With over 70 student-led clubs at Calvin and new ones being added each year, students are bound to find one that interests them. Calvin’s clubs cover a wide variety of areas, from marketing and engineering clubs to political and cultural groups. 

Due to the large amount of clubs, students have many options when joining clubs within their major. For example, business students can join clubs focused on startups, human resources, investment, marketing, and even a club specifically for women in business. However, students often start new clubs to serve a different purpose and reach a new group of people. Recently Calvin welcomed at least eight new clubs. The following paragraphs will introduce the new clubs at Calvin and what they have to offer.

Calvin Interfaith Alliance

“Calvin Interfaith Alliance is a club about bringing together people of different faith backgrounds for fellowship, education and dialogue. We host events on campus that feature various religious leaders, and we provide space on campus to have important conversations about religious minorities, interfaith solidarity, and how to live well together. Our goal is to make Calvin’s campus a welcoming environment for everyone and to engage the student body with important topics related to faith.”

Matthew Bone, co-director of Calvin Interfaith Alliance

Marketing Club

“The purpose of marketing club is to offer a community for students interested in marketing — whether that be to explore marketing as a potential career, or to get better connected and involved in the current marketing world. We hope to accomplish this for students by offering accessible events both on/off campus, such as team competitions, professional speakers and company visits. Another thing we do is partner with other clubs on campus! We can help improve their current marketing strategy or establish and implement a marketing strategy if they don’t have one.” 

Maria Smallegan, president of Marketing Club

Senior Friends

“Begun out of a heart to build relationships with our community, Senior Friends exists to love the elderly of Grand Rapids through service-oriented volunteering. It partners with Holland Home and Kindred Hospice to provide opportunities for students to get involved off campus.”

Evan Klein, president

Students for Compassionate Living

“Students for Compassionate Living is about people coming together to talk about animals in a positive and care-driven way. At our meetings, you can find people from many walks of life coming together to talk (often over dinner) about what it looks like to care for animals at Calvin, and as we go beyond Calvin. Anyone is welcome to attend our Plant-Based Potlucks, seminars and other amazing events.”

Matthew Doty, co-chair of Students for Compassionate Living

Student Sustainability Council

“Student Sustainability Council is a council of student leaders interested in promoting and supporting sustainable events and lifestyles to Calvin University students. Our organization was formed when Renewable Energy Organization and Environmental Stewardship Coalition merged. Besides promoting sustainability, we also try to engage various parts of the campus and work with the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) interns to try to find places where we can improve our score, whether through meeting with Calvin Dining or getting Electric Vehicle Chargers on campus (which will hopefully happen in the future!). We also sell CUPPS mugs to students at the beginning of the school year. We have our first meeting coming up on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. in HH 314.”

Betty Kliewer, vice president of SSC

Women’s Business Network

“We are a student-organized club focusing on developing and engaging female business students with women business

professionals, creating a strong, diverse community of women business professionals. Our mission is to give the Calvin women business students an opportunity to connect with women business professionals, sharing experiences and growing mutually. We have a Mentorship Program and Sister Program, as well as our General Network.” 

• “The Network: Female Calvin business students and businesswomen professionals connecting through WBN and creating a strong, diverse community of women in business.” 
• “Mentor Program: Each student is paired with a women business professional to connect, share experiences and grow mutually through a faith-based mentor-mentee relationship.” 
• “Sister Program: Freshman/sophomore female business student (Little Sister) is paired with an upperclassman female business student (Big Sister). The Big Sister is a mentor to the freshman/sophomore, answering questions, meeting for coffee, or just a friendly face around the business department.” 

Caroline Heule, WBN president

While Cokes and Clubs already took place this semester, it’s never too late to join a new club. Visit https://calvin.edu/offices-services/student-organizations/organizations-list.html to learn about the clubs of Calvin and how to get involved.