About Grinnell
Posted by: Chris Jones
January 24, 2013 - 11:46am
by Sam Dunnington, '14
As the temperature in Grinnell flirts with zero, people hustle from building to building and students from warmer climates barricade themselves inside until spring. In the early 1960s, however, freezing temperatures meant students could be found in abundance at the Barber Skating Plaza. Named after Margaret Kyle Barber, class of 1899, the rink was located between Burling Library and the Fine Arts building. The rink seems to have been a popular winter hangout spot for... Read More...
December 7, 2012 - 3:31pm
The activities at Grinnell are definitely my favorite part of college life. I've joined a few activities this semester: The Scarlet & Black (school newspaper), The B&S (satirical newspaper), Nerf at Noyce, Student Organization of Latinos (SOL), African and Caribbean Student Union (ACSU), and Pioneer Diversity Council (PDC). (One thing I've learnt from all of these is that abbreviations are very important at Grinnell). And I've tried even more: ultimate frisbee, Zumba, salsa, wwing dance... Read More...
December 7, 2012 - 3:25pm
I'm currently a student adviser (SA) for the first floor of Younker dorm, and I have to say that being an SA is one of the most involved of all of my extracurricular activities.
SAs are crucial to the residence life experience at Grinnell, because they act as peer mentors and as a resource for students. They also help foster and strenghen floor community among residents.
Although the position is demanding and requires a lot of training, being an SA is also the most rewarding in terms of... Read More...
December 7, 2012 - 3:17pm
I became involved with the Voicebox, the Grinnell campus activist center, my first week of school. A number of students were handing out flyers about a campaign to get Coca Cola products removed from the dining hall and stopped me:
"Do you think Grinnell could be better?"
"Uhm... I don't know, I just got here."
Those students invited me to their weekly meeting, where they planned a number of activities and events regarding major political issues both on campus and off. These students were some... Read More...
December 7, 2012 - 3:04pm
Grinnell College is a place where student initiatives are able to thrive. Outside of class, I take part in the Grinnell Concerts Committee, which is entirely run by students. I enjoy working with the Concerts Committee, not only because I enjoy music, but I appreciate how concerts help foster a vibrant musical community on campus. As part of the Student Government Association, the Grinnell Concerts Committee works with a yearly budget of $90,000 to showcase the best of new music, bringing bands... Read More...
December 4, 2012 - 11:39am
Student-run and extracurricular activities are a must on the Grinnell College campus––everyone here is involved in something other than core academic classes. This means that any random conversation you may have with a Grinnellian will be an interesting one. I find that each of my extracurricular activities adds depth and focus to my academic endeavors and helps me relate to my peers in new ways. Each week I get to converse with a native Russian speaker, plan study breaks for my floor, and... Read More...
December 4, 2012 - 11:33am
Grinnell is a great place for any student to get involved in all kinds of extracurricular activities. From varsity and intramural sports to music to movie-watching clubs, Grinnell really has any club or activity you could ever want. The best part, however, is that if there happens to be a club that Grinnell does not have, you can start one with a friend and get Student Government Association (SGA) funding. It is that simple. For me, with school and work I do not have the time I would like for... Read More...
December 3, 2012 - 4:58pm
Student teacher relationships at Grinnell are as great as you want them to be. You might find them shocking, if you're like me and come from a school with a big gap between the teachers and students. At my high school, the teachers and students only interacted during class. To get to a teacher outside of class was very hard – there was no time you could guarantee a teacher would be in the staff room so students would have to wait and most of our questions ended up not being asked or, possibly,... Read More...
Posted by: Chris Jones
December 3, 2012 - 2:54pm
by Stephanie Porter, '14
As a student working in the archives, I knew the day would come eventually: I would have to face the daunting task of putting together my own exhibit.
That day came this semester, when Chris approached me one morning with a theme- exploration. It sounded reasonable enough at the time, broad enough that I could do whatever I wanted with it, and certainly an interesting topic. I figured I would just pull some books, write some descriptions, put them in cases and call it... Read More...
November 19, 2012 - 12:52pm
I believe having strong professional and personal relationships with professors is key for student growth and development. It may come as a surprise to some, but professors at Grinnell understand that students have lives outside of the classroom. In fact, they were in the same position once and dealing with similar issues. For instance, I was going through a tough time adjusting to Grinnell during my first semester. I had a hard time balancing my academics with other extracurricular commitments... Read More...
