Survivor Empowerment, Restoration, and Violence Elimination Program (SERVE)
Have you experienced sexual assault, relationship violence, or stalking? Not sure exactly how to define your experience? Want to talk to someone but don't know where to start?
Contact SERVE, and we will connect you with appropriate resources and support, on or off campus.
What We Do
Prevent
Connect
Educate
Improve
Who We Are
SERVE is made up of two teams:
- The Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT) is a group of on- and off-campus partners, including Campus Safety, Title IX (Safer Spaces), Office of Student Support, Accountability, and Restoration, Health Services, Center for Counseling and Wellness, faculty, Safe Haven Ministries, YWCA, and GRPD.
- The Sexual Violence Prevention Education Ambassadors at Calvin (SPEAC) is a team of students that develops educational and awareness-building events and initiatives.
Meet the SPEAC Team
Esther Idowu
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Major/Minor: Nursing
Fun fact about yourself: I hate chocolate bars but love chocolate ice-cream.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time: Reading, trying out new restaurants, and watching k dramas.
What are you looking forward to for SPEAC this year: Esther is looking forward to the SPEAC team starting discussions around problematic themes in the Bible that reinforce and normalize cycles of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, informing us as Christians to be more mindful about emulating every behavior depicted in the Bible as a virtue.
Emily Feikema
Hometown: Munster, IN
Major/Minor : Marketing/German
Fun fact about yourself: I’ve broken the two hardest bone in your body to break.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time: Sewing my own clothes and visiting coffee shops.
What are you looking forward to for SPEAC this year : Emily is excited to explore how pop culture has portrayed views of DVAS and stalking into romance and how we can learn from those mistakes to protect future generations.
Janae Boehm
Hometown: born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand
Major/Minor: International Relations (minors in Spanish and Social Work)
Fun fact about yourself: I also work part-time at Safe Haven (an off-campus partner for SPEAC)!
What do you enjoy doing in your free time: I enjoy being outside, spending quality time with people, and having movie nights at home!
What are you looking forward to for SPEAC this year: I’m excited to learn about prevention and make new connections on campus.
Jen Howell
Hometown: Caledonia, MI
Major/Minor: B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Fisheries & Wildlife
Fun fact about yourself: Dogs > Cats (but members of my family do not agree so we have two of each).
What do you enjoy doing in your free time: I enjoy outdoor activities and spending time with my family.
What are you looking forward to for SPEAC this year: I am passionate about mentoring students but this year I'm especially grateful to be in a position to work alongside our incredible CCRT (Coordinated Community Response Team) to empower young people to empower other young people to create a safe campus community where all students can learn and grow.
Laura Brouwers
Hometown: Hollandale, Minnesota
Major/Minor: Social Work
Fun fact about yourself: I’ve been to 35 states.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time: I enjoy several types of art as well as listening to music, and reading.
What are you looking forward to for SPEAC this year: I am looking forward to growing a safer community at Calvin. I’m eager to learn more about how sexual violence effects our campus and how students can come together to eradicate this issue.
Meral Moawad
Hometown: Cairo, Egypt and New Delhi, India
Major/Minor: Double Major in Psychology and Social Work
Fun fact about yourself: I like scuba diving and want to get certified.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time: I like to watch movies/tv shows, thrift, and explore new places.
What are you looking forward to for SPEAC this year: I am looking forward to making new connections and being of help and resources to students.
Omphile Senosi
Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa
Major/Minor: Mechatronics Engineering
Fun fact about yourself: Dislike Coffee, but like Coffee flavored things.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time: I’m partial to reading and sleeping, especially the latter. Oh and I like films.
What are you looking forward to for SPEAC this year: I'm excited to contribute to the conversation on Sexual Violence and highlight the critical role everyone, regardless of gender, plays in creating a safer, more just environment. I’m particularly keen to raise awareness among men about their role in challenging harmful societal/cultural norms, especially those prevalent in African contexts.
About SERVE
Calvin University has a historical commitment to eliminating domestic/dating violence, sexual assault and stalking (DVSAS) on campus.
These efforts began years ago, led by volunteers. They were more formally implemented in 2021, when Calvin received a grant from the Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) Campus Program. Through this grant, we formed the two teams that make up SERVE.
