Calvin News

The badge tells you what Stan McDonald and Tyson Moore do. 

It doesn't tell you why they do it. 

For both men, public safety has never been simply a job. After decades in law enforcement and public safety, they could have walked away. Instead, they came to Calvin because they still felt called to serve. 

And here, they’ve found a community they care deeply about. 

“It's more than a job,” McDonald said. “Everybody wants to do something that matters. Here at Calvin, we get the opportunity to see that what we do actually can have a positive impact. And therefore, it matters.” 

That may be the best way to understand the two men behind the badge. 

They are experienced professionals who know how to respond when things go wrong. But what they really want the Calvin community to know is that they are here long before or long after a crisis. 

They are here to help.

A different kind of public safety

Stan McDonald, director of Campus Safety, brings more than three decades of public safety and emergency preparedness experience to Calvin. He retired as a lieutenant from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety after 25 years of service, including four years on foreign missions in Central and South America. He later spent five years in healthcare emergency preparedness in Atlanta. 

Tyson Moore, assistant director of Campus Safety, spent 25 years with the Kent County Sheriff’s Department before he retired. His experience serving people through difficult and unpredictable circumstances now informs his work at Calvin, where protecting the community also means coming alongside students and helping them succeed. 

Both still wanted to serve. At Calvin, they found a place where their experience, faith, and desire to help the next generation come together. 

“For us, it's a calling,” Moore said. “This is what we're really built to do, to serve our community in a certain way, to be that protector role.” 

For McDonald, coming to Calvin felt different from the other opportunities he had considered. 

“The opportunity at Calvin immediately brought a sense of peace,” he said. “The chance to use the skills, talents, and experience we've gained throughout our careers to serve the next generation in a Christ-honoring organization was incredibly appealing.” 

McDonald and Moore’s idea of service extends well beyond emergencies. 

It might be a jump-start. A flat tire. A lost bike. Helping someone find their way across campus. 

Or it might be sitting with a student whose day, or life, has suddenly become difficult. 

“Putting yourself aside and doing everything you can in that particular moment to come alongside and assist someone else, that's what service is about,” McDonald said.

They understand that people have hard days

Years in public safety have given McDonald and Moore something that can't be taught in a classroom: perspective. They understand that people sometimes have bad moments. They know that frustration can come out sideways. 

Moore put it simply. 

“I know they're not cursing out Tyson. I know they're cursing out their situation.” 

That perspective matters when working with college students who are still learning how to navigate adulthood. 

“We've learned through our careers that people are struggling,” Moore said. “Sometimes you have to put yourself aside, understand what they're going through, and help them get through a very difficult situation.” 

And sometimes, the most important thing an officer can do is simply be there. 

Moore has seen students make serious mistakes while at Calvin, yet continue on to graduate and build successful lives. Some have even stayed connected with Campus Safety. 

“They put that bad thing behind them,” he said. “They learned a hard lesson, they moved forward, and they're still successful. That's a really cool thing.”

See the person behind the uniform

There is something else Moore hopes students understand. 

The uniform isn't meant to create distance. 

“I’d love for students to see the person behind the uniform,” Moore said. “That person exists with or without the uniform. I want students to know they can come talk to me.” 

He recently experienced that firsthand at Chaos Night, where he served as a judge. Without his uniform, students interacted with him simply as another person. 

“I got treated more like the judge I was for the event, high-fiving and being accepted,” he said. “I was a person.” 

That's what he wants students to see. 

Someone who likes hockey. Someone who has four kids. Someone who understands that college doesn't always go according to plan. 

Someone they can talk to. 

McDonald says the goal is for students, faculty, and staff to see Campus Safety as a helper and partner in their success. 

“Sometimes the helper fixes something and gets you past a moment. Sometimes the helper holds you accountable,” he said. “But ultimately, we want to be an assistance, a help, a partner in their time here for the sake of their success.”

Someone to turn to

The experience behind the badge matters, too. 

Calvin's Campus Safety team brings together decades of law enforcement, military, and first-responder experience. Officers train regularly in areas including de-escalation, trauma-informed response, CPR, first aid, and use of force. The department also maintains relationships with local police, fire, and EMS agencies. 

That preparation means they can respond when something serious happens. 

But McDonald and Moore believe their greatest contribution may be what happens in all the moments in between. 

Their measure of success isn't simply how many incidents they respond to. 

It's seeing students graduate. 

It's knowing they helped someone through a difficult day. 

It's preventing something from happening in the first place. 

And it's knowing that students feel comfortable enough to walk up and talk to them. 

Moore has spent his career feeling compelled to stand up for people when they're vulnerable. 

“There are no weak people,” he said. “There are just weak moments. I've always felt the need to be there for someone who's being taken advantage of, to be the person who stands up when there's an injustice.” 

That is the heart of their work. 

They protect. They respond. They prepare. 

But most of all, they show up for people. 

And that's what they want every Calvin student to know: 

When you need someone, you don't have to face the moment alone. Stan, Tyson, and the Campus Safety team are here.