A new partnership
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In its communications to prospective students, Calvin traditionally emphasizes its small class sizes and its faculty-to-student ratio of 11:1. However, a ratio that is less well advertised is the ratio of Calvin students to Calvin trees, something enrollment staff like to call the tree-to-student ratio (TSR). Recently Calvin's biology and geology, geography and environmental studies departments teamed upÌýÌýon Calvin's campus. "What we noticed about the tree map was that the numbers of our students (3,967) and of our trees (3,516) were so close that we could work toward a 1:1 ratio of the two species by 2015," said Ben Arendt, director of admissions counseling.

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Admissions counselors quickly capitalized on the new online asset to create a program they call Tree Partners (TP), a recruiting effort that pairs each student with his/her own tree. "It was the tipping point for me," said freshman Randy Terbeek-Wigboldy, who was paired with one of the coveted maples growing on the Commons Lawn. "Coming to Calvin from out of state, I didn't know many people at first. But Oakley has become a true friend to me. He's always right there, and he's always supportive."

To help the enrollment division ensure that every student has an intentional arboreal experience, biologist Dave Warners is cultivating 500 saplingsÌýin the college greenhouse.

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Note: This story is a part of the special April 1 edition put out by News & Stories.