Calvin University Chimes

Campus
Former CPI student exonerated, to attend Knollcrest campus in the fall
April 27, 2026
Ashley Hamons, Editor-in-Chief
Roy Blackmon, a former Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) student, was imprisoned in 1999 for a crime he did not commit. Exactly 27 years later to the date,...

Campus
Chad Tatko elected Faculty Senate chair
April 13, 2026
Ian Tjoelker, General Assignment Editor
Professor Chad Tatko of the chemistry and biochemistry department was elected to the position of Faculty Senate chair last week after voting concluded...

Campus
Calvin Prison Initiative celebrates record enrollment, grows in program offerings
April 14, 2026
Ellerie Poel, Guest Writer
This past fall, the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI), hosted at the Handlon Correctional Facility, celebrated bringing its total enrollment to 104 students....

Joe Toly, Guest Writer • April 29, 2026

In the spring semester of the 2025-26 school year, I lived in Washington, D.C., which is a city that understands something crucial: memory needs...

Faithful office-holding in the American political system

Douglas L. Koopman, Guest Writer • April 27, 2026

Reformed Christian writers have long reflected on what it means to hold office in institutions, including government institutions, beginning...

Project Hail Mary: A Return to What Film Should Be

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor • April 27, 2026

On a random Sunday night in March, in an act of spontaneous boredom, I decided to go see Project Hail Mary without knowing much about it at all....

Campus

Behind the budget cuts made for Dialogue and Chimes

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor • April 27, 2026

Editor’s Note: While this article does involve internal reporting, the editorial staff of Chimes discerned the importance of the Calvin Community...

Calvin’s 150th marked by historic royal visit

Ian Tjoelker, General Assignment Editor • March 23, 2026

Her Royal Highness Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands visited Calvin University last week in celebration of the university’s 150th anniversary....

Navigating the aftermath: Students and faculty face uncertainty with teach-out plans

Sarah Sparling, General Assignment Reporter • April 27, 2026

After the November 2025 restructuring that eliminated several academic programs (French Major/Minor, Journalism Minor, German Minor, among...

World Languages at Calvin: A look at the last 30 years

McKenna Wilkinson and Ian Tjoelker • April 27, 2026

Chimes sat down with professors across the world and classical languages at Calvin to discuss the recent cuts to the classical and world languages...

Faculty Senate approves changes to hiring, confessional standards, alignment with Synod

Ian Tjoelker and Ashley Hamons • April 27, 2026

Faculty Senate voted to approve changes to the Faculty Handbook on April 21 to bring Calvin’s hiring practices into alignment with commitments...

From Every Nation Week promotes multicultural learning across campus

Ellery Johnson, General Assignment Reporter • April 13, 2026

From April 12 through April 17, members of Student Senate are hosting From Every Nation (FEN) week — a week filled with speaker events, workshops...

A final exchange: Calvin FLTA program comes to an end

Sarah Sparling, General Assignment Reporter • April 13, 2026

For at least the last decade, Calvin University’s world languages department has hosted a German Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA)...

Debate night: Lu and Reitsma present vision for 2026-27 Senate

Alec DeYoung, General Assignment Editor • April 13, 2026

On April 9, Student Senate hosted a Q&A with the candidates running for the offices of Student Body President and Vice President. With...

Morren Fitness Center’s $100,000 upgrade receives mixed reactions

Sarah Sparling, General Assignment Reporter • March 28, 2026

New renovations to the Morren Fitness Center, Calvin’s non-athlete gym facility, have introduced new equipment, expanding space for the growing...

Celebrating 150 years: “Calvin on the Road” tour visits Grand Rapids

Alec DeYoung, General Assignment Reporter • March 23, 2026

The “Calvin on the Road” tour made a stop in Grand Rapids last week, with representatives from Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary...

Religion

Delight Ministries launches at Calvin, building community for women in its first year

Ella Vanden Berg, Religion Reporter • April 27, 2026

A new chapter of Delight Ministries opened at Calvin University this year, offering weekly Bible studies and community building events aimed...

Scaling rock walls and studying Scripture

Ella Vanden Berg, Religion Reporter • February 23, 2026

At Calvin, most Bible studies form out of shared living situations or interests. For students in the Outdoor Recreation ministry, this is a shared...

Lent: Going back to basics

Ella Vanden Berg, Religion Reporter • February 16, 2026

Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. In the church calendar, Lent is a season of reflection, repentance...

Seminary: A “seedbed” for growth

Joe Toly, Religion Reporter • November 24, 2025

The word “seminary” originally comes from the Latin word “seminarium”, meaning “seedbed.” Seminary, as we often hear it now, describes...

Arts & Entertainment

Interpreting a musical for modern times: CTC adapts “Bye Bye Birdie” to include ASL

McKenna Wilkinson, Specials Editor • April 13, 2026

The Calvin Theatre Company (CTC) is performing “Bye Bye Birdie,” its first musical in 12 years. Opening night was on April 10, and the show...

A vibrant tapestry of cultures: Rangeela celebrates 30 years

Ava Roush and Ellery Johnson • February 23, 2026

Calvin University’s annual Rangeela performance will take place on Feb. 27 and 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Covenant Fine Arts Center (CFAC) auditorium,...

Calvin department of visual and performing arts hosts annual Spring Arts Festival

Ava Roush, Arts and Entertainment Reporter • April 27, 2026

Thursday, April 16, Calvin University’s department of visual and performing arts hosted its annual Spring Arts Festival in the Spoelhof University...

Calvin Writers Read: A collective experience of art

Jorie Cho, General Assignment Reporter • March 2, 2026

On Thursday, Feb. 26, 11 Calvin students and one alumnus stood before an open mic in the Center Art Gallery and read their original writing aloud....

Sports

D3 Hockey makes nationals run in historic season before D2 move

Zach Kern and Hendrik Beelen • March 23, 2026

This season marks the final year Calvin’s American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 3 hockey team will compete in this league....

Calvin cuts acrobatics & tumbling program

Alec DeYoung, General Assignment Reporter • April 27, 2026

On April 15, Calvin announced the discontinuation of the acrobatics and tumbling program, causing frustration among the athletes and concerns...

Men’s basketball season ends in semifinals of MIAA tournament

Zach Kern and Hendrik Beelen • March 2, 2026

Calvin’s men's basketball’s impressive five-game win streak came to a disappointing end Friday night, Feb. 27, as they fell to Hope College...

Of Marx and Mammon

Gregory Mox, Guest Writer • April 27, 2026

In ML 326, Restorative Justice and Communities of Reconciliation, Dr. Cioffi asked my cohort to imagine that genuinely ethical Marxists achieved...

The Cost of a Sharp Tongue

Brian Dwight Peterson, Guest Writer • April 27, 2026

The Bible almost always describes romantic love from a male perspective. What I mean by this statement is that we read things like Isaac loved...

It’s time to leave AI behind

Luke Witte • April 27, 2026

Rarely a day goes by where I do not remember watching President Greg Elzinga himself say, out loud, to a crowd of various student leaders and...

What does a mature religious community look like in an educational setting?

Sarah Logan • April 14, 2026

We are currently marked by division amidst ongoing debates about the future of the Calvin community. Program cuts, restructuring of academics...

Community

Joshua Humphrey and James Boler • April 14, 2026

What do you think of when you think of a flourishing community? The first ingredient I think of is loving thy neighbor as thyself. I think of...

Brain meets heart

Kyale Akeem Williams, Guest Writer • April 14, 2026

I recently had the privilege of meeting a brilliant Christian scholar I deeply admire, but when I shook this amazing man’s hand, I found myself...

Thoughts on faithful Christian living in the polis

David V. Urban, Guest Writer • April 14, 2026

James K. A. Smith’s March 23 article’s discussion of foundational matters regarding what “politics” is and how Christians might consider...

Restoring Creation Through Native Gardens

Anika Lautenbach • April 14, 2026

In September 2025, I bought a ticket to hear Doug Talamy speak about bugs, birds and native plants at Sherman St. Church. He talked for two hours,...

We are creators. AI is not.

Adam Byle, Guest Writer • April 14, 2026

I use Claude every day of my life. I use it to learn about programming. I use it to get help with cooking. I’d be lying if I claimed never...

Reflecting on a year of Sabbath

Matthew Flanagan, Guest Writer • March 23, 2026

One of the challenges I received last year as a Barnabas was to practice Sabbath. I study engineering, so I convinced myself that I didn’t...

How (not) to be political: Trading fear & nostalgia for imagination & hope

James K.A. Smith, Guest Writer • March 23, 2026

Editor's Note: One of the most pressing issues for the Calvin community this year has been navigating the increasingly complex interplay between...

Climate Anxiety: How to Cope

Lucas Phelps, Guest Writer • March 13, 2026

Help help help!!! The world is on fire!!! Pollution is everywhere!! Everything is awful!!! Do you feel like you’re helplessly screaming into...