Family Weekend FAQ
If you are coming to campus this weekend for Homecoming & Family Weekend 2011, we will have a welcome and hospitality station set up in the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex for all families. Join us there for beverages and snacks. For those who have pre-registered for weekend events, this is where you pick up your registration packet that includes an activity map and any tickets you ordered.
Hospitality hours are Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex. If you are unable to come to the welcome and hospitality station during the posted hours please make note of where you can pick up your packet/tickets:
- Family Tailgater participants: Please note that no tickets are being mailed. If you are unable to stop by the welcome center, you may pick up your tickets at the door of the Huizenga Tennis and Track Center before the event.
- River City Improv, Calvin Music Festival and Student Improv ticket holders: If you are unable to stop by the welcome center, your tickets for the show will be available under your name at your venue's will-call (Prince Center lobby, Covenant Fine Arts Center box office or Spoelhof College Center ticket window, respectively) one half hour before the starting time of your event.
- No tickets are necessary for the ice cream social, root beer floats or the pancake breakfast.
Please call (616) 526-6142 or e-mail us (parents@calvin.edu) if you have any questions.
Some Family Weekend highlights
We hope you are planning to join us on campus later this week. Here are some highlights for Homecoming & Family Weekend 2011 (find the full schedule there), October 21 & 22, 2011. There is still time to register now»
The lists for visiting classes on Friday are ready:
- Open class list by department
- Open class list by time (a.m.)
- Open class list by time (p.m.)
- This list is for closed classes (no visitors, please)
Join us for dinner on Friday (October 21) at 5:30 p.m. for the Family Weekend Tailgate in the Huizenga Tennis and Track Center (in the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex). Replacing the more formal Family Weekend Banquet this year, this dinner provides time to visit with your student’s friends and their families. Our chefs will be grilling right outside, and we’ll have a running program and prize drawings throughout. You can go straight to the volleyball match and other evening activities. $10; $5 for children 12 and under; free for Calvin students attending with their families.
Business and Economics Luncheon and Panel (October 22): Interested parents are invited to a special luncheon/panel with Calvin business alumni on the topic "Retooling the Rust Belt" at noon in the Prince Conference Center. Featured are alumni working as a business reporter for Chicago Public Radio, an analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank, a Bissell corporate executive and an accountant for Plante Moran. Small group conversations follow the meal and panel discussion. $15. Call the advancement events office (616-526-6507) to register or e-mail alumnievents@calvin.edu by tomorrow (Wednesday)!
On Sunday morning (October 23), a special LOFT (Living Our Faith Together) service will be held for parents, family, and the Calvin community in the Covenant Fine Arts Center. We'll gather at 11 a.m. to sing and pray to our God with our student worship leaders and listen to his Word preached by our College Chaplain Mary Hulst, who will be continuing our series on the life of David. All are welcome!
Be sure to check the full schedule here before you come.
Psalms blog featuring Calvin mom
Have you been following along in the study of the book of Psalms? See the Faith site for all links to worship and study guides. We are also featuring a blog for parents. Each week there is a new post here, this week's written by Calvin parent Janet Howard-Espinoza.
Join us for worship for daily Chapel services. The live feed is available 10 a.m., Monday through Friday. At 8 p.m. on Sunday evenings the live feed is available for LOFT (Living Our Faith Together) services. Click here to view archives of Chapel. Click here for the archives for LOFT.
Sports
Here are recent sports headlines:
- Men’s soccer retains possession of first place in MIAA
- Volleyball sweeps Midwest Invitational; remains undefeated
- Women’s cross country third/ men’s cross country fourth at Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational
- Women’s soccer claims 4-0 win over Albion
Off campus student dining option, gift idea
Are you looking for a Christmas gift this year for your son or daughter who lives off campus? Or, a great complement for the student treats received from you last year? Does your son or daughter have a busy class, sports and activities schedule with no time to commute home for dinner?
Calvin now has a Community Dining Program that offers 30, 60 100, and 150 block meal plans per semester to students who live off campus, at Knollcrest East, or the Timmer studio apartments. These are affordable and flexible meal options. Check out more information about the plans.
--Shirley Hoogstra, vice president of student life
Academic Advising Recess
Calvin schedules two days of Academic Advising Recess, October 25 and 26. This is a time when classes are not in session so that faculty can meet with their advisees. Students are instructed to meet with their advisor during this time and to prepare for registration. In fact, students must meet with their assigned advisor in order to be cleared for KnightVision registration. Please do all you can to encourage your son and daughter to take full advantage of these two days. In addition to meeting with an advisor, this is a good time to get caught up on reading assignments and paper writing. It should not be a time to leave campus for a long weekend getaway.
Flu shots
Health Services will be offering a flu clinic on Thursday, October 20, in the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Lobby from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The clinic is open to all students, faculty, staff and emeriti. The cost of the flu shot is $20. The cost for the flumist (nasal) vaccination is $25. Cash or check is accepted. Students may also put the charge on their miscellaneous accounts.
The staff at health services highly recommends that all students receive a flu shot. Please note that if you plan on traveling abroad over interim or spring semester, a flu vaccination is required. Contact health services if you have questions: 616-526-6187.
Recommend Calvin
Fall treat...apple!
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!
The next treat deadline is for the gourmet apple treat. These gourmet apples are tart, juicy apples hand-dipped in layers of finest chocolate and creamy caramel. They weight 1.5-2 pounds! There are three flavor choices: supreme, butter brickle and no nuts!
Students in the news
This summer nearly 90 science students researched everything from the human eye to herring gulls. Watch the video. And as a research fellow at Calvin, students are required to participate in a special exposition after the fellowship is completed. The Student Research Poster Fair will be this Friday from 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. during Family Weekend 2011.
Speaking of summer studies, a senior accounting major held a summer internship at a company that aims to put private citizens in space.
Check the Parent Calendar for important dates
Here are several alumni and friends events coming up. Parents and family members are invited--encouraged---to join us!
- Lunch at the Capitol (Lansing, Mich.): October 21, 2011
- Homecoming and Family Weekend (which includes 10-, 25-, 40-, and 45-year class reunions, and the Business & Economics reunion): October 21 & 22, 2011
- Philadelphia Museum of Art: "Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus": October 23, 2011
- River City Improv in Southeast Michigan: October 29, 2011
- Photography event/social with Professor Steensma Hoag: November 4&5, 2011
- River City Improv in Southwest Michigan: November 12, 2011
Also, check the Parent Calendar page to keep track of important academic/financial dates throughout the year.
October 20: Tuition, room and board payment due
October 25: Registration for interim and spring semester begins
October 25-26: Academic advising for interim and spring semester (see note above)
November 1: Miscellaneous charges payment due (1st of each month)
November 21: Tuition, room and board payment due
November 23: Thanksgiving break begins 5 p.m.
November 28: Classes resume 8 a.m.
