Calvin-Parents E-Newsletter: March 24, 2009

Swimming and diving results from NCAA Div. III National Championship

Calvin came away from the NCAA Division III Championships at the University of Minnesota with a national diving title for Erica Deur, three diving All-Americans in Jeena Velzen, Casey Herman and Erica Deur, and diver and diving coach of the year honors for Erica Deur and her coach Aaron Paskvan, respectively.   For the second time in three years, Calvin College senior Erica Deur has been named the Division III Women’s Diver of the Year by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.  In addition, Calvin diving coach Aaron Paskvan has been named Division III Women’s Diving Coach of the Year. It also marks the second time in three years that he has received the honor.

Over the four day meet hosted by the University of Minnesota, the Calvin women’s swimming and diving team closed out its fifth consecutive top-10 national finish. Calvin recorded seven All-America performances and five honorable mention All-America efforts.

Spring break week

While many students have headed to locations around the country for fun in the sun or gone back home to work, others are keeping busy with sports training, vocal performance and service-learning.  There are photos of the Women's Chorale in the Pacific Northwest interacting with alumni, friends and families.  Also, follow the blog for the track and field team as they train in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  There is also a story about the service trips that are in full-swing around the country.

Festival of Faith & Music

The Festival of Faith & Music, which will take place this year from April 2 through 4, is a biennial conference that brings together musicians, critics, journalists, musicians, artists, and listeners for three days of discussing and celebrating insightful music that explores, in some significant way, issues of faith. They seek to be conscientious listeners, agents of renewal and prophets of the Light, but this is only one aspect of their mission.  There is now a News & Stories feature on faith and music, Calvin-style, which includes links to the artists and their music, as well as a link to an interview with Ken Heffner, Calvin's director of student activities.

Health insurance verification; Student Health 101

During the month of April, each student is asked to submit information about their current health insurance coverage.  Students will be asked to submit this information through an online waiver system offered by UnitedHealthCare Student Resources, the company who underwrites Calvin’s Student Health Insurance Plan.  This online system may be accessed beginning April 1st at www.srstudentcenter.com/calvin.  Students will have the opportunity to enroll in or waive out of the KnightCare Student Health Insurance Plan for the 2009-2010 academic year. If a student chooses to waive out of KnightCare, they must be prepared to answer questions about their current health insurance coverage.  Occasionally, this insurance information is something that a college student will need to obtain from a parent or guardian.

Students who enroll in the plan and students who do not fill out a waiver form by May 15th will have the KnightCare premium posted to their Miscellaneous Account in July.  The 2009-10 premium is $999. Plan coverage begins August 15, 2009 and expires on August 15, 2010.  For additional information about student health insurance, students and parents can visit Health Services.  You can also read the current issue of Student Health 101 on that page.  For questions or concerns, please contact Kelly Moore (Immunizations and Insurance) at 616-526-6568 or health@calvin.edu.

Summer Academy at Calvin

The Summer Academy at Calvin is still recruiting for the July 2009 session.  See their site for information on the extended deadline and application process. Nothing prepares you for the real thing like the real thing.  The Summer Academy; a real college experience for real college experience.  Contact Julie Veeneman (jmv46@calvin.edu; 616-526-7643 or 616-617-7317), manager of The Summer Academy and Academic Content Experience (ACE) International Program.

Student Treats:  Popcorn

The next installment of student treats to order for your student features popcorn!  Your student can dive into a bag of popcorn to help get back into school after spring break.  They'll also need some snacks (and maybe more to share?) to help with the last push until exams.  The Popcorn Treat features three bags of deluxe, flavored popcorn—caramel, cheese, and butter—and includes a personal-sized bag of the fruity favorite "Monster Munch."

The order deadline is TODAY, March 24, with delivery on March 31 (PLEASE NOTE date correction from the brochure).  And don't forget your off-campus student!  Students living off-campus will receive an e-mail notifying them they have a treat to pick up, within two business days, at the appointed location on campus.  If you have questions about the treats, contact parents@calvin.edu or 616-526-6802.

Other student happenings...

Dorm results are in for the second annual Rock, Paper, Scissors competition. Stay tuned for the April 1 finale! 

Students now have a new choice when it comes to getting their meals to their tables: with or without a tray. Their decision could save 46 pounds of food per person each year, not to mention thousands of gallons of water!
 

Events for alumni, friends and families

Bookmark the alumni events calendar to keep track of important dates throughout the year, to which you are warmly invited, as a parent, alumni and/or friend of the college.  More information is found there for each of the following events:

Mar. 20-26: Baseball team in Phoenix
Mar. 21-28: Women's Chorale Pacific Northwest tour
Mar. 24 & 28: Prof. Quentin Schultze in Florida
Apr. 23: Prof. Doug Koopman in Iowa
Apr. 25: Calvin 5k Spring Classic and Family Fun Run

Don't forget to read the spring 2009 issue of Spark, the magazine of alumni and friends of Calvin College.