On Nov. 10, in a 13-5 vote, Student Senate allocated two thousand dollars of funding towards installing an accessible automatic door button for a restroom in the business building as well as another two thousand dollars towards a native-plant rain garden in the Hiemenga Hall courtyard.

Process

Each year, Student Senate has the opportunity to allocate a four-thousand-dollar budget from Executive Vice President for Student Experience and Strategy Sarah Visser towards various projects, according to Pauline Lu and Catie Kramer, vice president of communications and vice president of administration, respectively, on behalf of Student Senate.

This year’s four-thousand-dollar budget allocation process looked different than in years past. According to Lue and Kramer, “This year, we took a creative approach to our traditional 4k process and decided to spend the money on two physical improvement projects.” This change comes as a result of wanting “to give senators the opportunity to propose ‘package’ desks where the money is allocated to multiple projects, rather than just one,” the two continued. This was done to “encourage collaboration, creativity and [to] optimize the opportunity,” Lu and Kramer explained. 

In terms of how projects are proposed, Lu and Kramer emphasized that “we draw inspiration from a mix of sources, including ideas directly from senators, input from other student organizations and responses from the student body survey.” The survey, taken by students towards the beginning of the semester, was used to help Senators determine what student priorities for the year are, and this year’s survey included things like a desire for “sustainability, accessibility and campus improvement.” Senators then developed project proposals based on these themes. 

Lu and Kramer explained that decisions for this project began on Oct. 27, when 10 Senators proposed short bids. Senate then voted for their top 5 bids, which were then presented as full proposals at the Senate meeting on Nov. 10. After hearing these proposals, Senators had the opportunity to propose which proposals should be packaged together — meaning that multiple projects would split the total of four-thousand dollars — and then ranked their top 3 package deals or individual proposals. From there, the final package was confirmed with a vote. 

Projects 

Franny Turnage, a student on the leadership board for Disability Inclusion Project (DIP), was part of conversations that led to the proposal of ADA-compliant automatic door buttons for one of the main lobby bathrooms in the business building, one of the two projects that will be receiving two thousand dollars of the allocations.

Now that the project has received half of the budget, DIP’s “next step is to work with Facilities and the Campus Accessibility Advisory Committee (CAAC) to determine the exact expense and implementation process,” Turnage explained. These buttons vary in price, so DIP plans to request the remaining expenses necessary for installation from CAAC.

To the student body, Turnage says that “small changes can add up in meaningful ways. While Calvin still has areas for improvement, projects like this reflect a genuine willingness to invest in accessibility and inclusion for everyone. As a religious institution, Calvin is technically exempt from [Americans with Disabilities Act] ADA Title III public accommodation requirements, so it’s especially encouraging to see that people here are amenable not only to following those standards, but also to taking them a step further by installing automatic door buttons, features not expressly required under the ADA. I’m also deeply grateful to Student Senate for their openness to accessibility-focused initiatives and for voting to take on this project. Their willingness to prioritize inclusion makes a real difference. This project reflects the campus’ ongoing commitment to ensuring that every member of our community is supported.”

Ian Tjoelker, chair of Earthkeepers, explains that the native-plant rain garden that will be planted in the Hiemenga Hall courtyard is “one of Earthkeeper’s signature projects for the year.” According to Tjoelker,  the hope of the project is to transform the courtyard “into a space that is both beautiful and biodiverse.” 

This project is based on student survey trends, which suggest that “students are really excited about the sustainability projects that Student Senate and Earthkeepers have done in the past,” Tjoelker explained. 

In terms of what Tjoelker would like students to know in regard to the native-plant rain garden, he says, “Get ready! Get your gloves and get your trowels! Come Earth Day, we will be having a planting day to convert that space into a rain garden.”

“Together, these projects exemplify the mission of Student Senate: to engage student perspectives and pursue positive change with integrity,” said Lu and Kramer.

Note: Ian Tjoelker, chair of Earthkeepers, is also the General Assignment Editor for Chimes, but was consulted only for comments on the native-plant rain garden project.