Calvin-Parents E-Newsletter: August 11, 2009

Golfers?

Parents and family members are invited to join us for the 40th Annual Calvin Alumni Golf Tournament at beautiful Pilgrim's Run Golf Club in Pierson, Michigan. Every year great golf is combined with a great purpose: raising funds for the Grand Rapids area alumni chapter scholarships. Your participation every year helps Calvin students every day.

Find out more information and register online today.

Textbook reservations happening now

The Calvin Campus Store textbook reservations system is now open! Visit the site for full details and instructions on the easiest way for your student(s) to get textbooks for fall. There's still time to be one of the first 1500 to reserve textbooks (on orders over $75) and get a free 2GB Flash Drive. 

While you are on their site, you might consider ordering a John Calvin bobble head doll for your home or bobble head collection!

Campus safety information

The following is information from William Corner, director of campus safety:

Parking Permits
Students shouldn't try to park without a pass.  They can register for a parking permit on KnightVision by going under the "Resources" tab, scrolling to the "Student Life" section, and clicking "Register/Renew My Car."  Please read and follow the directions carefully.   See this site for more parking regulations.

This year the parking permit price has increased to $75 (still far lower than any other college--last year GVSU charged $300, Cornerstone $120, and Hope $225), but if you register by September 6 you can save $25!  Parking permits will be available for pick-up starting August 24 at the campus safety office (upstairs in the mail and print building just east of the Lake Drive entrance). During the first week of class (September 8-11) permits will also be available for pick-up at Johnny’s from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Texting Campus Safety
There is now a text-messaging service for students/community members to send a text-message to campus safety in situations where it may be difficult or dangerous to make a phone call.  The address is 33333@calvin.edu.  It's a good idea to program this number into your phone now just in case you ever need it. The system will be monitored 24 hours a day and campus safety will respond to any requests for assistance.  See this site for all options available for anonymously reporting a crime on campus.

Emergency Notification
Calvin’s free emergency notification service allows all members of the Calvin community to receive important and time-sensitive notifications by phone or e-mail for serious weather updates (e.g., tornados, severe weather watches and warnings) or other unlikely situations involving campus safety. Calvin will not use the system for routine announcements or for any solicitations, only for emergency notifications. To register, go into KnightVision, click the "Resources" tab, scroll down to the section titled "Emergency Notification" and click on the sign-up there. For all details of Calvin's emergency response plan, see this page.

Financial services information

Here is some information from financial services as you prepare for the school year:

Student Billing Information Brochure 2009-2010 . On this form (.pdf), you can find information about due dates, calculating the minimum amount due on tuition, account delinquency and returned check/ e-check policies. There are links to sites with other helpful information about student financial issues, as well. Try it out!

All student financial service resources are linked on their site here.

To contact any financial services staff, see this directory.

Student Treats program

The Student Treats program sends treats and goodies to students for a birthday, special event or as an "anytime" surprise to remind your student of your love and support.  Anyone can order individual treats or "A Year of Treats" which saves time and money. The deadline to order either the "Year of Treats" or first seasonal treat, "Pizza and a Movie" is Tuesday, September 15.  The "Pizza and a Movie" treat features a certificate for a large, two-topping pizza (from a favorite locally-owned pizzeria), a Blockbuster gift card for a free movie rental and a bag of microwavable popcorn.  Find out more on the Student Treats site.

Dining services on campus

Want to learn about the dining services? Interested in a heart-healthy diet? Want to see what the Uppercrust is all about? Are you a vegetarian? Wondering how Calvin Dining supports Sustainability efforts at Cavin?  See the dining services site for more information about these and many other issues, and stay tuned for information on the dining services Facebook page in development now. 

For more information about meal plans, see this page.

Siblings Weekend, Family Weekend

It's never too early to start planning for Siblings Weekend. Siblings Weekend is fun for siblings, cousins, young friends, and other guests who come to visit a Calvin student! Of course you can visit anytime, but Siblings Weekend is geared for kids. All meals are included in the registration, and a variety of events and opportunities are available.

You can also mark your calendar for Family Weekend on October 24 and 25, 2009.  More information about this weekend will be available soon!

Summer Academy success

The pre-college programs office welcomed nine students to Calvin's first Summer Academy, June 28 to July 22.  This residential immersion program modeled after the successful, long-running Entrada program, offers high school students from around the country the opportunity to try on college academics and residence life, while studying one college course for credit.  Not only did these students knock CAS 101off their college course load, but they also tested their readiness for post-high school study, became a part of the Calvin community living as full-time students in campus residences, and now return to their high schools confident in research and oral presentation to cap off their high school studies. 
To find out more, contact Julie Veeneman, director of The Summer Academy and ACE International (jmv46@calvin.edu, 616-526-7643).

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:

September 12: 40th Annual Calvin Alumni Golf Tournament at Pilgrim's Run
September 29: Calvin Around Town/MBA@Calvin ArtPrize event in Grand Rapids, Michigan
October 9 & 10: Homecoming 2009 on campus