Running head: CAMPUS VISITS: ST.

MARYS, KELLOG COMMUNITY, &

CALVIN
1

Campus Visits: St. Marys, Kellogg Community, & Calvin Colleges

Kathleen Camire
Western Michigan University

CAMPUS VISITS: ST. MARYS, KELLOG COMMUNITY, & CALVIN

Introduction
Throughout this course and the several campus visits I have completed, I
recognize just how much each institution is unique in how they approach students,
tradition, the community at large, and much more. I certainly wish I had been as aware
of environments ten years ago (when I was in the college search process) as I am now, as
I am sure I would have felt much more confident in making my choice. However, it is
important to recognize the differences in environment not simply as a prospective
student, but also when in the role of prospective staff member. Having the ability to look
closely at several campuses through this lens has left me much better prepared to do so in
the near future when job searching.
Throughout this semester, I visited three very different institutions: St. Marys
College in Notre Dame, Indiana; Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan;
and Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As institutional types go, all three
campuses vary quite widely from one another, each embodying unique qualities.
Throughout this paper, I will discuss the various subcultures, physical environments, and
constructed environments of the campuses. Finally, I will conclude with a discussion of
what I have learned in terms of my own personal perspective on how I might best fit into
these institutional types.
Institutional Types: Overall Subculture Climates
St. Marys College is a small, private, womens college affiliated with the
Catholic tradition (the Sisters of the Holy Cross, specifically). It is also loosely affiliated
with the nationally recognized University of Notre Dame and follows the liberal arts
tradition. As a religious institution, it must adhere to the mission of the Sisters of the

CAMPUS VISITS: ST. MARYS, KELLOG COMMUNITY, & CALVIN

Holy Cross, but as an exclusively womens institution it is also serving a very distinct
population. Much of the literature on womens colleges notes that womens colleges
create classroom conditions in which women students are more likely to be actively
engaged (Fassinger, 1995, as cited in Kinzie, Thomas, Palmer, Umbach, & Kuh, 2007,
p. 160), and the culture at St Marys was no exception. Clearly aligned with Clark &
Trows (1966) Academic subculture, the students we spoke with at St. Marys all had a
strong identification with the college itself and were very serious about their school work
and learning in general, as well as with being involved in the campus community at large.
Research has shown womens colleges are focused on graduating very strong female
students, especially when compared to co-ed colleges (Renn & Patton, 2001; Kinzie,
Thomas, Palmer, Umback, & Kuh, 2007; Enke, Winters, & Ropers-Huilman, 2013), and
this was very clearly the environmental press of St. Marys as an institution, which I will
discuss further in my analysis of its physical environment.
My visit to Kellogg Community College (KCC) in Battle Creek, Michigan was
my first experience on a community college campus. Founded in 1956, KCC opened at
the same time many community-based colleges were springing up in the United States in
response to the onslaught of veterans returning from World War II and the Korean War
ready to receive an education through the GI Bill. Much different from the model
utilized by St. Marys, KCC serves a demographic so varied as to make it nearly
impossible to categorize. This is reflective of most community colleges around the
country; as noted by Renn & Patton (2011), a major mission of community colleges is to
create access to higher education for anyone who desires the community (p.246). For
this reason, KCC can be categorized as having a Vocational subculture, which is known

CAMPUS VISITS: ST. MARYS, KELLOG COMMUNITY, & CALVIN

for a strong consumer ethicdemanding nothing less than a practical and applicable
education leading to a good-paying job (Strange & Banning, 2001, p. 39). This was
further illustrated during our visit when the student panel participants discussed how
difficult it was for them to really participate in much co-curricularly due to multiple jobs
and a lack of extended presence (Strange & Banning, 2001, p. 40) on campus.
Physical Environments
Conducting a physical environment scan at each campus was the most rewarding
piece of the visits, and it enabled me to gain a better sense of the campus climate overall,
including each campuss priorities (which helped in determining the overall campus
culture as well). As noted earlier, St. Marys espouses high academic achievement and
involvement, and learning as a priority was very clear in the physical aspects of the
campus. Classroom buildings and classrooms themselves are left open every night until
midnight. Students are encouraged to utilize empty classrooms to study with classmates.
What was most surprising was that all the technology in the classrooms (projectors,
classroom computers, overhead projectors, whiteboards and markers, etc.) was also left
accessible (and encouraged) for student use. Each academic building has small nooks for
individual or partner studying, several of which had sliding glass doors for use as
whiteboards, with markers attached. These are all examples of behavioral probabilism
(Strange & Banning 2001), in that the college creates the physical space in such a way as
to make certain behavior (in this case, collaborating with others for academic purposes)
more likely. In addition to academic press, an overall sense of community is
communicated in the unspoken messages of the physical environment at St. Marys; for
example, residence halls are accessible to any St. Marys student regardless of their own

CAMPUS VISITS: ST. MARYS, KELLOG COMMUNITY, & CALVIN

personal residence. The campus dining hall charges less than five dollars for faculty and
staff to eat lunch there, which encourages interaction with students outside of classes and
offices. These are all the embodiment of their core values (an aspect of constructed
environment): learning, community, faith/spirituality, and justice. Those values were
enacted in the physical environment of the college in many more ways than I can
succinctly discuss in this paper.
At Kellogg Community College, the physical environment is clearly intentionally
designed to best fit the population of students it serves. As noted earlier, KCC serves a
population of students who often have many responsibilities pulling at their time,
including children and jobs. By ensuring that most of the important student services
offices are all located within the same building, it helps to save students time, of which
they often have very little unaccounted for. In addition, the campus has no-cost parking
in keeping with its commitment to open access. These are all examples of environmental
probabilism, recognizing that KCC students need an accessible education, and even the
smallest barriers might discourage some students from continuing their education at all.
By connecting the buildings, KCC allows its students to save time and energy, and rather
than going from building to building for each individual task, students can spend any
precious extra time working on their studies. Classrooms, study nooks, and the library
are all in close proximity to one another. In recognizing the external pulls on most of its
students, KCCs use of proxemics its intentionality in being a welcoming, accessible
school for students, especially nontraditional students.
At Calvin College, the physical design of the campus gave an air of close
community, but in a different manner from St. Marys. Wayfinding within the Calvin

CAMPUS VISITS: ST. MARYS, KELLOG COMMUNITY, & CALVIN

campus was challenging, as many building signs were small and difficult to read, or
named the building differently from how the campus map noted it (the Hoogenboom
building, for example, had signage calling it the Spoelhof Center). In addition,
wayfinding within the dining hall was also difficult, as different food service areas were
seemingly hidden within nooks and crannies of the building, connected by narrow dark
hallways, both upstairs and down. While this may instill a sense of community with
those who have been initiated into the campus, it could be off-putting to a person who is
new to campus. When the physical environment makes it difficult to determine how to
navigate and negotiate campus, it can create the circumstances in which a prospective
student, parent, or faculty or staff member might feel unwelcome.
Constructed Environment
Learning about all the traditions and other aspects of constructed environment
within each campus was a true highlight of my visits. At St. Marys those traditions also
have purpose connected to their values. Manning (1993) notes that rites of passage
differentiate a college as an educational institution from other human service agencies
and organizations (p.24), and doing so can connect students to the campus community
and create bonds among students and alumni. St. Marys had no shortage of rites of
passage and similar traditions, but one of my favorite was the Closing the Circle ritual
with each incoming first-year student cohort. All the women gather in a circle near the
campus pond, each holding a candle, to establish the importance of their community as
they enter their college experience. During Senior Week four years later, they assemble
again for their Opening the Circle ritual, in which they begin in a circle (holding
candles) and gradually open it, symbolizing the opening of their community of women as

CAMPUS VISITS: ST. MARYS, KELLOG COMMUNITY, & CALVIN

they head out into the world after graduation. At St. Marys I learned about a dozen
different rituals that are important to the students during their time there; the significance
of those traditions to the students reinforces how important community truly is to the
campus and how purposefully that value is enacted in everything they do.
Calvin College, as many small liberal arts schools do, has many traditions that
help make students feel a part of the campus community. First among them is chapel,
specifically their Fridays at Calvin chapel service; while only twenty minutes in length, it
gives the campus community a weekly opportunity to reflect together in a way that
reinforces the family feel of the campus. In addition, each residence hall is also its own
strong community, creating another sense of place, belonging, and family for students, an
important aspect for student retention. Lastly, there was quite a lot of campus language
(Manning 1993) at Calvin. Most every program, building, or activity had an associated
acronym. This is certainly a way that Calvin students feel connected to one another, in
understanding and recognizing this campus vernacular. However, if prospective students
or staff are not properly initiated into this language and given explanations for the
acronyms, that language could be alienating and result in feeling like an outsider. This
was unfortunately something I experienced during my visit.
Similar to St. Marys, community is an important value for Kellogg Community
College as well. As noted in their mission, the campus serves the community, and acts
upon that value through regional partnerships. In addition, each KCC student has a
service-learning requirement to fulfill before they can graduate, and this is another way
that KCC ensures that the students recognize the importance of community.
Personal Reflection

CAMPUS VISITS: ST. MARYS, KELLOG COMMUNITY, & CALVIN

Visiting three very different campuses has been really beneficial for my own point
of view regarding what kind of campus I might want to spend more time on
professionally. I expected to feel uncomfortable at both of the religiously affiliated
institutions I visited, but was surprised to find that I loved St. Marys College. Everyone
was connected, and campus offices seemed to all work very closely with one another. I
had been concerned about my fit with the denominational aspects of the college, and was
surprised to find that St. Marys values the ability of their students to feel comfortable in
whatever spirituality might mean to them, regardless of whether or not that fit in with the
Catholic Church. Paramount at St. Marys was the sense of community and scholarship
to enable its students to be successful leaders. It is definitely a campus of which I could
envision myself being a part; before this visit, I would never have considered working at
a religious institution. Because my expectations had been so blown away by St. Marys, I
was optimistic that perhaps I had it all wrong when it came to faith-based schools;
unfortunately, I did not get the same feeling at Calvin College. My personal perception
was that Calvin was less focused on academic and professional success as it was on
developing spiritual growth in its students. Perhaps this is actually how Calvin wants to
be perceived, perhaps not; either way, Calvin is a place where I could not see myself
fitting.
I was also pleasantly surprised by my experience at KCC. I had no previous
community college experience, and I was impressed by the collaboration and cooperation
among departments at Kellogg. Everyone was connected with the students, the
community, and each other and placed importance on doing all they could to help
students succeed. While I am not sure that I am cut out for the high stress environment

CAMPUS VISITS: ST. MARYS, KELLOG COMMUNITY, & CALVIN

that working at community colleges brings, I was impressed by KCC. It has made me
feel that maybe I should not rule out working at a similar institution quite yet.

CAMPUS VISITS: ST. MARYS, KELLOG COMMUNITY, & CALVIN

10

References
Enke, K. A., Winters, K. T., & Ropers-Huilman, R. (2013). Creating my own story:
Catholic women's college students narrating their lives. Journal of College
Student Development, 54(5), 481-496. doi:10.1353/csd.2013.0075
Kinzie, J., Thomas, A. D., Palmer, M. M., Unbach, P. D., & Kuh, G. D. (2007). Women
students at coeducational and women's colleges: How do their experiences
compare? Journal of College Student Development, 48(2), 145-165.
doi:10.1353/csd.2007.0015
Manning, K. L. (1991). Properties of institutional culture. In G. D. Kuh (Ed.), Cultural
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Personnel Association.
Renn, K. A., & Patton, L. D. (2011). Campus ecology and environments. In J. H. Schuh,
S. R. Jones, S. R. Harper, & S. R. Komives (Eds.), Student services: A handbook
for the profession (pp. 242-356). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Strange, C. C., & Banning, J. H. (2001). Educating by design: Creating campus learning
environments that work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.