Does rape culture exist? A recent article in the Banner titled “Rape Culture and Christian Colleges” by Gayla Postma discussed the existence of rape culture at Christian colleges such as Calvin and...
Vying for votes on the coming election day, incumbent Republican Representative Justin Amash and his challengers, Douglas Smith, a Democrat, and Ted Gerrard of the US Taxpayers Party, sparred over issues...
For the first time in fifteen years, the number of children poisoned by lead in Kent County increased this year. A 30% increase in children with high blood lead levels in Grand Rapids from 2015 to 2016...
The South Hill neighborhood, located near downtown in the southeast end of Grand Rapids , prides itself in upholding a strong sense of community through generations of change.
Nearly a thousand residents...
“It’s something that doesn’t really leave you,” senior Sierra Savela said of the rape she experienced almost two years ago.
“The healing process is really long and the survivor will probably...
This past week almost a thousand white flags stood in the center of Common’s lawn, representing the proportional number of people in Calvin’s community who will be a victim of sexual assault during...
Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes around the world, and Calvin’s campus is no exception. Our individual and community attitudes towards reporting and supporting those who report...
Last week, I wrote about the importance of addressing the reality of sexual assault on our campus, which we are doing during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We are going to take time to come together,...
“It doesn’t really happen here, does it?” is something I’ve heard either directly or implied so many times when people talk about sexual assault in Christian communities it almost seems to be true....
Going beyond the classroom and hospital, Calvin nursing students invest in local neighborhoods through placements in the community.
First semester juniors and second semester seniors are placed in one...
Proposal 1, the proposed constitutional amendment allocating funding for Michigan’s roads, received a decisive rejection at the polls on Tuesday, May 5.
Despite the backing of Governor Snyder and...
Beer enthusiasts rejoice. Grand Rapids now has an opportunity for amateur home-brewers to develop their skills through a beer degree at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC).
Seeking to be part of the...
Today Michigan residents will vote on whether the state will increase its sales tax by one percent to fund the repair of Michigan roads.
If passed, Proposal 1 will shuffle the tax structure—the...
Amidst racial tension and upheaval across the country in cities from Ferguson to Baltimore, the YWCA is taking steps towards solidarity against racism in cities throughout the nation with its Stand Against...
“You need to know the history of a city to understand why it is the way it is today,” said Josh Leo, a 2005 Calvin graduate and founder of GR Walks, an app that provides guided audio tours that dig...
Five Grand Rapids museums will be free and open to the public this Sunday, April 26, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. as part of the Museums Free for All event.
The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM), the Urban Institute...
Committed to changing the polluted reality of the local watershed, the Plaster Creek Stewards encouraged participants to rethink their understanding of rain during its educational and experiential Spring...
This weekend, the East Hills neighborhood, located at the corners of Diamond, Lake and Cherry Streets, is hosting a celebration of products inspired by and made in Michigan.
As part of the event, businesses...
“There are a lot of people talking about local food. FarmLink’s doing local food,” Jerry Adams, co-founder of FarmLink, insisted as chefs and farmers bustled around the FarmLink headquarters, located...
The first weekend of the two-week DisArt festival drew disabled and able bodied individuals alike to downtown Grand Rapids to interact with art and discuss issues associated with disability.
The opening...
The landscape along the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids may soon be reimagined. In a proposed $10 million deal with Kent County, Michigan State University and Grand Rapids’ parking system, the city...
In a state entrenched in human trafficking, a new law will require training for health care professionals to identify the signs of human trafficking in an effort to cut down on the severity and number...
“When the environment is unhealthy, society is unhealthy,” a panelist stated at the fourth annual Women and the Environment Symposium.
The event, hosted by the West Michigan Environmental Action...
Nurturing a community of local poets, the Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition enters its 47th year and seeks to continue to stimulate creativity among Kent County residents of all ages.
“There’s growth...
“When patients walk into Health Intervention Services, they often say, ‘It’s different when I come here,’” said Sylvia Daining, retiring executive director of Health Intervention Services (HIS),...
“People are shocked to hear that there are 200 homeless youth on any given night in Grand Rapids,” says Dan Scott, graduate school intern at the newly opened homeless teen drop-in center, HQ, located...
Declared the “anti-50 Shades of Grey,” “Old Fashioned,” a Christian romance produced by Calvin alumni, is challenging the way the media portrays relationships.
Opening the same weekend as the...
In the wake of racial tension and police distrust stemming from the events in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City, N.Y., the city manager of Grand Rapids has proposed giving every police officer a body camera.
In...
Kicking off her campaign for mayor at Wealthy Theatre on January 28, current City Commissioner Rosalynn Bliss drew on her experience in government leadership and shared her vision for more growth and inclusivity...
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 50 years after the landmark Civil Rights Act was finally adopted as the law of the land, hundreds came together at Grand Rapids Community College’s Ford Fieldhouse to remember...
A landmark case challenging the status quo of same-sex marriage in America is moving from Michigan to the Supreme Court.
April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse of Hazel Park, Mich., along with couples from other...
Michigan’s shoddy roads may be getting a long-awaited makeover.
Governor Rick Snyder signed a set of 11 bills on Monday that will rearrange the structure of state taxes and increase the sales tax...
Interim at Calvin provides students with additional time to relax and explore a wide range of new interests. While the cold temperatures can deter some from spending time outside, the shift in seasons...
As awareness and action against sexual assault rises nationwide, social work professor Rachel Venema investigated the perception and attitudes of police officers in her article, “Police Officer Schema...
Downtown Grand Rapids and the Grand River are undergoing a revitalization. GR Forward, a local campaign dedicated to renewing the city center through urban development and river care and action, is coming...
The Grand Rapids music scene has come to a living room near you. Over the past weekend of Nov. 7-9, the third annual Lamp Light Music Festival brought together local music enthusiasts with both local and...
Business in Grand Rapids, especially that of local small businesses, is booming. At the 25th annual Neighborhood Business Awards, held at the Wealthy Theater on Thursday, Nov. 6, a celebration was held...
The people have spoken. This past Tuesday, thousands of Michiganders took part in local elections and Governor Rick Snyder was reelected to a second term against Democrat Mark Schauer.
In his acceptance...
The secret is out: Grand Rapids is the “Best Beer Town” in the nation!
But to both beer connoisseurs and casual sippers alike, it’s not much of a secret. Grand Rapids breweries are known across...
According to a recent article published by Forbes, Grand Rapids has the fifth-largest economic recovery in the country.
The statement was based on measuring the metropolitan area's GDP rate increase...
The Grand Rapids Drive, a minor league basketball team affiliated with the Detroit Pistons, is about to make its first appearance.
Grand Rapids is already home to two successful minor league sports...
The Kalamazoo Promise is giving greater opportunities in secondary education to Kalamazoo Public Schools graduates, and Calvin is now a part of this successful program.
From its inception in 2005, this...
Over the summer, Friends of Grand Rapids’ Parks worked tirelessly on creating Pleasant Park, a new park at the corner of Pleasant and Madison in the Heritage Hill neighborhood. From 4:30 to 7:30 p.m....
A few years ago, Jamiel Robinson — the founder and president of Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses (GRABB), a Grand Rapids native, and established businessman — noticed something that struck him. Amidst...
Grand Rapids is about to be bombarded with art once again.
The internationally recognized art competition ArtPrize enters its sixth year beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 24, and running through Oct. 12.
The...
Following the approval of the new Calvin community garden last spring, the plot, located beyond the Spoelhof Fieldhouse on Hampshire Street, has experienced a flurry of growth.
The new garden had some...
The Calvin community celebrated new beginnings at its 138th commencement on Tuesday morning, which featured the installation of Cheryl Brandsen as the college’s eighth provost and a special welcome to...
This Saturday, hundreds of athletes and participants will be running, jumping, and swimming across Calvin’s campus as part of this year’s Special Olympics.
Starting at 8:00 a.m. with a parade of athletes...
This coming Saturday marks the 6th annual Mad Farmer Food Fest (MFFF), which will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the KE apartments. The event serves as an opportunity for Calvin students to interact...
Heart pounding, adrenaline racing and a surging sense of accomplishment. Ask any one of the participants in Girls on the Run about how they feel after completing a race, and you’re bound to get an enthusiastic...
Nydia Langill is one strong athlete. You won’t see her competing for Calvin’s team, but if you head to the Venema Aquatic Center on any given day, you will be able to see the first-year student churning...
A proposal for the construction of a new community garden near the east edge of campus on Hampshire Street is up for approval this week. It is likely to be approved, and work will begin when the snow melts...
Kill-A-Watt, Calvin’s annual Interim student sustainability competition, has come around again, with a wide variety of opportunities for students to focus on caring for creation and conserving resources,...
I am someone who loves the feel of dirt underneath my fingernails. I believe that nibbling on a piece of fresh-picked broccoli is a simple and pure experience that everyone should have frequently. That...
Incognito, a word typically associated with a purposely hidden identity, takes on a new meaning in Michael Fosberg’s one-man play of the same name.
Receiving world-flipping news instantly uncloaks Fosberg’s...
