ORIENTATION ISSUE
The Collegian 8.22.2015 | VOLUME CXLIII | NO. 1
You are here.
I
Now what?
n his 1993 book Alma Mater: A College Homecoming, P.F. Kluge ’64, Kenyon’s writer-in-residence and the advisor of this newspaper, chronicles a year in the life of the College. At one point, he recounts the story of a former admissions dean who would, when students asked what there was to do in Gambier, reply, “There’s absolutely nothing to do, and I don’t think you should come.”
The dean’s point about looking for thrills in the wrong place rings true, but is also ironic: There’s plenty to do here, and you don’t have to look far. Each of you chose Kenyon — in some cases it may be more accurate to say Kenyon chose you — for a reason. You already know athletic, artistic and intellectual opportunities abound here, and we urge you to take advantage of them. Volunteer at Wiggin Street Elementary, take a class at the Craft Center, walk on to the rugby team, do all three. But it’s not just a matter of being involved, which implies a sort of passivity. Actually getting involved means something more. Similarly, Middle Path — this issue’s theme — is more than the static, physical path. Middle Path is what people think of when they hear the phrase “Kenyon community.” It’s a place where you’ll run into a professor walking his dog or a friend back from her semester abroad, a place that connects everyone to something greater than themselves. That place only exists when people work together to create a community, when they get involved. These four years will fly by. So make the most of them.
2 WALKING THROUGH KENYON HISTORY
1824
1823 Philander Chase travels to England seeking donations for the seminary that would become Kenyon; donors include Lord Gambier, Lord Kenyon and Lady Rosse.
Kenyon College is established in Worthington, Ohio.
EDITORIAL CARTOON
UCCs sound off on course registration NOAH NASH | SPORTS EDITOR
During your first weeks of college, you may feel overwhelmed by the number of advisors and appointments you have, the important decisions you need to make and the forms you’re asked to complete. At the crux of this new territory will be your Upperclass Counselor (UCC). Here are some tips from current UCCs on navigating course registration:
CARTOON BY KELSEY OVERBEY
How to weather the first-year storm Congratulations, first years. You’ve reached the promised land of college. But you may be wondering, How should I proceed from here? A year removed from orientation, three of our sophomore editors reflect on their first-year experiences. BAILEY BLAKER ARTS EDITOR
Leave your expectations at home: whatever you thought college would be, it probably isn’t. Kenyon won’t be the picturesque, artsy, hipster wonderland that stared at you from the glossy photos in the brochure, but that’s OK. The learning curve is steep here on the Hill, but you’ll have fun once you get the hang of things. Winter is brutal, so be prepared. Mastering walking like a penguin down Middle Path is essential to surviving the subzero winter hellscape that is Kenyon in February.
GRIFFIN BURROUGH OPINIONS EDITOR
Whatever worked for you in high school won’t work for you here. It is far better and more rewarding to involve yourself in two to three extracurriculars and really give them your all than to do six things poorly. You don’t have to be best friends with your roommate, but you also shouldn’t be hostile; you’re living together. Don’t worry about forcing yourself to do things you don’t want to do — you know what you like and don’t like, so don’t feel like you have to be someone else to make people like you. At the same time, don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone.
The Collegian
Editors-in-Chief Gabe Brison-Trezise, Henri Gendreau Managing Editor Emily Sakamoto News Editors Maya Kaufman, Alex Pijanowski Features Editors Claire Oxford, Nathaniel Shahan Arts Editors Bailey Blaker, Elana Spivack Opinions Editors Griffin Burrough, Gabrielle Healy Sports Editors Esteban Bachelet, Noah Nash
Chief Copy Editor Eileen Cartter Associate Copy Editor Amy Schatz Art Director Rose Bishop Design Editor McKenna Trimble Photography Editors Kristen Huffman, Cora Markowitz Director of Outreach India Amos Social Media Director Adam Egelman Faculty Advisor P. F. Kluge
NOAH NASH SPORTS EDITOR
Just be yourself, despite how cliché that sounds. When you are meeting new people it can be really easy to try to be someone you aren’t to impress them, but those friendships aren’t as legitimate or as satisfying as the ones you can just be yourself in. Define yourself; don’t let others do it for you. The people you meet in college have no previous conception of who you are. So, you have no good reason to pretend to be someone you aren’t.
“Try to relax around your UCC. While we’re here early primarily to help you transition and work out your schedule, that doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable around [us]. On the flip side, don’t blow your UCC off when they need to meet with you.” — Ryan Muzzio ’18
“One of the most important things is to have a bunch of options for classes and to be open to trying something a little unexpected if you don’t get your first choices. One of my favorite classes last year was something I took because I didn’t get my first choice.” — Linnea Feldman Emison ’18
“Your schedule always works itself out.” — Mary Liz Brady ’18
“Don’t worry if you can’t get into all the classes you want. You might end up taking a different course you never considered and fall in love with the topic. One great part about college is that you can expand your interests and take classes in topics you had never thought about before.” — Hannah Vilas ’18
Advertising and Subscriptions Advertisers should contact the Collegian’s Business Managers via e-mail at kenyoncollegian@gmail.com for current rates and further information. All materials should be sent to Business Manager, The Kenyon Collegian, P.O. Box 832, Gambier, OH 43022. Yearly subscriptions to The Kenyon Collegian are available for $50. Checks should be made payable to The Kenyon Collegian and directed to the Editors-in-Chief. Office: Room 314 Peirce Tower Mailing address: The Kenyon Collegian, Student Activities Center, Gambier, OH 43022. Business address: P.O. Box 832, Gambier, OH, 43022. E-mail address: kenyoncollegian@gmail.com Phone Number: (740) 625-1675. The opinions page is a space for members of the community to discuss issues relevant to the campus and the world at large. The opinions expressed on this page belong only to the writer. Columns and letters to the editors do not reflect the opinions of the Collegian staff. All members of the commuity are welcome to express opinions through a letter to the editor. The Kenyon Collegian reserves the right to edit all letters submitted for length and clarity. The Collegian cannot accept anonymous or pseudonymous letters. Letters must be signed by individuals, not organizations, and must be 200 words or fewer. Letters must also be received no later than the Tuesday prior to publication. The Kenyon Collegian prints as many letters as possible each week subject to space, interest and appropriateness. Members of the editorial board reserve the right to reject any submission. The views expressed in the paper do not necessarily reflect the views of Kenyon College.
1842 The first section of Middle Path is completed, stretching from Old Kenyon to Wiggin Street; the path is extended to Bexley Hall in 1860.
1828 Kenyon moves to Gambier.
1854 Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) constructs the first fraternity house in the United States.
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Orientation week: a crash course in Kenyon culture The do’s and don’ts of several campus traditions BAILEY BLAKER ARTS EDITOR
The perks of attending Kenyon include being able to tell anyone who will listen that you go to the oldest private college in Ohio, take classes in buildings that look like Hogwarts and participate in traditions that are, like the rite of matriculation, over a century old. On Wednesday, Aug. 26, you will be invited to sing a selection of Kenyon-themed songs on the steps of Rosse Hall along with the rest of your class. This event, f ittingly, is called f irst-year sing. You and your 400 or so classmates will not sound like a chorus of angels. Do not let this deter you from singing as loudly as your little f irst-year lungs will allow, because volume is the name of the game when it comes to this time-honored tradition. When you gather with your classmates on the steps of Rosse Hall, a swarm of upperclassmen will have gathered to witness your Kenyon musical debut and heckle and screech at you en masse. Clara Mooney ’17 remembers her experience at f irst-year sing distinctly. “I was anticipating it as being really humiliating, but
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I’ve heard theories that the reason they don’t want us to walk on the seal is one big conspiracy, like they don’t want to have to clean it.” Zoe Case ’18
it felt like it was more in good fun,” she said. “There’s something about knowing that everyone has gone through it that makes it feel more like an induction.” Lauren Michael ’17 views f irst-year sing as an integral part of being a f irst year: “I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t think that f irst-year sing is an important tradition,” she said. “I mean, it’s a tradition that links you to all of the Kenyon students from the past; it links you to all of the alumni and history.” Matriculation day, another important Kenyon tradition, is a day dedicated to signing the matriculation book and cementing your identity as a Lord or Lady. The matriculation book contains the signatures of nearly all past and current Kenyon students. If you were to scour the books’ pages you would f ind the signature of President Rutherford B. Hayes, who graduated in 1842, along with those of other fa-
The
Collegian’s
dictionary
OF KENYON LANGUAGE AMY SCHATZ | ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR
mous alumni, including John Green ’00, Allison Janney ’82 and Josh Radnor ’96. Though sheets of paper are provided for practice, Zoe Case ’18 has a matriculation day story that will make you think twice about how you dot your i’s and cross your t’s. After practicing for a few minutes, Case signed her name to the book, realizing too late she left the “a” out of her last name. “I kind of hope I don’t get famous, so people will never f ind it again,” Case said. Stepping around the Kenyon seal in the entryway to Peirce Hall is another vaunted Kenyon tradition. Treading on the seal is said to curse one’s ability to graduate. There has been speculation about the origin of the tradition among students, but no consensus has been reached. “I’ve heard theories that the reason they don’t want us to walk on the seal is one big conspiracy, like they don’t want to have to clean it,” Case said.
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Bulls·eye, the: Refers to each of the four rooms on the fourth f loor of Old Kenyon that have circular windows; these rooms are usually inhabited by fraternity brothers who may generate a lot of noise on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights. They also hang pretty lights in the windows. Caves, the: This is not actually a series of natural tunnels, but rather the waterfall and surrounding natural area of Honey Run Highlands Park, located about 10 miles away, in Howard. Club O·lin: What the Olin and Chalmers Libraries transform into after 11 p.m. Members of “Club Olin” have probably been sitting in the same library carrel for f ive hours straight during f inals week without moving. This is not to be confused with Club Chalmers, which does not exist.
KRISTEN HUFFMAN | COLLEGIAN
Kenyon tradition — or superstition — says you won’t graduate if you step on the College seal in Peirce Hall.
Cove, the: Off icially known as the Gambier Grill, a restaurant behind the Village Market that offers late-night delivery service. Though it is no longer named “The Pirate’s Cove,” students who weren’t even around when the name change occurred refuse to address it by anything other than its borrowed nickname. Those who inquire after the name change may expect a hostile response. Ken·yon Krud: Any illness, usually the common cold or the f lu, that often spreads from a few people to a large proportion of Kenyon students and faculty over a short period of time. Mac-and-cheese·wed·ges: One of the Cove’s specialties, these gooey, cheesy treasures are a delicacy on party and study nights alike. Naz, the: Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU), located about eight miles west of Kenyon. Smather: Nickname for Samuel Mather Hall, Kenyon’s f irst building dedicated primarily to science, now home to the psychology department. This is not to be confused with Mather Residence Hall. Sun·set Point: A scenic lookout reachable by a stone-strewn path in the woods behind Sunset Cottage. This spot is frequented by students who appreciate the movement of the celestial bodies. Wig·gle·ground : Wiggin Street Coffee, which recently replaced MiddleGround café; the go-to coffee spot on campus.
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Kenyon:
Then & Now
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Philip and Sam Mather
The Mather surname can be seen on both Madeleine A. Mather Residence Hall and Samuel Mather Hall, but until 2002, the name also labeled a chemistry building, Philip Mather Hall. The Mathers were an eminent Cleveland family whose members have played important roles on the board of trustees and who have donated generously to Kenyon. Philip Mather was constructed in 1962 and sat adjacent to Sam Mather; it was demolished to make way for the Science Quad. A plaque on the north side of Sam Mather commemorates the former Kenyon building. Sam Mather was donated to the College by Henry G. Dalton, then-trustee and a business associate of Samuel Mather, donor of the Dalton Prize in American Studies.
Bexleys to NCAs
Although unknown to students today, the Bexley Place Apartments are still, on occasion, recalled as the housing that preceded the North Campus Apartments (NCAs). Smaller than NCAs, the Bexleys were constructed in 1957 as housing for Bexley Hall seminarians and taken over by Kenyon in 1969. Like the NCAs, they served primarily as housing for upperclassmen and theme houses, including the original Unity House. The NCAs were constructed beginning in 2010, after the demolition of the Bexleys.
BY NATHANIEL SHAHAN MAP BY ROSE BISHOP As students move onto campus for fall semester, they’ll be greeted by a torn-up south campus, the result of the second stage of the Middle Path Restoration Project, which is meant to increase the accessibility of the iconic path as well as improve its structural durability. Perhaps intrusive at present, the project is one in a long line of changes Kenyon has made to its physical appearance as it has expanded and modernized throughout the years.
Peirce Hall
Ascension Hall
Kenyon’s sole dining hall first opened its doors in 1929. Its literary stained glass windows and majestic structure have enchanted students for generations, especially those who grew up during the Harry Potter craze. Peirce’s mix of new and old architecture is the result of an extensive restoration that began in 2005 and was completed in 2008. The restoration, by Gund Partnership, run by Graham Gund ’63, demolished the old Dempsey Hall, which was constructed in 1964. The restoration added a new east wing comprised of Lower Dempsey, home to the Alumni Dining Room, and Thomas Hall, commonly known as New Side.
Despite Kenyon’s 2007 recognition as a “New Ivy” by Newsweek, Ascension Hall now lacks the physical ivy that once climbed its walls. In general, though, the appearance of Ascension has not changed much in the 156 years since the building was first occupied in 1859. Ascension, which today houses the economics, classics, modern languages, philosophy and religious studies departments, used to be the College’s main academic building, until the completion of Sam Mather in 1926, to which several academic departments were moved. Ascension retains evidence of two defunct Kenyon literary societies, Nu Pi Kappa and Philomathesian, whose former rooms are today a study area and classroom, respectively. There is also a now-defunct observatory on the fourth floor.
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1877 Rutherford B. Hayes, class of 1842, is elected President of the United States.
1905 Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) pledge Stuart Pierson is killed by a train during an initiation rite.
1949 A fire in Old Kenyon kills nine students.
1970 Kenyon’s Black Student Union is founded.
A milestone in gay history NATHANIEL SHAHAN | FEATURES EDITOR
W
hile the country continues to react to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision granting same-sex couples the right to marry, one former Kenyon professor is already taking advantage of his new opportunity. “I’m just amazed I’m still alive while this is happening,” said professor emeritus Robert Bennett, who plans to marry his partner, Larry Schlatter, in October. “The whole notion that you can grow up and marry someone of the same sex … is just phenomenal.” The two proposed to each other on the day of the Supreme Court ruling. Bennett, who taught classics and ancient history at Kenyon from 1967 to 2006, remembers when he could count the number of openly gay faculty members on one hand. After starting at Kenyon, Bennett kept his sexuality private; he was concerned his career could be jeopardized if he came out. PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT BENNETT It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that Bennett started coming out Professor emeritus Robert Bennett and his partner Larry Schlatter have been together since 2011. to many of his students and hosting a reception for LGBTQ Kenyon alumni during alumni week. Though retired and largely removed from the current generaThe first gay student association is formed at tion of LGBTQ activists on campus, Bennett considers himself Kenyon. to have been a leader on LGBTQ rights at Kenyon. College Historian Tom Stamp ’73 is in the early stages of compiling a history of gay life at Kenyon. He chaired a Student Council committee that helped create the first gay student orgaProfessor Robert Bennett begins hosting an nization in 1973. annual event for LGBTQ alumni, which draws Under Robert Oden, Kenyon president from 1995 to 2002, the “out” alumni from as far back as the 1940s. board of trustees approved domestic partner benefits for samesex couples, which allowed them to receive health insurance and tuition benefits previously only available to legally married Out gay man Larry Wittenbrook ’73 is profiled in the couples. Alumni Bulletin detailing his battle with HIV/AIDS. He Bennett said this was the first time he felt the College fully acdied in 1993, and is buried in the Kenyon cemetery. knowledged LGBTQ faculty and it became acceptable to bring one’s same-sex partners to faculty events. Today, information on LGBTQ life at Kenyon is listed on the College’s website, and students have formed groups such as the Kenyon begins offering health insurance Queer Men’s Society, Queer Women’s Collective and Athletes benefits for domestic partnerships. for Equality. This fall, the College will host its first admissions event specifically for prospective students who identify as LGBTQ. Incoming co-director of Unity House Nathan Durham ’17 Students establish what would become thinks it is important to have sexual diversity at Kenyon, but Unity House. that sexuality shouldn’t necessarily be considered in admissions. “Gay kids exist everywhere,” said Durham, who thinks direct recruitment of LGBTQ students may entail appealing to more upper-class, white students, who he said often come from more educated and accepting communities. Rachel Gorlin ’17, a fellow director of Unity House, believes online availability of information about LGBTQ life at Kenyon will aid applicants who may not have come out. Gorlin’s decision to attend Kenyon was in part influenced by an “It Gets Better” video made by the College’s Queer Women’s Collective. While Bennett believes there’s still work to be done, especially in the areas of housing and job discrimination, he is excited about his new right and looking forward to his wedding. Bennett invites Kenyon community members to the ceremony, at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 24 at the First Unitarian Universalist COURTESY OF THE GREENSLADE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES | KRISTEN HUFFMAN Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd. in Columbus. A reception will Larry Wittenbrook ’73, left, as pictured in his article on living with HIV/AIDS published in the follow from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Brown Family Environmental April 1991 Alumni Bulletin. Rachel Gorlin ’17, right, is a co-director of Unity House this year. Center.
1973
1980s 1991
1998
2003
1973 Kenyon’s first fully coeducational class graduates.
2000 Allison Janney ’82 wins a Primetime Emmy Award for her work on The West Wing.
7 2013 Sean Decatur is inaugurated as Kenyon’s 19th president.
2008 Nick Petricca ’09 founds the band Walk the Moon.
Off the Hill, students just chillin’ with actors, politicians Summer internships, research programs yield new perspectives and choice photo ops INDIA AMOS DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH
When Jules Desroches ’18 accepted an internship as a field intern for the political nonprofit No Labels, he didn’t know he would end up meeting Hillary Clinton. Desroches was offered a position in New Hampshire with the national organization that advocates bipartisanship cooperation. Not only did the Washington, D.C. native enjoy temporarily living in a new state, but he also liked meeting new people who thought differently than he did. “I imagined the Trump supporters had crazy hair or something unrealistic,” Desroches said. “It’s just interesting to see we have such different viewpoints and different ideologies on things, but people are
just people.” Not all students relocate to pursue internships or research. Wanufi Teshome ’16 chose to take advantage of a summer opportunity here on campus. Teshome, who participated in the John W. Adams Summer Legal Studies Scholars Program, worked with Celso Villegas, associate professor of sociology. From June to August, she conducted independent research, something she said she could not have done during the school year. Choosing to research the way certain social groups interpreted events such as the shooting of Trayvon Martin in February 2012 or the viral short film Kony 2012 over social media, required Teshome to work in a way she never had before. “I think that when
we’re at Kenyon, [professors] teach us to write and to do papers in a certain way, and this research is really different,” Teshome said. “There were no real articles I could find about what I wanted to do, so I had to do a lot of research.” Marc Ferraro ’17 spent the summer in Boston, where he interned with Boston Casting, the largest casting organization in New England. Ferraro, who has taken several drama and film classes at Kenyon, learned about casting and acted as an extra in Central Intelligence, a film featuring Kevin Hart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson that will be released in June 2016. “I wouldn’t say it was an experience I want to do again (extra work is usually one of the worst parts of the movie industry),
PHOTO COURTESY OF JULES DESROCHES
Jules Desroches ’18 met former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton while interning this summer with the political nonprofit No Labels. but as a one-time thing, it was really interesting to see how films are made professionally,” Ferraro wrote in an email to the
Collegian. As summer comes to a close, many students are returning to the Hill with out-of-classroom experi-
ence they would not have had at any place other than a summer internship. surely widening our “Kenyon Bubble” just a bit.
Kenyon band amasses acclaim ahead of album release ELANA SPIVACK ARTS EDITOR
Some bands never make it out of the garage. Kenyon’s own Sports has gotten considerably further. Several major news outlets, including NPR’s All Songs Considered and prominent culture and music sites Rookie and Stereogum, have featured Sports’ upcoming album, All Of Something, produced by indie-rock engineer Kyle Gilbride. All Of Something is slated for release on vinyl on Oct. 30 by San Francisco-based Father/Daughter Records. This punk powerpop group, composed of vocalist-guitarist Carmen Perry ’15, guitarist Jack Washburn ’16, bassist James Karlin ’15, drummer Benji Dossetter ’15 and vocalist/guitarist Catherine Dwyer ’14, formed at Kenyon three years ago. They released their LP Sunchokes on Bandcamp in June 2014. Washburn joined once Dwyer graduated. Sports has performed at various Kenyon venues as well as at bar-restaurant-music venue Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn for the Indie Pop Prom, as well as other Ohio
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPORTS AND FATHER/DAUGHTER RECORDS
Left, Thomas Mattes ’15 graces the cover of Sports’ new album, which will come out on Oct. 30. Right, Jack Washburn ’16, Carmen Perry ’15, James Karlin ’15 and Benji Dossetter ’15. locales. As the future for Sports seems to be coalescing, its members are scattering. Dossetter begins medical school at Tufts University this fall. Karlin will teach Latin at a charter school in Phoenix. Perry and Dwyer are moving to Philadelphia. Washburn has one more year to go at Kenyon. This raises the question: Will Sports disintegrate? “We’re not calling it the
end,” Washburn said. Perry said the band will take a hiatus. The recent press attention surprised the members. “I think we were surprised by how good our label is,” Dossetter said. Jessi Frick, the backbone of Father/Daughter Records, began managing Sports earlier this year after hearing about them through music blog GoldFlakePaint.
Using her impressive cache of contacts, she began spreading Sports’ sound. “When somebody comes to me with music that they’re really excited about … people really feed off of that,” Frick said. “It was a really easy sell.” Several of the band’s members plan to pursue individual projects. Perry records as acoustic singer/songwriter Addie Pray, and will release a tape soon. Dwyer has
a laid-back indie rock project named Spring Onion. Washburn hopes to collaborate with Kenyon students on his solo project, Cry About It. Sports’ members tried to work on their music alongside their academics. “It was difficult to focus on school and also do music,” Perry said. She said playing shows on the weekends was easier than workshopping new material. Dossetter had a slightly different view. “By the time we were really doing timeintensive stuff, it was senior year, and it was kind of easy to blow [academic work] off, at least for me,” he said with a chuckle. Perry said Sports’ style has evolved as they’ve played together. “It’s just getting together with other people and playing music,” she said. “Just give it a shot,” Washburn said. “No reason not to.” News and culture outlet VICE Media will premiere Sports’ single “Reality TV” on Aug. 27, and Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music and more will release the track on Aug. 28. Sports’ music, as well as its members’ solo projects, are available on Bandcamp.
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Kenyon goes
outdoors
These three Kenyon locales offer students the chance for outside work and recreation. ESTEBAN BACHELET | SPORTS EDITOR
THE FARM If you drive east down Wiggin Street, you’ll find six Kenyon students living and working at a farm owned by the College. The Kenyon Farm holds three workdays each week for fellow students to experience nature and agriculture for themselves. “Apart from giving students new perspectives on their food choices, where their eggs come from or where their meat comes from, we can also be a jumping-off point for students to get more involved in the community,” Eli Redfern ’16 said. Another farmer, Aaron Naves ’16, said, “Most students are not using their hands on a daily basis for things other than writing, so it is a good place to get a break from the academic and be productive.” The farm invites those with or without farming knowledge to learn how to work the land. Contact them at thefarm@kenyon.edu or message them through their Facebook page. BROWN FAMILY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER
The Brown Family Environmental Center (BFEC), a 480-acre nature preserve with seven miles of trail, offers a wide range of outdoor activities aimed at familiarizing the community with local flora and fauna. The BFEC hosts Kenyon classes, as well as students from local elementary schools. “Students tell us that it is a great place to get away from the stress they experience socially or academically on campus,” Heather Doherty, director of programming at the BFEC, said. Of the challenges the BFEC faces, one is a perceived separation from campus despite being the same distance away from the bookstore as the Kenyon Athletic Center. The BFEC will be celebrating its 20th anniversary on Sept. 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. at 9781 Laymon Rd., marking the occasion with a host of outdoor activities.
HENRI GENDREAU | COLLEGIAN
Madelyn Schneider ’19 and fellow members of the pre-orientation service program harvest potatoes Thursday at the Kenyon Farm.
Kenyon Bucket List •
Climb up the bell tower in Old Kenyon
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Hook up under the Upside-Down Tree
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Convince someone you’ve read and understood David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest
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Go skinny-dipping in the Kokosing River
•
Finally receive an invite to have dinner at a
THE MILLER OBSERVATORY Less than 10 percent of people ever look through a telescope, according to Professor of Astronomy Paula Turner, who hopes to increase that rate. Turner leads a free open-house viewing at the Franklin Miller Observatory on the last Friday of each month to garner interest for astronomy in the community. The observatory is home to four eight-inch telescopes on computerized mounts, as well as a 20-inch telescope equipped with a CCD detector, a type of light sensor. “With that telescope I can get an image of a quasar three-quarters of the distance across the universe,” Turner said, referring to the extremely distant and luminous objects. The observatory was originally built in 1993 near the BFEC farm house after Turner, the first professional astronomer in the Kenyon physics department, arrived on campus; it moved in 2004 to a higher elevation to avoid light pollution.
We all arrive on campus with hearts and minds full of things we want to do in our time here. Sometimes, those things are easier said than done. We asked some of this year’s seniors what they’ve yet to cross off their Kenyon bucket lists. Here’s what they told us. COMPILED BY EILEEN CARTTER | CHIEF COPY EDITOR
I feel like reading [Infinite Jest] has become a rite of passage among some English majors, but I have neither the ambition nor patience to read a 1,000-page book. I'm going to settle for making bold, argumentative, but ultimately extremely vague, statements about Infinite Jest until someone believes me. Erin Delaney
professor’s home •
Visit Honey Run Highlands Park (also known as the Caves)
•
Come in first place at Wednesday trivia night
Go to the Caves for some wet and wild fun. Alex Piper
at the Village Inn •
Actually go to the Brown Family Environmental Center (BFEC)
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Make it into the Village Record
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Leave some sort of legacy (and look good doing it)
Go skinny-dipping in the Kokosing. But it’ s already too cold for that. Maria Sorkin
Whether [it] be music or film or writing, I just want to create something that others can connect with. And find someone that can give a Black person a decent haircut in the county. That'd be the ultimate bucket list success story. Roger Rogers