Students prepare to capture a photographic day in the life.
On Oct. 6, Calvin students, faculty and staff are invited to show what a typical Wednesday in their lives looks like. From 12:01 a.m. all the way until 11:59 p.m., members of the Calvin community, both on and off campus, will be taking photographs left and right and uploading them to a Picassa Web album.
"We want people to feel free to get up on Oct. 6 and just start snapping images,” said Myrna Anderson, managing editor of Calvin’s News and Stories website. “We won’t pre-edit the images—we welcome all pictures that convey a day in the life of a student or faculty member.”
Wide-open Wednesday
The event, titled “Calvin in 24,” was intentionally scheduled on an otherwise empty day.
"There wasn’t any key event that would monopolize the pictures,” explained Matt Kucinski, senior editor of News and Stories. “If Streetfest or Mudbowl were that day, we would get an overwhelming number of pictures from that event. We wanted a day that could show a typical Calvin routine.”
"We just want to see what life at Calvin looks like, whether that’s eating popcorn in the dorms, going to class, playing soccer or eating in the dining halls,” Anderson said.
Kucinski looks forward to seeing the photos people submit: “It’s a good way to get an authentic picture of what Calvin is like. All too often, schools hire professionals to take perfectly lit pictures. We want to see students’ snapshots—even if they’re out-of-focus, blurry, or not perfectly composed.”
Watch the gallery grow
"Calvin in 24" is also a good community event, said Anderson: “The Picassa photo gallery will grow as photos are uploaded. You can watch it unfold in real time.” The event will also make students aware of the opportunities available to them at Calvin, said Kucinski: "Students will get to see what other students are doing on campus, off campus, and around the world in places like Hungary.”
Students, faculty and staff can win a variety of prizes through “Calvin in 24,” including a Flip Video Camcorder, one of four pairs of reserved tickets to The Rivalry, a night’s stay at the Prince Conference Center and the privilege of hosting Joust, the Calvin mascot, at the event of your choice. “The best [prizes] are awarded by random drawing,” said Anderson, “so all you have to do to be eligible is submit pictures. (Other prizes in the contest will be judged by committee.)
"Calvin in 24” is the brainchild of new communications and marketing director Tim Ellens. “We recognized the worth of the project, and several groups have been working on it for months now,” Anderson said. Partnering with communications and marketing on the event are staff members from student life, student development, student senate and young alumni.
The event’s website has instructions on how to upload your pictures on Oct. 6. It also features a list of possible shots to help students, faculty and staff start thinking about what they will photograph when Oct. 6 arrives.
