Maya Oeverman

Project Hail Mary: A Return to What Film Should Be

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
April 27, 2026

On a random Sunday night in March, in an act of spontaneous boredom, I decided to go see Project Hail Mary without knowing much about it at all. I went in expecting to be entertained for a few hours, leave,...

Behind the budget cuts made for Dialogue and Chimes

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
April 27, 2026

Editor’s Note: While this article does involve internal reporting, the editorial staff of Chimes discerned the importance of the Calvin Community being made aware of some of the behind-the-scenes challenges...

“Stories of Communicating Scientific Ocean Drilling, From Text to Textiles”: An exploration of science communication

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
March 2, 2026

On Friday, Feb. 27, the geology department hosted professor Laura Guertin for a talk titled “Stories of Communicating Scientific Ocean Drilling, From Text to Textiles,” exploring the importance of...

Faculty Senate approves a reduction in graduation credit-hour requirement

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
February 16, 2026

On Tuesday, Jan. 10, Faculty Senate voted in favor of a reduction in the number of undergraduate credit hours required for graduation from 124 to 120. Herb Fynewever, chair of the Undergraduate Studies...

What it means to be American

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
February 16, 2026

A year ago, I was studying abroad when Donald Trump took the presidency. People would ask me where I was from, and there were two answers to this question. Either “Michigan” (frequently unhelpful,...

“Wake Up Dead Man” is an investigation of murder and the church

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
February 9, 2026

“Wake Up Dead Man” (Rian Johnson, 2025), the next installment of the “Knives Out” series, does what the other two movies have been doing, only better. The movie follows the story of Father...

Provost Noah Toly to step down

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
February 2, 2026

On Jan. 15, 2026, it was announced that Provost Noah Toly would be stepping down from his role after Commencement Weekend in May 2026. Toly told Chimes that “this moment feels right for a leadership...

[Photo] Christmas beyond Calvin: Letters to Santa

Ellery Johnson, Entertainment Reporter
December 9, 2025

Furry friends on campus keep watch over students

Ashley Hamons and Maya Oeverman
November 24, 2025

In light of changes at the university, colder, darker days, and an encroaching finals season, emotional support animals (ESAs) and other pets around campus are a source of great comfort...

[Photo] Bringing the Cretaceous to Calvin: Dice Museum reveals fossil and student artwork

Ellery Johnson, Entertainment Reporter
November 17, 2025

Spotted turtles find their home on campus

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
November 17, 2025

On Oct. 23, Calvin University welcomed 11 baby spotted turtles from John Ball Zoo as a part of a program aimed to strengthen the spotted turtle population in Michigan. Spotted turtles are considered...

Remembering the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
November 10, 2025

Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of the shipwreck that claimed the Edmund Fitzgerald and all 29 men aboard. For those unfamiliar, the Edmund Fitzgerald was a bulk carrier that frequently...

[Photo] The hidden beauty of Calvin’s organs

Ella Vanden Berg
October 27, 2025

Tomato Bliss and the value of local produce at Calvin

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
October 13, 2025

On Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, Tomato Bliss was in Commons Dining Hall over lunch, sharing fresh tomato soups with students. Tomato Bliss is a West Michigan-based business focused on “superb flavor,...

Break-in News: Deer in Boer Bennink Kitchen

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
October 13, 2025

Early on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 4, residents of Boer Bennink (BB) woke up to a deer in the community kitchen (CK). “I was just starting to get ready for church with my roommate, and then we...

Creation care on Calvin’s campus

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
October 13, 2025

Calvin University has a long history of creation care, involving decades of research, scholarship and action. Creation care is a phrase that comes out of Christianity, meaning “a commitment to practice...

When it rains it pours: Torrential rains bring flooding around campus

Maya Oeverman and McKenna Wilkinson
September 24, 2025

Around 7 p.m. on Sept. 23, a rainstorm brought torrential rains that led to indoor flooding across campus. Majorly affected areas included Johnny’s, the CIT helpdesk, the 3rd vR lobby, an area near...

[Photo] Dining in looks different this year: Exploring dining hall changes

Evangeline Anga
September 22, 2025

Why K-pop Demon Hunters is so successful

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
September 15, 2025

On June 20, 2025, Disney’s Pixar released its summer blockbuster, Elio, to a flop of an opening weekend. That same day, Sony Animation released K-pop Demon Hunters unassumingly on Netflix, which quickly...

Native Plant Sale aims to build biodiversity and relationships

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor
September 15, 2025

On Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, Calvin’s Ecological Preserve hosted its annual fall Native Plant Sale. This year, the sale was conjoined with a class on native plants held on Friday. According to Benji...

Kicking off 150 years of Calvin

Ashley Hamons and Maya Oeverman
September 8, 2025

The beginning of the 150th year of Calvin University is underway. A sense of starting fresh is to be found underneath the layers of chill air and soon-to-be- colorful foliage. The 2025-2026 school...

Changes to dining hall hours, staffing benefits leave students broadly dissatisfied

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Reporter
December 9, 2024

On Nov. 18, Calvin Dining Services sent out a mass email describing changes to the hours of both dining halls, Peet’s, and Johnny’s that would be effective immediately. The changes included closing...

Survey finds that sexual harassment, other crimes on campus often go unreported

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
November 25, 2024

On Monday, November 18, Elisha Marr, an associate professor in the sociology and social work department, presented the findings of a study conducted to assess how students perceived their safety on campus....

Start-Up Garage Presents PitchUp: A More Positive Spin On Shark Tank

Maya Oeverman and McKenna Wilkinson
November 18, 2024

Last Wednesday, 12 Calvin students presented their ideas – and four walked away with prizes – during Calvin’s fourth annual Pitchup. The concept of Pitchup is similar to that of the popular...

Calvin unveils first-ever fully operational cadaver lab

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
October 14, 2024

For the first time this year, Calvin has started its very own cadaver lab to give a better education to anatomy students. The lab space itself resides on the basement level of Devries Hall, which...

Music Department Expands Programming

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
September 30, 2024

Calvin’s music department has launched the new school year by welcoming several new programs and professors to their program. The new programming includes the return of the Bachelor of Music Education...

Biology department oversees controlled burns on campus

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
April 22, 2024

For the first time in six years, ecosystems on Calvin’s campus underwent controlled burns organized by the biology department to improve the areas’ ecological health through controlling invasive species...

How far is too far? Manifestation cleverly handles questions of success and achievement

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
April 15, 2024

How far would you go to achieve everything you’ve ever wanted? What kinds of deals would you make if it guaranteed you would reach those goals? The Manifestation, written and directed by Geert Heetebrij,...

Treats and treasures from the trash

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
March 18, 2024

Dumpster diving at Calvin has persisted across time and social groups as a fun way to bring people together, reduce waste and cost-effectively “shop.” “Open access to dumpsters in Michigan effectively...

FAFSA changes streamline application, delay aid

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
February 26, 2024

The federal government has made many changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which has led to delays in awarding aid for the 2024-2025 academic year. According to Paula Elenbaas,...

Kill-a-Watt saves enough energy to run two houses for a month

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
February 19, 2024

Calvin’s 2024 Kill-a-Watt challenge led to dorms saving close to 3,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power and engaging in multiple sustainability challenges and educational opportunities. In the end, residence...

Honors program seeks renewed emphasis on interdisciplinarity

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
February 12, 2024

After years of changes within the program and across the university’s core, Calvin’s honors program is working to stabilize and better the student experience with another curriculum change that is...

Sarah J. Maas’s success comes at the expense of young readers

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
January 29, 2024

Walk into any bookstore these days and I assure you, you will find some table or display dedicated to Sarah J. Maas. She is a current New York Times bestselling author, and you cannot scroll through two...

Invigorated by last year’s momentum, Rangeela continues to grow

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
January 29, 2024

Rangeela, a Calvin favorite deferred throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and then challenged by a transition from a university-run program to a student organization, is on the come-up this year with a marked...

Halloween traditions through the years

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
October 31, 2023

Halloween has always been a time for scares, gathering together and closeness with the unknown. As Halloween has changed, it has developed traditions we associate with the holiday today. Black and...

Geo department leads coastal cleanup

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
October 23, 2023

On Sept. 23, 2023 students from the geology, geography and environmental studies department participated in September Adopt-A-Beach Coastal Cleanup as a part of initiatives in the department to get students...

WGA strike comes to an end

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
October 2, 2023

After 146 days on strike, the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) has come to an agreement with studio executives. The strike, which is the longest in WGA history, started on May 2 in response to how...

Compass College closing sends many new students to Calvin

Maya Oeverman and Savannah Shustack
September 18, 2023

Calvin’s student body swelled this year in part because of the 41 incoming film and media students arriving from Compass College. Compass College was a small Christian vocational-technical school...

Lighting issue closes Gezon Auditorium

Maya Oeverman, General Assignment Editor
September 12, 2023

Over the summer, the Gezon Auditorium –– located in the Spoelhof University Center –– had to be closed for all use after a failure in the lighting system. Lighting systems like the one in...

[Photo] Didn’t get to see all of the tables at Cokes and Clubs? Get to know some of Calvin’s newly chartered clubs!

Liana Hirner, Culture Editor
September 12, 2023

On Aug. 31, Cokes and Clubs took place on Commons Lawn, where countless students learned more about Calvin's many student organizations and clubs.

“There’s a hopefulness in building”

Enrollment and morale increases at Calvin despite lingering questions

Savannah Shustack and Maya Oeverman
September 5, 2023

There was nary a spot to stand at the first Friday chapel of the school year. Students –– many of whom are football players –– filled the bleachers at the new turf soccer field, surrounded by orange,...

Maya Oeverman, Managing Editor

Calvin University Chimes