Calvin-Parents E-Newsletter: May 10, 2011

News from campus

Students voted nursing professor Renae Boss Potts the 2011 Professor of the Year, an honor bestowed by the outgoing Calvin senior class. Many of those students were on hand when she received the award.  The honoree laughed and announced: “I have 60 hugs to give!” and she went through the crowd of students, thanking each of them in turn.

Senior Design Projects Night was May 7, 2011. Read the full story about the night and the 14 projects that were featured, one of which was to create a motorized wheelchair whose driver can operate it with the touch of a finger.

Breakfast tickets deadline this Friday

Join President Byker and other Calvin guests for a special Commencement morning event, the Breakfast for Parents of Graduates, May 21, 2011, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., in the Prince Conference Center. Psychology professor Julie Yonker, also a parent of a graduate, will be the speaker.

Seating for this event is limited to 300; order your tickets ($15) online today or call the box office at 616-526-6282. Tickets will be on sale until Friday, May 13, and will be mailed directly to the parents' home. 

See the Commencement site for more information and the full event schedule.

Commencement gifts

To make your Commencement celebration as simple and enjoyable as possible, the Campus Store and a number of partnering businesses offer special memorabilia and gifts (photos, flowers, Prism yearbooks, rings, nursing pins...) for Calvin graduates and their parents. Visit the Commencement gifts page for more information about all that is offered.

Graduation Flowers: There will be flowers for sale on the day of Commencement just south of the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex, near the circle drive and steps to that building.  That's also where you can pick up flowers if you have pre-ordered them. The site to pre-order flowers is here.

Off-campus, on-campus housing

A letter was recently sent to all returning students from the housing office updating them of the second year of Calvin's new off-campus housing policy.  You can view the policy here. 

In an effort to encourage students to clean their dorm rooms and start organizing items for moving out, the residence life staff is setting aside May 11th from 4 p.m.-10 p.m. as a cleaning and packing time.  Resident Assistants will be around to help unstack beds and answer any questions students have regarding checkouts. This also helps make the exam week calmer and less stressful.  Planning ahead particularly helps students with Wednesday exams, as the residence halls close on Thursday morning, May 19, at 10 a.m.

For all sorts of helpful information on the check-out process, including information on housing for students who need more time, and other frequently asked questions, visit our checkout information pages.

Sports headlines

• Men's golf prepares for competition at NCAA III Tournament.
• Calvin men's and women's track and field teams clinch MIAA Titles.
• Women's basketball coach John Ross named Women's Coach of the Year for Michigan.

Also, see girls and boys basketball Summer Slam Team Camps, June-July 2011. 
And find Summer Sports Camps Information for camps that are still open.

Spring Arts Festival

On Wednesday, May 11, the Visual Arts Guild will host a party for all of campus: The Spring Arts Festival. As tradition dictates, the festival will be held on the last day of classes and include games, live music from local bands, a five-dollar cookout and an exhibition of artwork from many media. The event will take place from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the Commons Lawn.

The theme this year is fruit, which will be portrayed in the official spring Arts Festival t-shirts and posters. There will be exotic-fruit-eating contests (featuring fruits like Durian) and fruit-themed decorations. Read more.

Thanks for ReCommend-ing Calvin!

Thank you for participating in our ReCommend Calvin effort. Parent Denise Perry (Evart, Michigan) won textbooks. Campus store gift certificates went to Lisa Kuiper '86 (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and James Zwier '06 (Laos).

You are always welcome to contact us at parents@calvin.edu about anything related to your and your student's experience at Calvin.
 

Career help

Graduation is a major accomplishment for your student, but it’s also a major life change. The career development office is here to help with the transition!  Career counselors are available to guide your son or daughter through the job search process, assist with resumes and cover letters, refine interview skills, and more. Students can call (616) 526-6485 or stop by the career development office (372 Hekman Library) to set up an appointment.  More resources are also available on the career development site, or find us on Facebook.