In the spring of 2019, many Calvin alumni were rocked by the news that Calvin’s Student Activites Office (SAO) was being cut, and that Ken Heffner, the long-time director of the office, was leaving the institution. In the weeks and months that followed, students, staff, and alumni campaigned to save the office, writing chimes pieces, organizing on campus and on facebook, and donating over $15,000, (only about one tenth of the goal of $150,000). The result was that the SAO was moved under Campus Involvement and Leadership (now the Center for Student Engagement, or CSE), and a new director, Jack Droppers, was hired to continue the work of cultural engagement and discernment on Calvin’s campus.
Last month, Jack announced he was leaving Calvin, and I wish I could say I was surprised. I’ve worked in and around the SAO for the past seven years, first as a student under both Ken and Jack, and now in my job as an event planner at Calvin. I think to most of the alumni that were part of the Save SAO facebook group, the SAO they remember is gone.
The office was always going to change when Ken retired and a new director joined, even before considering new challenges like the university selling the Ladies Literary Club, which had often been used for mid-sized concerts, and lockdown forcing campus to work remotely for the better part of a semester. Add in the opening of multiple venues in Grand Rapids which can serve alcohol, and decreasing student engagement across the board, and it makes sense that the two staff and full concert seasons of my freshman and sophomore years have become two or three shows a semester and one part-time position. Despite these challenges, the office under Jack still had wins: holding outdoor concerts to comply with campus COVID restrictions, starting monthly open mics in the library basement, and selling out a concert in the chapel last December.
The SAO isn’t the only office doing more with less these days. Staffing is being reduced across Calvin’s student life division, despite students requiring the same level of support. The Center for Intercultural Student Development had five staff when I started working at Calvin, which has now dwindled to two. The Center for Student Engagement, which oversees student organizations and weekend programming in addition to the SAO, now has one staff member in addition to the part-time SAO position Jack left.
The work the SAO did was good and important. Hearing Christians acknowledge that pop culture is good but fallen was a life changing experience. I’m on the record as saying the office was integral to Calvin’s mission, which I stand by. I don’t believe it’s possible to equip students to serve as Christ’s agents of renewal without equipping them for some form of cultural discernment. I also don’t believe it’s possible to teach them cultural discernment at the same level with Calvin’s current staffing. For these reasons, Calvin should retire the label of SAO.
Whether or not the name “Student Activities Office” is retired, in the coming years the outcome will be largely the same. Fewer and fewer concerts will be booked at Calvin, probably exclusively Christian artists. Movie screenings will continue because they’re easy to put on. Intentional discussions of cultural discernment will likely fade away.
As it stands, Save SAO failed at securing the future of the office for the long haul, but it succeeded by providing a space for lament and sharing stories. Scrolling through the facebook group now, I feel naive reading about the actions being taken to secure the office’s future. On the other hand, I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for the stories shared of favorite concerts and the impact Ken and the SAO had on numerous lives.
Let the name lie fallow for a time. Perhaps a few years down the line, someone with joint passions for student care, pop culture, and reformed theology will come to Calvin and the work of cultural discernment can begin again. Until that happens (if it happens) I’d rather be happy with my memories of the SAO for what it was than see a hollow version with the heart cut out continue.
