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Calvin University's official student newspaper since 1907

Calvin University Chimes

Since 1907
Calvin University's official student newspaper since 1907

Calvin University Chimes

Calvin University's official student newspaper since 1907

Calvin University Chimes

Abigail Ham

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief

Abigail Ham is a senior from Sheffield, Vermont. She is double-majoring in PPE (politics, philosophy and economics) and writing with a minor in classics. Abbie has been a staff reporter, campus & community editor and managing editor for Chimes in past years and is excited to lead the paper as editor-in-chief. She has interned with School News Network and MiBiz while in school and after graduation will be spending the summer interning for Automotive News in Detroit and then joining Frontier Group in Boston as a policy associate.

Abbie can be reached at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter @AbigailJHam.

 

 

All content by Abigail Ham
The CRC's stance on LGBTQ+ issues is a significant area of contention in Calvin’s political dialogue.

Administrators seek to send message of consistency, clarity to denomination as Synod approaches

Abigail Ham and Katie Rosendale
April 15, 2023

Late last month, Calvin President Wiebe Boer, Provost Noah Toly, Vice President for Advancement Gregory Elzinga and University Pastor Mary Hulst met with Abide Project, an affinity group for members of...

Tired of excuses: A conversation with Shane Claiborne

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
April 15, 2023

Shane Claiborne is a Christian activist and author of many books. He is also the founder of the nonprofit organization The Simple Way in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and known for his time spent in India...

Calvin’s future depends upon remaining a place of courageous inquiry

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
April 15, 2023

Calvin is at a crossroads. Undergraduate enrollment is at a low while graduate growth soars to new heights. Navigating the denominational loyalty-academic freedom tightrope has become more challenging...

Details remain murky as excitement for football builds

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
March 25, 2023

“We’ve talked with a significant number of current and prospective students who are really excited about football,” Vice President for Enrollment Strategy Lauren Jensen told Chimes in an email. “Students...

Grammar and memorization are the keys that unlock the joy of language

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
March 25, 2023

Rote learning gets a bad rap. I get it — in my eight years as a homeschooler, I was immersed in the world of explorative, self-directed learning. There’s something about grammar and memorization that...

Calvin’s “Go Beyond” campaign launched last month.

To tell a better story: Calvin’s branding efforts up against negative internal culture

Abigail Ham and Grace Buller
March 12, 2023

A brand by definition is an abstract idea created by tangible elements. When Calvin rebranded as a university in 2019, the most obvious change was the tangible one: 82 signs around campus on which the...

Calvin and Hope fans wore MSU colors to the Calvin-Hope rivalry basketball game Feb. 15.

Calvin community responds to shooting at Michigan State University

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
February 18, 2023

Three students were killed and five others critically injured when a man opened fire on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU) on the evening of Feb. 13. MSU is located in East Lansing, MI — just...

Facing the narrative gap: a conversation with Lisa Sharon Harper

Facing the narrative gap: a conversation with Lisa Sharon Harper

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
February 13, 2023

Lisa Sharon Harper is a speaker, writer, activist and artist. She is the founder of Freedom Road consulting and the author of many books, including “The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be...

Calvin's student body holds a range of views on how the university should respond to LGBTQ+ issues.

Student Senate survey highlights points of difference and consensus

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
February 13, 2023

Student Senate’s annual survey this year highlighted points of division and agreement in the student body. Despite starkly different views on some issues, with divides along party lines as well as fields...

Stop buying books; use Hekman instead

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
February 6, 2023

Until last summer, I only very rarely checked a book out of Hekman Library. For reasons I still can't figure out, I assumed as an underclassman that Hekman wouldn’t have most or all of the books I needed...

University parts ways with CFO

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
January 15, 2023

Former Chief Financial Officer Tim Fennema is no longer serving in that role at Calvin, President Wiebe Boer announced to faculty and staff Jan. 3.  Fennema told Chimes that his departure was not his...

Calvin faculty must sign a statement of faith commitment, but policies for staff are less clear.

A question of belief:

Administrators say staff faith requirement is clear; others disagree
Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
January 15, 2023

Hiring policies at Calvin came under scrutiny last year during controversy surrounding the university’s split with the former Center for Social Research — a split which was motivated by administration...

Campus Safety removed the message from the Burton Street sign about an hour after it was written.

TPUSA party plans spur student response

Savannah Shustack and Abigail Ham
December 18, 2022

A Calvin student wrote “antisemitism here?" on the Calvin University sign facing Burton Street. The Dec. 10 act came five days after an Instagram post made by the university’s chapter of Turning Point...

DeVos signed copies of her most recent book for Calvin community members at the Prince Conference Center on Nov. 17.

“Misperception and misconceptions”: A Q&A with Betsy DeVos

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
December 4, 2022

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Chimes: I'm hoping we could start by thinking back to your time at Calvin.  DeVos: I never considered going anywhere else besides Calvin....

Students gathered outside the Prince Conference Center, where the Board of Trustees approved retaining all faculty with confessional difficulties last Friday.

Board of trustees retains faculty who disagree with CRCNA on LGBTQ+ relationships

Calvin’s board of trustees decided last Friday to approve the Professional Status Committee (PSC)'s recommendation to retain all faculty in the "pioneer cohort" — a group of faculty who were the first...

[Photo] A Calvin tradition graveyard

Ezra Craker, General Assignment Reporter
October 30, 2022

Joanna and Wiebe have filed a complaint against Calvin in federal court.

President Boer to officially take the reins this week

Inauguration events highlight vision of sustainability, diversity and community
Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
October 23, 2022

President-elect Wiebe Boer will be inaugurated at a ceremony on campus this week. Boer was appointed by the Board of Trustees in March after a six-month search.  Inauguration events have been themed...

Freshmen: There are better things to focus on than weight

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
October 23, 2022

Gaining the infamous “freshman 15” is a fear for many first-year college students. It was certainly a fear for me. But this is a stage of life when you are evolving as a person in so many ways. Trusting...

The data reflect the university’s ongoing efforts to rely on a wider range of student types; more than 14% of the current total student body is made up of nontraditional students.

The changing composition of Calvin’s student body

Census data shows undergraduate and Reformed populations still shrinking, graduate programs growing
Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
October 2, 2022

This year’s first-year undergraduate class is about 14% smaller than last year’s, according to new data released by the university last week, but enrollment in graduate programs grew by about 43%....

Through the use of everyday objects, “El Sueño Americano / The American Dream” acts as a haunting commentary of the U.S. immigration process.

[Photo] What you should have seen at ArtPrize, according to Chimes staff

Liana Hirner, Culture Editor
October 2, 2022

Through the use of everyday objects, “El Sueño Americano / The American Dream” acts as a haunting commentary of the U.S. immigration process.

Yammer is a part of the Microsoft Suite — meaning Calvin could adopt it without any new financial investment in software.

Introduction of new communication platform aims to solve old issues

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
September 26, 2022

Communications and IT staff are in the process of rolling out a new campus-wide communication platform — Yammer — to replace current Calvin News, Student News and other listservs managed through Outlook.  In...

Jeanne Anderson is an extroverted former band director who lives in Minneapolis, MN. Two years ago, her graduate studies at Calvin snowballed into an unusual passion: helping faculty build, adapt and manage online programs and courses.

Behind the screens: a graduate student’s journey from band director to online course developer

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
September 19, 2022

Jeanne Anderson is an extroverted former band director who lives in Minneapolis, MN. Two years ago, her graduate studies at Calvin snowballed into an unusual passion: helping faculty build, adapt and manage...

Common's Union, now renamed the Learner's Common, is on the docket for construction in the next ten years.

New financial strategy bets on investments in future growth

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
September 11, 2022

Calvin’s Strategic Budget Review and Calvin Tomorrow initiatives have culminated in a new financial strategy that will shape residence life, athletics, academic programs and the university’s physical...

Calvin's newly chartered student organizations kicked off the school year at Cokes and Clubs on Sept. 1.

[Photo] Get to know all your new fall 2022 clubs!

Liana Hirner, Culture Editor
September 11, 2022

Calvin's newly chartered student organizations kicked off the school year at Cokes and Clubs on Sept. 1.

Good things are happening here

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
September 4, 2022

This past summer got off to a tumultuous start for those of us following Calvin news. In the middle of a presidential transition and other changes, the Christian Reformed Church’s general meeting voted...

The plan imagines a new outdoor space for student gathering where Knollcrest Dining Hall is currently located.

New Residential Master Plan blocks implementation of planned third-year residency requirement

Abigail Ham and Emily Thomas
September 4, 2022

Vice President for Student Life Sarah Visser and Vice President for Enrollment Strategy Lauren Jensen announced July 29 that a policy intended to keep future students living on campus for three years will...

The variety of types of learners starting at Calvin this fall represent the university's ongoing efforts to grow programs beyond the traditional undergraduate experience.

Diversification efforts focus on growing Global Campus programs as undergrad enrollment remains low

Abigail Ham, Editor in Chief
September 4, 2022

Calvin’s ongoing strategy of diversification has increased the number of students who are not traditional undergraduates. Diversifying the types of learners that make up the student body is an intentional...

Cabinet reorganization introduces new positions and priorities

Cabinet reorganization introduces new positions and priorities

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
August 31, 2022

The president's cabinet no longer includes a vice president for people, strategy and technology and now includes new marketing and chief of staff positions, as well as the vice chair of faculty senate....

Calvin faculty are asking for protection for a variety of viewpoints on sexuality as they wait for more information from the university and the denomination.

“The space to remain together”: Faculty seek protection for variety of viewpoints on sexuality

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
July 26, 2022

More than 200 faculty, staff and emeriti signed a July 15 letter to university administrators and the board of trustees seeking protection for a range of viewpoints on human sexuality to continue coexisting...

Nursing professor Adejoke Bolanle Ayoola will be the School of Health's founding dean.

Community-focused nursing professor to guide School of Health as founding dean

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
June 24, 2022

Calvin’s School of Health, established after an anonymous alumn donated $15 million in October 2021, has named its inaugural dean and begun assembling an advisory council. Three graduate programs are...

Faculty and staff morale hits new low, sunk by unsustainable workloads and fear

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
June 21, 2022

Paula Manni-Pohler is a 2013 Calvin graduate who joined Calvin’s staff as gallery coordinator in 2015. She has since taken on the roles of adjunct instructor and arts programming coordinator. Due...

The CRC's stance on LGBTQ+ issues is a significant area of contention in Calvin’s political dialogue.

Synod is over, but what will its decisions mean for Calvin?

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
June 16, 2022

The Christian Reformed Church in North America’s governing body voted in favor of recommending the Human Sexuality Report to churches and affirmed that an interpretation of the Heidelberg Catechism used...

The CRCNA's Synod 2022 meetings are underway on campus.

What to know as you watch Synod 2022

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
June 13, 2022

The Christian Reformed Church in North America — Calvin’s denominational mother — opened the in-person portion of its Synod 2022 meetings last week at the university chapel. While the gathering’s...

Loyd-Paige and Hubers will be the seventh and eighth cabinet members to retire in the last three years.

Two cabinet members to leave Calvin by end of 2023

Abigail Ham, Editor-in-Chief
May 31, 2022

President Michael Le Roy announced the planned retirements of Michelle Loyd-Paige and Todd Hubers in an email sent to faculty and staff on May 18. On a cabinet of eleven administrators, they will be the...

Protestors gathered in downtown Grand Rapids throughout the week.

‘Another day in America’: Calvin community responds to killing of Patrick Lyoya by GRPD

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
April 21, 2022

When Calvin senior Oliva Mason first heard about the killing of Patrick Lyoya by a Grand Rapids police officer, a feeling of numbness came over her. It wasn’t until later that she found herself crying,...

Since the announcement of the reasoning for the CSR split, members of the Calvin community have worked together to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.

LGBTQ+ students and allies organize advocacy events in wake of controversy

Hadassa Ribeiro and Abigail Ham
April 10, 2022

More than 50 students, alumni and Center for Social Research employees lined the hall outside the provost and president’s offices Wednesday morning, waving pride flags while three current students and...

Wiebe Boer will take over as Calvin's 11th president this summer. (Photo from All-on.com)

Calvin names Shell–All On executive as university’s 11th president

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
March 28, 2022

The Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Wiebe Boer, a Calvin alumnus and the current CEO of a renewable energy-focused investment company in Nigeria, as the next president of Calvin University. Boer...

LGBTQ+ issues are a topic of hot debate at Calvin, where employment policies prohibit same-sex marriages.

[Photo] Campus Involvement and Leadership office removes unauthorized LGBTQ+ pride flag display

Harm Venhuizen, Editor-in-Chief
March 25, 2022

LGBTQ+ issues are a topic of hot debate at Calvin, where employment policies prohibit same-sex marriages.

State of the Student: The Center for Counseling & Wellness

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
March 21, 2022

State of the Student is a report compiled by Vice President Sarah Visser to give Faculty Senate a sense of current trends in students’ mental health needs. Chimes has highlighted different categories...

State of the Student: Residence Life

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
March 14, 2022

State of the Student is a report compiled by Vice President Sarah Visser to give Faculty Senate a sense of current trends in students’ mental health needs. Chimes will highlight different categories...

State of the Student: Health Services

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
March 14, 2022

In 2015, depression and anxiety were the seventh most common reason for visits to Health Services. Just over 1,000 students visited for those reasons. In 2021, visits relating to depression and anxiety...

The "Prodigal Son" mural misportrays the narrative of the parable.

Library lobby paintings get the prodigal son story wrong

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
February 20, 2022

It’s easy to miss: on a not-quite-large-enough wall space behind a squat brick column in the library lobby is a series of paintings titled “Prodigal Son." The scenes portrayed in the four paintings...

Calvin's baseball team will play outdoors for the first time this year at a tournament in Florida.

Baseball to launch season in Florida with nine back-to-back games

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
February 12, 2022

After two years of limited travel due to COVID restrictions, Calvin’s baseball team will open the 2022 spring season with a spring break trip to compete against NCAA Division III teams from across the...

Small groups prompt employees to grapple with human sexuality

Small groups prompt employees to grapple with human sexuality

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
February 11, 2022

Politics, sexuality, faith – go for a walk around Calvin, and it won’t take long to notice these are divisive issues. On a campus that struggles to avoid branding itself politically, filled with students...

Viewership has risen thanks to a combination of remote and in person viewers.

January Series smashes total viewing record

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
February 3, 2022

At the conclusion of the January Series on Jan. 28, Director Kristi Potter announced that the series would reach a total of more than 100,000 viewers by the evening. Despite a daily on-campus attendance...

The full email transition is set to take place in 2022.

Domain transition to ease multi-system confusion

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
January 24, 2022

By the end of this semester, all @students.calvin.edu email addresses will be replaced with @calvin.edu addresses, allowing all students and employees to log in to the same domain. Following the transition,...

Another winter, another spike: COVID-19 case counts soar as students return from break

Another winter, another spike: COVID-19 case counts soar as students return from break

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
January 15, 2022

From Harvard to the University of Washington, campuses across the U.S. launched or will launch the spring semester online, hoping to mitigate post-holiday spread of the omicron variant. Calvin has a different...

Calvin's organists will lead two chapel services in February.

[Photo] Calvin ministry groups plan for new semester

Levi Huizenga, Staff Reporter
January 15, 2022

Calvin's organists will lead two chapel services in February.

Live performances of the Messiah returned this year for the Oratorio Society's 102nd season.

Handel’s Messiah returns with live performances for 102nd season

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
December 21, 2021

For over 100 years, the Calvin Oratorio Society has heralded the arrival of the Christmas season with performances of Handel’s Messiah. In 2020, a group of Calvin faculty, staff and students joined Calvin...

Speakers for the January Series come from all over the country and world to speak.

With no interim this year, January Series continues to adapt

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
December 5, 2021

“My whole adult life has been at Calvin,” January Series Director Kristi Potter, who has been in her current role for 15 years, told Chimes. “It will be bittersweet to be done.” This year’s...

Students partner with YWAM’s Circuit Riders to return revival event to campus

Students partner with YWAM’s Circuit Riders to return revival event to campus

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
November 14, 2021

A team of Calvin students is organizing with Circuit Riders, a ministry of Youth With A Mission, to bring their Carry The Love tour back to Calvin in spring 2022. Circuit Riders is a Gen-Z-powered and...

Calvin’s Carly Bogdajewicz assembles soundtracks for hundreds of unique vibes

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
November 7, 2021

Senior Carly Bogdajewicz has created more than 200 public playlists on Spotify. She has more than 67,000 followers and is verified on the app.  Bogdajewicz’s playlists range from the gentle and nostalgic...

Fifth Reformed Church sits close to Calvin on Griggs Street. Photo courtesy Fifth Reformed Church.

Many children of faculty continue at Christian schools post requirement changes

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
November 1, 2021

“Is it good that Calvin required Christian schooling? Yes,” chemistry professor Chad Tatko told Chimes. “What a wonderful testament to the role of Christ in every area of our lives. Was it easy?...

Stay in the Room

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
November 1, 2021

​Seventy-five percent of executive women have experienced imposter syndrome and 85 percent believe it is commonly experienced by women across corporate America, according to a 2020 study by professional...

How Calvin's parking stacks up to the competition

How Calvin’s parking stacks up to the competition

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
October 30, 2021

Campus safety officers issue approximately 2,300 parking permits to students every year, according to Campus Safety Director William Corner. Calvin parking permits for student cars cost $195 per year for...

The PSC released a position profile for the next president on Oct. 15.

Enrollment, Synod 2022 and morale top agenda items in new presidential position profile

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
October 23, 2021

The Presidential Search Committee is looking for someone with the skills necessary to guide Calvin through a tumultuous period of its history: someone who values a balance between tradition and innovation,...

COVID concerns make recycling difficult.

Recycling to return to campus by early December

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
October 23, 2021

Recycling bins will once again be dispersed across campus by early December. COVID-19 restrictions, not staffing reductions, have been the main source of delays in reintroduction of campus-wide recycling,...

Rooks-Van Dellen Hall received an occupancy permit on Oct. 12 after multiple delays in renovations.

Shuttered by supply-chain issues and reduced staffing, RVD now fit for occupancy

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
October 23, 2021

Every year, a residence hall undergoes renovations while it’s empty over the summer. This year that dorm was Rooks-Van Dellen, but for the first time ever, Sept. 1 came and went as renovations continued....

Chemistry professor  Kumar Sinniah encouraged Kharel (second from left) to give Calvin a try.

Visa delays kept 20+ students from campus this fall

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
October 17, 2021

Due to major delays in visa processing in their home countries, more than 20 international students were unable to start classes with their peers at Calvin this fall. The admissions office is currently...

Calvin students look out toward the border with Slovakia from the roof of the Basilica of Esztergom in northern Hungary.

Hungary semester first off-campus program to return: Spain, Honduras and Great Britain anticipate spring launch

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
October 2, 2021

Calvin students are studying abroad this semester for the first time since early spring 2020, when the Great Britain, Ghana and Spain groups returned to the United States due to the pandemic. Thirteen...

The PSC released an updated timeline at their Sept. 22 meeting.
OR: The PSC expects to recommend a candidate for appointment by March 1, 2022.

Calvin community sets response record on presidential search survey

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
October 2, 2021

More than 800 students, faculty, parents, alumni and other Calvin community members responded to the Presidential Search Committee’s recent survey, according to Cindy Wolffis, executive assistant and...

 Calvin ranks well among the top Christian schools on the Regional Universities Midwest list.

Calvin’s U.S. News ranking falls overall, climbs in teaching and engineering

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
September 26, 2021

Calvin climbed the charts in Best Undergraduate Teaching, Most Innovative and Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings. On the overall ranking of Regional...

 COVID was detected in Boer-Bennink wastewater this week.

Wastewater testing warns of COVID in residence halls

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
September 26, 2021

Wastewater testing in on-campus residences provided forewarning of possible COVID cases in the Boer-Bennink community Saturday. The Knollcrest East apartments received a similar warning earlier this month. The...

Presidential Search Committee hunts for new hire

Presidential Search Committee hunts for new hire

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
September 12, 2021

In preparation for President Michael Le Roy’s 2022 departure, a Presidential Search Committee has been formed to guide the university’s search for a new highest administrator. The PSC is composed of...

Michael Le Roy and Ken Erffmeyer (left and right) are among those leaving the university this year. Noah Toly (center) stepped up as provost this summer.

Wave of administration departures continues, new leaders step up

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
September 9, 2021

By the beginning of next school year, more than half of Calvin’s highest leaders will have held their positions for three years or fewer. Six of Calvin’s 10 cabinet-level positions have either recently...

Ted Koopmans, Calvin's former head of building services, displayed a code of conduct in his office.

‘Complete betrayal’: Facilities changes met with criticism by staff and community

Abigail Ham, Managing Editor
July 21, 2021

Over his desk in the basement of DeVos Communication Center, Ted Koopmans kept a copy of his personal code of conduct. “Ted Koopmans is expected to exemplify personal integrity, honesty, respect, humility,...

Students in Calvin's German program enjoy a trip abroad. The German major was among those cut by university officials.

Facing financial strain, university cuts programs, 2 tenured profs and facilities department

Harm Venhuizen and Abigail Ham
June 10, 2021

After reviewing recommendations from the Academic Program Review, university officials have decided to cut five major programs, seven minors and its in-house facilities management, according to a faculty-wide...

Henderson with her summer 2019 research group at a telescope in Rehoboth, NM.

Swimming upstream: Calvin women reflect on experiences in fields dominated by men

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
April 29, 2021

The Imbalance In Calvin’s physics department, which has an all-male faculty, junior Lauren Henderson is a rarity. “Typically, my classes have about 25 percent or fewer women,” Henderson told Chimes....

Calvin offered the Abbot BinaxNow rapid antigen test which provides results in 15 minutes.

TnT hosts mass vaccine clinic as last push to vaccinate students

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
April 21, 2021

The Track and Tennis Center will host a mass vaccination clinic Wednesday April 21. Calvin has more than 350 doses of the Moderna vaccine currently available and the ability to acquire more. Students can...

Concern about Johnson & Johnson safety prompts switch to Moderna vaccine on campus

Concern about Johnson & Johnson safety prompts switch to Moderna vaccine on campus

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-editor
April 13, 2021

The FDA has recommended pausing use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine, which the Calvin clinic has been distributing to students and faculty.  This change comes after six women who received...

Calvin has several famous alumni from over the years.

Six influential people you didn’t know are Calvin alumni

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
April 8, 2021

Although most famous for being the alma mater of Betsy Devos, Paul Schrader and Jay Van Andel, Calvin’s collection of distinguished alumni also includes a four-time Academy Award nominee, a groundbreaking...

Pause week events included food trucks around Commons Lawn and in the CFAC parking lot.

Pause week partial success

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
April 8, 2021

A week of food trucks, red ball tournaments and changes to course pacing on March 22-26 substituted for spring break last month, but the goal of alleviating student stress was met with mixed results. According...

More than 100 students gathered on Commons Lawn Wednesday morning to show support for Asian and Asian American students.

Asian student organizations stand together against hate

Abigail Ham, Campus and Community Co-Editor
April 8, 2021

More than 100 students, as well as Pastor Mary Hulst, President Le Roy and other university leaders, gathered on Commons Lawn Wednesday morning to show support for Asian and Asian American students.  The...

Uptick in Michigan COVID cases not reflected on campus

Uptick in Michigan COVID cases not reflected on campus

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
March 25, 2021

Although Calvin’s COVID positivity rate has been relatively low since early March, the state of Michigan is currently experiencing its highest positivity rate since mid January.  On Mar. 22, Michigan...

Calvin has experienced steady endowment growth for the past few years.

[Photo] Revenue continues to fall short of operating budget. Endowment has grown

March 20, 2021

Calvin has experienced steady endowment growth for the past few years.

Students Izuchi Ebeku, Sean Salamun, and Richard Tuttle formed the senate team that spearheaded the scooter project.

After bike program crash, Spin scoots back to Calvin’s campus

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
March 11, 2021

Student senate team leader Sean Salamun has been dreaming of bringing electric scooters to campus since he was a first-year student. Now, thanks to the hard work of team members Izuchi Ebeku and Richard...

With expanded vaccine access, hope for fall returns

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
March 11, 2021

As vaccines become more widely available and trust in them increases, a COVID-free fall seems within reach. On Mar. 3, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced that eligibility...

Course evals perpetuate racism and sexism in higher ed

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
March 4, 2021

The implicit (or in some cases explicit) biases of students, especially white students, have an unacceptable impact on maintaining the faculty demographic status quo at Calvin. Negative responses on course...

Rendering of plans for the new business school.

Business school construction begins with ground breaking ceremony

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
March 4, 2021

President Michael Le Roy and the founding donors symbolically broke ground on the new school of business on Tuesday, Mar. 2 at 11 a.m in a parking lot outside the DeVos Communication Center. “This...

Some two-week restrictions lifted as rising cases slow and close contacts fall

Some two-week restrictions lifted as rising cases slow and close contacts fall

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
February 22, 2021

In response to downward trends in isolation and quarantine numbers, campus will begin a gradual lifting of the enhanced physical distancing measure under which it has been operating since Feb 8, according...

Students gather for in-person learning prior to the partial shutdown orders issued last week. (Photo from calvin.edu)

Students are getting sicker, ER visits increasing as COVID spike continues

Abigail Ham, Campus and Community Co-Editor
February 18, 2021
Students are averaging one to two ER visits per week, a significant increase from last semester.
What's in store for the future of GOP as Trump leaves office?

What comes next? Campus conservatives reflect on GOP’s future relationship with Trump

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-editor
February 11, 2021

Micah Watson, professor of political science and director of the politics, philosophy and economics program, alongside campus TPUSA leader Stephanie Robinson and Calvin Republicans leaders Marian Henderson,...

A review of Netflix’s “Malcolm & Marie which was released last Friday.

“Malcolm & Marie” smothers itself in pretension

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
February 11, 2021

Netflix’s “Malcolm & Marie,” filmed last June and July, is an emotional rollercoaster that at times feels like an insane mixture of Platonic dialogues, silent movies and indie music videos. It’s...

The new Netflix show Bridgerton has seen significant popularity.

Period dramas in a pandemic, and a few of the many problems with “Bridgerton”

Abigail Ham, Staff Writer
February 4, 2021

This review contains spoilers. The Netflix original show “Bridgerton,” inspired by the Julia Quinn novels of the same name, has been watched by more than 82 million people since its release on Christmas...

About 400 Calvin faculty, staff, and students have been able to receive vaccinations against COVID-19.

Health students share COVID vaccine experiences

Abigail Ham, C&C Co-Editor
February 4, 2021

About 400 Calvin faculty, staff, and students, including many Nursing Department students, have been able to receive vaccinations against COVID-19, according to a press release. Two vaccines have received...

Eight movie ideas to kill time with your parents (without squirming)

Abigail Ham, Staff Reporter
December 3, 2020

Have you ever gotten halfway through telling a college story to your parents before remembering that the ending you’re working toward is not as parent-safe as you were thinking? That feeling of self-imposed...

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