Student Senate

Student Senate 2007-08

2007-2008 Student Senate Executive Committee. Dirk VanEyk (Treasurer), John Lee (President), Meg Jenista (Vice-President) and Sze Sze Chiew (Secretary)

2008-09 School Year Elections open on April 25!

Welcome to the Calvin Theological Seminary Student Senate web site!  We hope this gives you a window into student life.  Our purpose, as your student representatives, is to be a voice of student opinion and ideas in all areas of seminary life and to promote Christian fellowship within the seminary community.


The Student Senate Executive Team (show | hide)

Executive Team 2007-08


2007-2008 Student Senate Executive Committee. Dirk VanEyk (Treasurer) John Lee (President) Meg Jenista (Vice-President) and Sze Sze Chiew (Secretary)

Hover over the faces on the image to the left to view bios of the 2007-08 executive team.

Name:Dirk VanEyk
Hometown/Country:Jenison, MI
Year & Program at CTS:M.Div Middler
Student Senate Position:Treasurer
Summer Plans/Contact Info:I'll be doing a Cross-Cultural internship at Granite Springs CRC in Sacramento, CA. E-mail is the best way to contact me.

Favorite place in the seminary building:Without question, the student center. I love hanging out and talking with so many people.
Favorite coffee shop:Mocha-n-music in Hudsonville. Check 'em out at Mocha-n-music.com What do you want to accomplish this year? Besides the usual budget stuff, FFM could be improved along with curriculum changes (is this a 3 yr or 4 yr program anyway?). Online Hebrew needs some adjustments. And let's not forgot the ongoing workload policy infringements and the semester vs. quarter system debate. These are some starters you'll have to ask me for the rest.
Name:John Lee
Hometown/Country:Marion, MI
Year & Program at CTS:M-Div Senior
Student Senate Position:President
Summer Plans/Contact Info:CPE, Wake Forest University Hospital, N.C. jrlee12@gmail.com.

Top 5 most frequently played songs on your i-pod:If I were cool enough to own an i-pod, I'd probably still not be cool enough to have a good taste in music beyond CCM worship and classical scores.
Why are you on student senate?Senate is a place for those called to servant leadership with a vision for godly change. And there's pizza. Who doesn't want in?
What do you want to accomplish this year?We hope senate will be a light, nimble, prayerful place that facilitates connections between students and each other, faculty, administration, ideas, and God's world while seeking to warm CTS as a community of faith, sharpen it as a center of learning, and further engage it in a life of Christ-centered ministry.

Our specific goals are:

  1. Cultivating a culture of prayer, service, and transcending barriers, with senators leading by example.
  2. Curricular and candidacy improvements, including reduced workload and program requirements, broadening offerings for M.A. and Th.M. programs, and increasing the transparency and flexibility of the candidacy and field education processes.
  3. Community building by sponsoring regular activities and dialogue forms.
Name:Meg Jenista
Hometown/Country:Malaysia; New Zealand; the Philippines; Uruguay; London, England, Washington D.C., Cedarville, OH; South Bend, IN and Grand Rapids, MI
Year & Program at CTS:M-Div Senior
Student Senate Position:Vice-President
Summer Plans/Contact Info:I'm headed west to Calgary, Alberta where I'll be serving a church while their pastor is on Sabbatical. Fee free to contact me at via email.

Favorite Place in the Seminary Building:The IT office. They have tangrams and they can fix computers.
Why are you on student senate?Some might call it "divine providence," others may shrug and say, "This is what happens when uninformed voters show up at the polls."
What do you want to accomplish this year?Mostly, I'd just like to graduate. Along the way, I hope that Student Senate allows me an opportunity to participate in the exciting changes going on at CTS.
Name:Sze-Sze Chiew
Hometown/Country:Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Year & Program at CTS:Th.M.
Student Senate Position:Secretary
Summer Plans/Contact Info:I'll be around the whole summer - start work on the Th.M. I can be reached at (616) 974-0445.

Favorite Place in the Seminary Building:Women's restroom (the one with the couch).
Weirdest thing about Grand Rapids:It is too "quiet"...most shops close quite early and there's not many outdoor activities to do in the evenings.
What do you want to accomplish this year?GRE

Executive Team 2006-07 (show | hide)

Executive Committee 2006-07

Front row right to left: Dave Prince- President, Cornelius Muasa - Vice President,
Back row right to left: Matt Stob- Treasurer, Yuko Yamaura- Secretary

"It has been a pleasure to work with the president as liaisons between the administration and the student body, and it is a joy to work with an administration who has the students' interests at heart. It has been our goal to make the voice of the student body heard. We come into the Student Senate to serve without expecting anything in return; however, it is a pleasant surprise at the end when one realizes how they have grown through this opportunity of servant-leadership."
Cornelius Muasa, Vice President

"It has been a privilege to serve in our community through Student Senate. In my role as secretary I really appreciate all the requests, concerns and feedback that my fellow students bring up to Student Senate. It is one of the ways in which we can see how meaningful our community can be at CTS."
Yuko Yamaura, Secretary

"As many students will attest, it is refreshing to spend somebody else's money. However, the administration has deemed it necessary to set limits on this practice to prevent an increase in liberalism. Thus, as Treasurer, it is my task to ensure that at least fiscally, we remain conservative."
Matthew Stob, Treasurer


Student Senate Ad hoc Committees


The Student Senate Constitution

Related Information