Safety Reports, Policies, and Procedures
Calvin Seminary should be a safe and healthy place for all community members. Below are reports that speak to this goal and provide resources for community members to ensure it.
Annual Safety Report
In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Act, the Calvin University Campus Safety Department provides statistics in the areas of criminal offenses, hate offenses, arrests, and disciplinary actions. These areas are divided further by location. Please note the statistics represent the number of reports in each category.
More crimes may have occurred on campus, but these crimes were not reported. The statistical years are calendar years (January – December) with statistics due in October for the previous calendar year.
A copy of this report is posted here, and can be accessed at any time.
Campus Hazing Policy
Below is documentation of our policy in regards to hazing.
Campus Safety
Calvin Seminary Safety is provided by Calvin University Safety Office. Click here to visit their website.
Drug & Alcohol Policies
In accordance with the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989, Calvin Seminary provides this report:
Start Your Recovery and utilize Michigan Resources.
Emergency Response Plan
Below is a document with policies and procedures for the community in the event of an emergency
Grievance Policy
It is our goal that every member of the Calvin Seminary will seek to provide a safe and healthy learning community for all people. We hope that individuals will approach a grievance in a spirit of Christian love and support for one another. Moreover, the grievance process should be one that leads to restoration of Christian community in which the members are affirmed and express love and respect for one another.
[Note: The procedure outlined in this policy shall be used to resolve student grievances with individual faculty or staff members or with the decisions of seminary offices or committees. Grievances covered by this policy include issues relating to classroom procedures, grade complaints, and department decisions. This policy does not cover issues of academic dishonesty or plagiarism; faculty, staff, or student grievances concerning students; or sexual harassment and discrimination. Please refer to the Student Handbook, Student Conduct Code, and/or Safe and Healthy Community Policy for specific policies and procedures for these matters. If you have additional questions after review of a specific policy or need additional clarification, please contact the Dean of Students (Jeff Sajdak) or the Dean of International Student and Scholar Services (Sarah Chun) or the Faculty, Status, and Development Committee.]
If students feel they have been treated unfairly in any of their dealings with Calvin Seminary, they should first follow an informal grievance procedure: Consult with the individual involved such as the faculty member, staff person, committee/chair, or head of an office. If this informal process does not bring about a resolution to the grievance, then the procedures for a formal grievance, outlined below, should be followed.
Note that a formal grievance is legitimate only when a student is personally the object of a decision or action. There are two procedures for formal grievances, depending on the nature of the grievance: Course-Related Grievances and Personal or Policy-Related Grievances. The procedures for both types of grievances are the same, except for the individual who initially receives and handles the grievances.
Course-related grievances relate to coursework, such as complaints about grades, classroom procedures, and course requirements and should be brought to the Dean of the Faculty or Associate Dean of Academic Services.
Personal or policy-related grievances relate to decisions made or actions taken by faculty or staff members, committees, or offices and should be brought to the Dean of Students or the Dean of International Student and Scholar Services. The procedure for addressing grievances is outlined below.
The grievance shall first be presented to the responsible Dean for resolution. (If the Deans identified above as responsible for handling the grievance are the object of the grievance or otherwise unable to serve, then course-related grievances should be presented to the Dean of Students or the Dean of International Student and Scholar Services and personal or policy-related grievances should be presented to the Dean of the Faculty or Associate Dean of Academic Services. If none of the Deans are able to serve the student in this capacity, the student is directed to contact the Chief Operating Officer or the President.) The grievance should be presented promptly in writing, preferably with an oral report, to the Dean. The Dean shall investigate the relevant facts, interview the parties involved so that their stories are heard, and prepare a written response, which shall be given to the parties involved promptly (normally within 30 business days, depending on the nature of the investigation required).
If either party is not satisfied with the resolution, a written grievance may then be presented to the Chief Operating Officer within 10 business days of receiving the report. The Chief Operating Officer shall review the grievance and the Dean’s resolution, meet with the parties involved in the grievance to hear their stories, investigate any additional facts, and then prepare a written response, which shall be given to the parties involved promptly (normally within 30 business days, depending on the nature of the investigation). The decision of the Chief Operating Officer will be final.
If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Chief Operating Officer, he/she may appeal to the Board of Trustees at their next meeting.
A student also may contact the accrediting agency of Calvin Theological Seminary, the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada:
10 Summit Park Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15275-1110
Telephone: 412-788-6505
Website: www.ats.edu
*request the liaison for Calvin Seminary
Students who live outside of Michigan: Calvin Seminary participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) which governs how it can offer on-line courses to students in other states (except for California and Massachusetts which do not participate in SARA). SARA requires that students in another state who wish to register a complaint related to one of Calvin’s on-line courses should submit their complaint to the Michigan state portal agency. The contact person and information is:
Michael Beamish, Manager
State of Michigan
Dept. of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing
Schools and Licensing
PO Box 30018
Lansing, MI 48909
517.241.6806 phone
517.373.2162 fax
beamishm@michigan.gov
Inclement Weather Policy
Calvin Theological Seminary may remain open during inclement weather, even when other institutions may be closed. The Seminary’s decision to close depends on several factors, such as local travel advisories and requests from law enforcement agencies, the condition of public and campus roadways, and the closing of other local colleges and universities, especially Calvin University with whom we share many services, including campus safety and the emergency notification system.
The Seminary President has the responsibility for determining when to close or terminate Seminary activities and Seminary offices. The Seminary President may delegate this responsibility to the Chief Operating Officer. Whenever possible, a decision affecting morning and afternoon classes and events will be communicated by 6:00am, and a decision affecting classes and events later in the day will be communicated by 2:00pm.
Policy Details
In an inclement weather situation where the Seminary is open but a faculty member cannot get to the campus to teach his or her class, the faculty member should immediately notify either the Chief Academic Officer or the Director of Academic Services & Registrar by phone or email, and send an email notification as early as possible to all students in the class, letting them know if the class will be switched from on-campus to virtual. Students must also be wise in their decision whether to travel to campus when conditions are hazardous. Students who decide it would not be prudent for them to travel to campus due to inclement weather will not be penalized when not in class for that reason, but should communicate their decision by email or text to the professor as soon as possible.
Employees must be prudent in their decision whether to travel to campus when conditions are hazardous. Employees who decide not to travel to campus due to inclement weather conditions or who are faced with unexpected family care responsibilities (such as those created by local school closings) or home issues (such as loss of power or flooding), should use his or her judgment and remain at home if that is the most reasonable action. They must communicate their decision by telephone, voicemail, email or text to their supervisor. Both hourly and salary staff members who do not report to work, or choose not to remain at work, when the Seminary is open may either choose to work from home, record the time as vacation time, may request to take the time without pay, or may work additional hours during the remainder of the pay week to make up the hours missed. No academic or administrative departments may close unless the Seminary itself closes. Questions regarding the Seminary Inclement Weather Policy may be directed to the Human Resources Manager or Chief Operating Officer.
When a decision to terminate Seminary classes and events or to close Seminary offices is made, the senior administrator making the decision will provide the information to the Calvin University Campus Safety dispatcher, who will communicate to Seminary faculty, staff and students through the CalvinAlert emergency notification system. Faculty, Staff, and Students are automatically signed up for emergency notifications, which are delivered to your seminary email address. If you would also like to receive emergency notifications via text in addition to an email, please add your cell phone number in the “Info” section of your Populi profile. If you have questions about setting up notifications, please contact the Seminary IT Office (616-957-6111).
Safety Contacts
Telephone Resources
| Emergency contact numbers | Note: Area code is 616 |
|---|---|
| Campus Safety Emergency Phone | 3-3333 (campus phone) 526-3333 (cell or off campus) |
| Campus Safety non-emergency | 526-6452 |
| Environmental Health & Safety | 526-8591 |
| Escort Service – Calvin Campus Safety | 526-6452 |
| Grand Rapids Police Department | 911 (emergency) or 456-3400 (non-emergency) |
| MED-1 Occupational Health Services | 459-6331 |
| CTS Physical Plant | 957-7107 |
| Poison Control Center | 800-222-1222 |
| Silent Observer – Calvin Campus Safety | 526-8880 |
| Silent Observer – Grand Rapids Police Dept. | 774-2345 |
Title IX Resources
Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation of any form are a violation of a person’s rights, dignity, and integrity. Such acts debase the integrity of the educational process and are contrary to the mission and values of Calvin Seminary. In response to any reported misconduct, the Seminary will take appropriate steps to eliminate the misconduct, prevent its recurrence, and address its effects. The Seminary will review and investigate all reports, and provide for fair and impartial evaluation and resolution. Retaliation is prohibited against a person who makes a report of discrimination or harassment.