Last weekend, I performed my senior violin recital in Calvin’s Recital Hall. Standing in front of dozens of friends, family members and teachers, I played the notes I knew so well: the opening melody...

Religion journalist Jonathan Merritt spoke at Calvin’s Festival of Faith & Writing in April. He writes for The Atlantic, The Week and Religion News Service, and he’s the author of “A Faith of...

As I’ve been working on the last few issues of my Chimes career, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to listen to and amplify voices other than my own. As a news organization, we try to do that by publishing...

The Vision 2030 team recently released an updated draft of Calvin’s vision statement, incorporating feedback from listening sessions with the Calvin community. The team spent the first half of this...

Students expressed enthusiasm for Calvin’s draft vision statement at a forum hosted by President Michael Le Roy and Sarah Visser, vice president for student life, on Monday, Feb. 26. The forum took...

The Vision 2030 team has released a new draft vision statement that includes rebranding Calvin College as Calvin University by 2030. The team is holding three forums to present the statement and receive...

Chimes reassembled our staff this week, fresh from interim break and trips around the world, ready for another semester of writing and editing and keeping Calvin informed. This spring, we’re making...

Last weekend I played in my last ever Calvin Oratorio Society performance of Handel’s “Messiah.” These performances have been highlights of each of my four years at Calvin, and as stressed-out as...

Calvin is currently considering the question of whether to remain a comprehensive liberal arts college or become a “liberal arts university.” This is one of four questions framing Calvin’s current...

A panel discussion Monday afternoon considered the role of satellite campuses, online learning and other multi-platform offerings in Calvin’s future. The event, one of four public Vision 2029 discussions...

It often surprises me how hard it is to get started working on something I love. I have many ongoing projects this year—a large paper, an honors thesis, a violin recital, this newspaper—and they all...

We are well-trained in cynicism these days. We expect promises from on high to be broken, whether they’re from politicians, pastors or college presidents. We’re suspicious of anyone who asks us to...

Calvin is once again welcoming a smaller incoming class to campus this fall, though retention of students from last year’s incoming class rose enough to compensate. This year’s class includes 889...

Even print newspapers can embrace in the 21st century. It was a big step forward for Chimes when we updated and modernized our website in 2012, and this week we’re excited to announce another milestone:...

Calvin informed 12 staff members on Monday, May 22, that they’d be losing their jobs, according to an email President Michael Le Roy sent to faculty and staff. These involuntary reductions come after...

Calvin is following a national trend by using a higher percentage of adjunct professors in recent years, though it still falls below the national average. According to a recent report by the American...

Philosopher and professor emeritus Alvin Plantinga is this year’s Templeton Prize laureate. Chimes sat down with Plantinga this week to talk about the award, his work and his relationship with Calvin. Chimes:...

Thankfully, I still have a year before I need to do the required pre-graduation sappy editorial, so that’s not what you’re getting here. Instead, I want to offer a (non-exhaustive) list of people who...

The proposal to grant an exemption from the Persons in Community (PIC) core category and the second year of foreign language to students in Bachelor of Science (BS) and Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS)...

Okay, bear with me for three minutes as I talk about vocation. We’re all sick of hearing about it — for at least two reasons. First, no one at this school can shut up about it, and second, it sends...

Calvin’s history department is increasing the variety of classes that will count for core credit. Ten 200-level classes will now satisfy the Historical Foundations core category, as will one new 100-level...

One of my favorite professors at Calvin says often that students have more power here than they know. After all, we pay the bills, we sign up for classes, we evaluate professors. And historically, when...

A new cross-curricular program will pay Calvin students to prepare for careers and life after college. Calvin LifeWork, which will launch next year, offers “modules” in four major categories: vocation,...

Calvin is offering a voluntary retirement incentive to staff and faculty members who are at least 60 years old and have worked at Calvin for at least 10 years. The incentive, which was announced on...

The Broene counseling center is introducing several new treatment options for students this semester due to increased demand. Over the past five years, student demand for services at Broene has increased...

"American violinist in concert" The January Series took a break from lectures on Thursday for a performance by Taylor Davis, whose violin covers of video game and film music on YouTube have earned her...

Four of the five committees chartered by the provost’s office to discuss the future of the arts at Calvin submitted their reports on Dec. 15. These committees studied messaging, physical spaces, fundraising...

“Until All are Free: A Look at Slavery Today and the Church’s Invitation to End It” Gary Haugen, director of the International Justice Mission (IJM), began his January Series presentation on this...

This year’s Synod of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) received a report from the Committee to Provide Pastoral Guidance Regarding Same-Sex Marriage, which was chartered by Synod...

After last November’s racist snow-writing incident, Calvin social work professor Joe Kuilema wrote a piece in Chimes urging readers to confront the reality of white privilege and institutional racism....

Last Thursday, songwriter and worship leader Wendell Kimbrough visited Calvin to lead morning chapel and participate in a Q&A with John Witvliet, the director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Kimbrough...

I don’t know what to say right now. I’m angry, sad, scared and exhausted. I’m writing this on the day after the election, and I’ve spent all day with people who don’t know what to say, who hadn’t...

West Michigan was a battleground during the final day before the election as both major presidential candidates held events in the Grand Rapids area on Monday. Hillary Clinton spoke at Grand Valley...

Calvin released this year’s day 10 enrollment report last week, and the news is mixed. Both total enrollment and FTIAC (first time in any college) enrollment are down significantly from the last few...

This Tuesday, the second Notes at Noon concert of the year featured Calvin staff accompanist Linda Hoisington in an all-Dvorak program. Hoisington is a graduate of Wheaton College and the University...

This summer, I read Diarmaid MacCulloch’s massive book “Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years.” It was full of names I didn’t know and don’t remember, theological debates I didn’t really...

“That’s the most audacious bulletin announcement I’ve ever read.” That was Susan Huizenga Cleveland’s (’85) reaction to a paragraph in Church of the Servant CRC’s bulletin last November...

Calvin’s arts and humanities departments are getting used to unpleasant emails. Due to faculty buyouts and eliminated majors, students and faculty in these departments have lost colleagues, resources...

Award-winning conductor Joseph Flummerfelt will be directing this year’s final concert in the music department’s Guest Artist Series at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 23. The program, entitled “Choral...

“It’s impossible to fail at reading.” This claim, set out by Lisa Cockrel, the new director of the Festival of Faith and Writing, at its opening plenary, was tried and tested, pondered and played...

Following a large donation from Zondervan editor Bob Hudson and his wife, Shelley, Calvin announced the creation of the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing (CCFW) on Wednesday, March 23. In addition to...

During their weekly meeting last Monday, student senate unanimously voted to approve a leadership model not found in their constitution. Speaking to senators on this vote, student senate advisor John...

Each year, about 130 first-time students decide not to return for a second year at Calvin. In an effort to reduce this number, the president’s office has identified improving first-to-second-year retention...

In addition to hearing great music performed by a world-renowned orchestra, this season’s Grand Rapids Symphony (GRS) concertgoers will also be treated to a truly dramatic program book cover. Sporting...

This fall’s Day 10 enrollment report tells a familiar story. Both total enrollment and the number of incoming students are held steady from last year, while the student body continues to become more...

On Tuesday afternoon, William Corner, director of campus safety, gave a presentation in the Commons Annex Lecture Hall called “Shots Fired on Campus: What to do in the event of an active shooter.” Last...

Three of Calvin’s academic departments are adapting to smaller full-time faculty numbers this year after seven professors took the voluntary buyouts offered in May. The buyouts were an attempt to bring...

Nate and Aminah Bradford have been co-associate chaplains for residence life at Calvin for the last seven years. They will be leaving their roles here at the end of this academic year so Aminah can pursue...

Two weeks ago, Calvin students received an email from President Le Roy informing them that faculty in the art and art history, music and history departments had been offered a limited number of voluntary...

John Varineau is a clarinetist, a professor of music at Calvin College and the conductor of the Calvin College Orchestra. He also conducts the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony...

In a month-long program at Oxford University this summer, 25 faculty members from the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities will meet to “bridge the two cultures of science and the humanities.” The...

While thousands of on-campus students were reading Tolkien, developing Christian minds or bowling, one group of Calvin students, staff and faculty spent their Interim learning in two African countries,...

Calvin is taking on the issue of “Sabbath” in a campus-wide Bible study during the first six weeks of second semester. Much like last semester’s James study, it will include both LOFT services and...

Campus ministries is currently taking applications for next year’s worship apprentice (WA) team. The WAs are a group of six to eight students responsible for leading worship at Calvin, planning chapel...

The familiar weekly chapel pattern is on hiatus this Interim as campus ministries presents a three-week series called “By Faith.” The series focuses both on the faith of biblical figures recorded in...