Royce Center for Dance and the Peter Martin Wege Theatre, 341 Ellsworth SW in Grand Rapids, with the Grand Rapids Ballet Company. Ellen Van't Hof, assistant professor of dance at Calvin, will give an update about the college's offerings in this area. Laura Schwenk-Berman, GRBC associate artistic director, and company dancers will present a brief oral history of ballet and a short demonstration class explaining ballet technique. You are cordially invited to attend. The event will take place from 6:30-9:00 pm on Tuesday evening, May 6. The fee is $20 per person and includes an hors d'oeuvre and dessert buffet. For additional information call 616-526-6142 or visit the Calvin Around Town Web site.
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Lecture: She Fears You - April 7
 This nationally recognized presentation, She Fears You, identifies for men what they have to gain from ending campus rape--that they are no longer perceived as potential rapists but as individuals capable of entering caring and emotion-based relationships. Dr. Keith Edwards, nationally recognized speaker and consultant, will speak on Monday, April 7 at 7:45 pm in the Calvin Chapel. Dr. Edwards has spent the past six years presenting nationally on engaging college men in sexual assault prevention at more than 35 colleges and universities. This event is part of Calvin's Sexuality Series and kicks off a month of events related to Sexual Assault Awareness Month at Calvin.
Lecture: Law and Order in the Urban Ghetto - April 10
 Calvin College will be bringing a well-known sociologist to Grand Rapids in mid-April for its annual Bouma Lecture. Dr. Sudhir Venkatesh, Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, will speak on April 10 at 3:30 pm in the Meeter Center Lecture Hall on "Law and Order in the Urban Ghetto." Venkatesh, who appeared earlier this month on TV on The Colbert Report, is author of three books on urban life: American Project, Off the Books and Gang Leader for a Day. His research also was also featured in a chapter of Freakonomics. Calvin sociology professor Mark Mulder says Venkatesh is a good fit for the annual Bouma Lecture, named for Donald Bouma who taught at Calvin from 1946 to 1960 and did groundbreaking work in civil rights and community organization. "Dr. Bouma was always very passionate about issues of social justice," said Mulder, "as is our current department. Venkatesh conducts exhaustive ethnographic research that offers compelling insights on urban poverty in the U.S. Most significantly, his findings interrogate numerous assumptions and misconceptions about poverty. There are complex social organizations, networks and processes that exist in what Venkatesh calls the urban ghetto." Read more.
Inner Compass: James Abbington - April 13
 Inner Compass is a Calvin-produced television show that explores how people make decisions regarding ethical, religious, and social justice issues. Inner Compass typically airs in western Michigan on PBS station WGVU-TV on Sunday afternoons at 1:00 pm: Grand Rapids (channel 35/cable channel 6) and Kalamazoo (channel 52).
The April 13 edition will feature Dr. James Abbington, Associate Professor of Music and Worship at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Professor Abbington's research interests include music and worship in the Christian church, African American sacred folk music, organ, choral music, and ethnomusicology. Two full seasons of episodes are also downloadable in video or audio from the Inner Compass Web site. Each Wednesday the latest program is added (or, each Monday on iTunes, podcasts section).
Lecture: Anger Management: What Christians Have Learned about Cursing - April 17
 The Dean of the Chapel Lecture Series continues on Thursday, April 17 with Professor John L. Thompson of Fuller Theological Seminary who will speak on Anger Management, on Earth as It Is in Heaven: What Christians Have Learned about Cursing Over the Years. Join Professor Thompson as he reflects on what we can learn from our forebears such as Origen through reformers such as John Calvin, and how we can find practical help from history when we read texts that seem to approve outbursts that are among the worst—and most understandable—of human impulses. This lecture will take place at 3:30 pm in the Meeter Center Library.
Lectures: Festival of Faith & Writing Keynote Speakers: April 17-19
 The Festival of Faith & Writing will bring over 2,000 writers, readers, publishers, illustrators, and musicians together on campus from April 17-19 to explore ways in which faith is represented in literature and how it plays out in our world today. Festival registration is closed, but tickets are available to the evening keynote lectures:
• Thursday, April 17 events: Michael Chabon; Francine Rivers
• Friday, April 18 events: Kadir Nelson; Yann Martel
• Saturday, April 19 events: Kathleen Norris; Elizabeth Berg; Katherine Paterson
For times, locations, and ticket information for these events—as well as the full line-up of participants and other Festival news—see the Festival web site.
Lecture: Columnist Cal Thomas - April 21
 Conservative American syndicated columnist and author Cal Thomas will speak at Calvin College in the Gezon Auditorium at 7:30 pm on Monday, April 21, 2008. Thomas began writing his column in 1984 and today his column appears in over 550 newspapers around the United States. He is a panelist on Fox News Watch and also gives a daily radio commentary heard on over 300 stations. Thomas has written and spoken frequently about political and societal issues; his comments are frequently controversial as well as thought provoking. He is the author of numerous books, including Blinded by Might, The Things that Matter Most, The Death of Ethics in America, and The Wit and Wisdom of Cal Thomas. His most recent book, written with Bob Beckel is entitled Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America. An open reception will follow the lecture.
(Rescheduled for March 2, 2009: See the Henry Institute for details)
Conference: Symposium on Religion & Politics - April 24-26
The Henry Institute's fourth biennial Symposium on Religion and Politics will be held at the Prince Conference Center at Calvin College April 24-26. The event brings together individuals who share an interest in the interplay of religion and politics, and attendance is open to anyone interested in this field of discussion. The Symposium is designed to provide an opportunity for scholars in the field to present papers related to their current research, to foster personal and professional networks, to facilitate joint research endeavors, and to learn about ongoing research opportunities in this area.
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