During the spring semester of 2024, Calvin University’s Knollcrest and Handlon Campuses merged in the form of “inside-out” learning opportunities. One such opportunity took shape during an Honors 280 course on the Handlon campus, where 18 Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) students and five Knollcrest students met to traverse “Life Together in Prison.” Taught by Provost Toly and Professor Watson, this course navigated the writings of the twentieth centuries’ most influential prisoners, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Nelson Mandela, Kim Dae-jung and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as a poem from Etheridge Knight.
“The Honors 280 metagoal is change,” Toly explained to the class. “Specifically, it is moving from learning about to learning with to learning from our neighbors.” Toly was able to connect with CPI students academically while learning about what other Calvin professors have experienced over the past decade. It is this experience of learning together that the Honors 280 class would like to share with the greater Calvin community through questions and answers exchanged between classmates from both campuses.
In the form of small group discussions, students from both campuses combined intersectional ingredients based on age, race, culture, gender, social economics, geographies and historical events. Each group then distilled these topical components as a means to develop complex yet potent discussions. For instance, most of the writers that we discussed were high-profile political or religious dissidents who appeared in different decades, were located on different continents and endured different catastrophic injustices with differing outcomes.
However, none of our authors were idle with their time spent behind bars. In fact, much like the majority of the CPI students on the Handlon Campus, these prisoners were continuing to search for ways to help improve their communities. Each of the political prisoners utilized their time of incarceration as a means to stir up and shape positively charged currents of change — not remaining isolated in their carceral setting, but reaching beyond those barriers in hopes of equipping others for that change.
When asked about their thoughts on learning with incarcerated students about change, one of the Knollcrest students answered that “[The opportunity] reshaped my view of what a ‘prisoner’ is. The stereotype of prison is that it’s just an awful place filled with awful people, and while that may hold true in some ways in some places, there are also people doing good things in prison, and I need to remember that.” Additionally, another Knollcrest student added, “This class has shown me the power that education can have. I have gained more insights into the difficulties of incarceration, but I still recognize that I know nowhere near the depth of hurt and difficulties it can bring.”
Knollcrest students Bear, Ethan, Joe, and the Emmas (as they are affectionately called) seamlessly engaged in discussions of complex topics about and in a foreign environment while maintaining their unique personalities. The authenticity with which each student was able to exchange ideas allowed us to learn about one another while fostering a sphere of cooperation and consideration. In fact, when asked if the engagement with CPI students during the “inside-out” honors course enriched their higher learning experience, one Knollcrest student answered, “Yes! I find this class as being integral for my education. So many times at Calvin we have heard about CPI and the work being done, but being placed inside the prison is an irreplaceable experience that I will not forget.” In addition to this student’s experience, another student added that “I have always heard from professors who have taught [at Handlon] how engaged and active CPI students are during class. This was exactly my experience too. The conversations I had with my classmates were some of the most engaging conversations I have ever had in a class throughout my time at Calvin.” While the CPI students appreciate knowing that we can be contributors to the growth and development of their learning experience, it was the Knollcrest students’ willingness to participate alongside us that complemented some key structural moments of our socialization.
For example, when the Knollcrest students asked CPI students about the value of interaction between the two campuses, and how we would like to see that interaction grow or improve, a CPI student answered, “Diversity is always a necessity in learning and growth. I believe that opportunities to converse with other age groups, classes, races, etc. are essential to viewing the world panoramically. When we meet diverse groups, we usually learn that we are all humans expressing similar stories.” The key element when learning about, with and from one another was the diversity that each of the Knollcrest students brought with them during each discussion. Further, when asked if CPI students feel connected to Knollcrest — and how — our reply was, “Although we are connected through Spark as well as building bridges through Chimes, being given the opportunity to engage in ‘inside-out’ classes is how we will continue to foster connectivity. CPI’s overarching goal is to prepare its graduates to help lead in the communities we will enter into. Therefore, having more ‘inside-out’ opportunities will translate into learning better socialization skills, which in turn will help guide us in that acclimation.”
Concerning the interaction between the campuses, the Knollcrest students asked their CPI classmates what added value the interaction lended to our educational experience. One of the student’s responses was, “I believe Handlon needs the larger context of the Knollcrest campus to avoid stagnation. I would like to see a mutual mentoring interaction—we teach them about hardships, they teach us about technology and innovations.”
Along with the interaction between the two campuses, learning about one another’s expectations was integral to fostering comradery. For instance, when the Knollcrest students were asked what their hopes were while interacting with CPI, and if they were met, one student answered, “I didn’t have many expectations beyond being in a class full of students who are very engaged and asked good questions. This class has been an incredible experience and my classmates challenged me to think deeper and shared insights on the readings that I never could have gotten on my own.” This quote is just one example of how the connectivity of this shared experience allowed us to learn from one another.
Moreover, having the provost of Calvin University desiring to learn about, with, and from the CPI students was a monumental gesture of his commitment to being an agent of renewal in God’s creation. Toly was deeply engaged with the lecturing method that reflected his vast knowledge of each reading. His approach allowed the students to easily follow along and pick upon nuances of his teaching style, and allowed us to learn more about the provost himself. As for the Knollcrest students, their active participation and veracity of interaction with the CPI students highlighted their intentions to learn with “their fellow classmates” on the Handlon Campus. Alongside them, the CPI students learned from the Knollcrest students about the importance of pulling our skills together as a resource toward solution building while developing lasting communities. Our experiences are our resources and they have shaped us for critical thinking, acting justly, and living wholeheartedly.
Ultimately, what we were experiencing together was how education continues to shape our ability to socialize with one another, despite the obstacles. While all classmates of this honors course would have enjoyed more time interacting with one another, I trust that each will at least treasure the moments we were allowed to learn about, with, and from each other. I know I will.
