Student Treats
Parents may send their student some "love" by having the parent relations team deliver a treat to them during the school year. There are birthday, exam, holiday and special event treats to send for on- or off-campus students. The full list of treats is available on the Student Treats page and you can order online now!
For a great deal, order A Year of Treats and save $$; it includes a free birthday treat! The order deadline for A Year of Treats is September 14, 2011. Order today!
Campus safety: bicycle, vehicle registration
It is now mandatory to register all bicycles with campus safety. Registration is free and will last the duration of your time at Calvin. Registering your bicycle will help aid in the recovery should it become lost or stolen. Bike registrations can be completed using Portal. Click on the “Services” tab and then “Register my Bike” which is found under the "Campus Resources" section. After registering your bicycle online, remember to stop by the campus safety office to pick up a sticker for your bike. Bikes are not considered registered until the sticker is affixed to the bicycle. Click here for additional information.
All vehicles on Calvin’s campus must have a permit. Students can register for a parking permit on Portal by going under the “Services” tab, scrolling to the “Campus Resources” section, and selecting “Register/Renew my Car.” Vehicles registered between August 1 and September 6 will receive a discounted rate. After registering, please remember to pick up your vehicle sticker from the campus safety office and fully affix it to your windshield. Until your sticker is fully affixed, your vehicle is considered unregistered. See this site for more parking regulations.
If you have questions about anything related to campus safety, you can e-mail safety@calvin.edu or call (616) 526-6451.
Summer research, awards and activities
Two summer research projects pair two students with two professors in the study of bacteriophages. They are making themselves at home in the science division's new 4,450 square-foot lab.
Biology major Tyler Bleeker was awarded a fellowship by the Environmental Protection Agency. Speaking of the EPA, the Plaster Creek Stewards received a $58,500 grant to clean up a local watershed. Meanwhile, biology professor Keith Grasman is studying the effects of pollution on gulls, herons and terns.
Several students went to Panama with the Calvin chapter of Global Business Brigades. Others went to Peru with media production professor Daniel Garcia to tell the story and create a video blog of a young widow.
Here on campus, Project SEED allows area high school students to learn basic techniques of science research. At Calvin's Imaginary Worlds computer camps, local middle and high school students are learning the basics of computer programming by making video games.
Astronomy professor Deb Haarsma and her student researchers study the largest galaxies in the universe. A professor-student duo researches the economics of studying all the year 'round. And math professor Jan Koop is using a $200,000 education grant to help teachers understand and teach mathematics.
Have you heard about the McGregor Summer Research Fellowships? They create one-on-one professor-student collaboration for Christian scholarship and study, including this one about The King, His Ring and the Temple.
Publications
Edgar Boevé ’53 has already firmly established his status in Calvin history as the founding father of the Calvin art department. He has also just completed a series of eight stories that use fabric to illustrate the healing hands of Jesus. These are combined in a short volume titled Jesus as Healer, published by the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship, and include meditations by Timothy Brown, Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Jack Roeda and Nicholas Wolterstorff.
Miscellaneous: dining halls, career resources
Knollcrest Dining Hall is undergoing some exciting changes over the summer. The dining hall is being updated with new lighting, carpet, seating and two brand new display cooking stations. We at dining services look forward to seeing you all in the fall! - Rick Balfour, dining services director
You can also follow them and their suggestions, advice and links to job search help on Facebook. At any time, you may contact the career development office: career@calvin.edu, (616) 526-6485. -Meredith Segur, career counselor
Student Retention
As you interact with Calvin students this summer, please help us stay aware of those students who are struggling with the decision to return. If you know of any, help us connect them to resources available. Here are a couple that may help.
Financial aid - Students who express concerns about college financing and affordability should be encouraged to contact a financial aid counselor (finaid@calvin.edu or 616-526-6134) at any time. Financial aid staff will be available throughout the summer to meet and/or talk with students.
Academic planning - Students who are struggling academically and/or are having difficulty deciding on which course of study to pursue should be encouraged to contact the academic services team (acadservices@calvin.edu or 616-526-6155) for assistance. Both academic counselors and advisors are available.
Please know that we appreciate and recognize the genuine support you offer to our students all year long. -- Student Retention Committee
Parents are now "friends"
When we invite people to events for "alumni and friends," we mean you! Parents and families are always welcome at any alumni chapter event anywhere. We will remind you of events in this newsletter, but you can always keep track of alumni happenings here. If you are an alumni-parent, please consider inviting parents/families that might not know about these events.
Here are several alumni and friends events coming up. Join us!
- Willow Creek Leadership Summit (plus alumni and friends event): August 11&12, 2011
- Washington DC art gallery and talk: August 11, 2011
- Gloucester (MA) Beach Outing: August 21, 2011
- Pasadena (CA) Beach Outing: August 27, 2011
- StreetFest International: September 3-11, 2011
- 42nd Annual Golf Tournament: September 10, 2011
- Homecoming and Family Weekend (which includes 10-, 25-, 40-, and 45-year class reunions): October 21 & 22, 2011
Travel opportunities
Have you heard about Calvin Alumni Travel for alumni, friends and families? Trips planned for 2011 that are still open for more guests include: America's National Parks (Sept. 8-18), and China: Past and Present (Oct. 24-Nov. 7). But don't delay. If you are interested at all, contact the alumni office today (616-526-6142; alumni@calvin.edu) to find out what the last day is to sign up for these fantastic learning and traveling opportunities.
Information about Calvin-Parents
Calvin-Parents, an e-mail newsletter, is published to inform Calvin parents of campus news, programs, events and other helpful information and is published weekly when classes are in session, and 1 to 2 times per month during the summer. If you wish to add additional e-mail addresses (work, grandparents, etc.), change delivery to a different address, or unsubscribe, go to Calvin-Parents or send those instructions to parents@calvin.edu. Additional parent resources (to order student treats, to participate, to plan visits) are available for you on the parent website.
If your student has graduated and/or you no longer wish to receive Calvin-Parents, we will be happy to unsubscribe you. You may email us at parents@calvin.edu.
Thank you for participating in this important communication link between the college and Calvin families. If you have any suggestions for us, please send them to parents@calvin.edu (or call 616-526-6142). Have a blessed summer!
