Knox College Top Questions

Some of the most popular groups on campus are the choir, which has around 60 students, and the Greek organizations. Intramural sports are also very popular, as is Student Senate and a lot of the human rights organizations like SASS (Students Against Sexism in Society), etc. My involvement with choir has been one of the most positive experiences on this campus, because having a group to be involved with is a great way to get acclimated to life in college. We also go on tours every year over spring break, which is a really great way to get to know each other. Last year we went to Chicago, and this year we went to Spain. Students in the dorms here tend to leave their doors open a lot, but it depends what area of campus you live in. I live on the first floor, and everyone in our suite still leaves their doors unlocked and usually open as well. I feel very safe on this campus. There is generally a good turn out for sports events and guest speakers; guest speakers get more attendance than sports, though. Theater is also very popular here; our theatre department is very strong, and people of all kinds show up to theatre and dance shows. I find that there are enough people interested in just about anything you could think of on campus, that you'll get a solid amount of people coming to various events. Knox is a small campus, but I haven't found the dating scene to be difficult. One thing I've heard complaints about is that because this is a small campus, word gets around quickly about things, and it might be hard to avoid someone you have a bad break-up with. I met my closest friends through choir, and people I spoke to during orientation week. I had established my group of friends within a few days of being here, and it changed somewhat over time, but some of my best friends are people I met within the first week on campus. If I'm awake on a Tuesday morning at 2:00, which I usually am, I'm doing homework. Always. Some nights I'm up until 4 or 5, but the average is about 2. The traditions that happen each year on campus include: Play Fair, a big event for the incoming first-years to get to know each other and play games; Pump Handle, where every Knox student, faculty, and administrator shakes each other's hands within a period of a couple of hours; Flunk Day, when classes are canceled and students experience a day of games, carnival rides, and a foam pit, among other festivities. People party on a varied basis. There are parties going on every weekend or every other weekend, but people's partying schedules vary based on their class schedules for the term and how much work they have to do. Sometimes fraternities host big theme parties, but for the most part, partying happens on a much smaller scale, among groups of friends hanging out on weekends. Fraternities and Sororities are popular on campus, but they aren't that big of a deal, because there is no pressure to join or not join. They are there for people who are interested, and not an issue for people who would rather not be a part of it. Parties are not exclusive based on Greek or non-Greek, or even based on which fraternity or sorority you are involved in. They are a good way to create a social network, but it is very easy to find a social group at Knox that is not based on Greek life. I have many friends who are in various sororities and fraternities, though I do have a specific fraternity at which I spend a lot of time hanging out, because many of my friends ended up joining that fraternity. However, that does not mean I do not hang out with people from other groups. The system exists, but it is not as prevalent in the lives of the students as it might be at a bigger institution. Last weekend, I spent my Friday night with three friends of mine, sitting on our mattresses which we pulled out into the suite, watching DVDs of Looney Tunes cartoons that we checked out from the library. We bought a bunch of snacks from the C-Store and had a sleepover. On a Saturday night, you can find plenty of groups of people who aren't drinking, and if there are people who aren't drinking, they aren't going to pressure you to drink. I've never had a problem telling people I didn't want to drink; people are accepting of your choices. If you don't drink AND you don't want to be around drinking at all, you might run into problems, but people aren't going to bother you about it. There are often theater productions or movies being shown for clubs on Saturday nights. There is also a giant TV in the lounge of one of the dorms, which is for public use, so people often set up movie nights, etc. Music artists come to Knox occasionally as well and play in small settings like dorm lounges or in the recital hall. I've never had a problem finding something to do, and I often find there are too many things I want to go to, all happening at once! And if not, there's always homework to do. I've had many Saturday nights that consisted solely of homework.

There are so many activities to choose from on campus. And the social life is bumpin.

Many of us say that nothing ever happens at Knox. That's not entirely true. Things happen, it's just that you never hear about them until they're over. Signs on campus and notes in your mailbox aren't as affective as people think they are. Right now is Flunk Day season, complete with the rumors and the scares. It's exciting, but a little annoying. Not a lot of people enjoy being awakened at 5am to find out that it's NOT Flunk Day. But it is nice when Flunk Day actually comes. The day off is a blessing to most people.

I came into Knox thinking that I would never go Greek, but the sororities/fraternities on campus are /very/ different than the kind you'd find at a state school. The girls aren't cliquey or superior. Instead, they are philanthropically oriented, active in the Knox community, and just excited about hanging out together. Sororities don't live together either, which limits the amount of catty-ness that is inherent in gathering any group of girls together in one place. Fraternities on campus host parties usually every other weekend, and they do live together at houses. Each frat has a different feel, but again, they're all a lot more relaxed and diverse than the kind you'd find at a state school. Even though I started this out talking about Greek life, it really isn't that dominating on campus. Half the people involved, you'd never know were Greek just by looking at or talking to them. Students in the dorms leave their doors open, and if usually people in suites or floors get to know each other really well. A lot of friendships are forged there. If you want to party, you can party. If you want to just hang out, that happens a lot too. What you're going to do on the weekend really depends on the people you associate with.

Social life is centered around the fraternities. Each has its own following. But fraternities at Knox College are not like other school's systems. Knox's greek life is non-threatening and overall very open to other people. There is no "brother's only" mind-set all people are welcome at the parties.

There's not much on a weekend that doesn't include alcohol. Knox is extremely gossipy. So no matter how you spend your weekend (or weekdays for that matter), other people on campus will know exactly what you did after the 10th round of beer pong last saturday... Students do prop doors open, but we're not supposed to. Galesburg is an extremely sketchy town (filled with plenty of unemployed sketchy individuals) and things will get stolen. Athletic events are only popular for die-hard fans. Knox knows that the "prairie fire" isn't amazing...so not too many students tend to go to games. If I'm still awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I'm either studying or going out to steak and shake with friends.

People on campus are pretty sociable. We are a small enough campus that you can't leave your building without stopping to say hi to someone you know or chat with a friend. Residence halls are divided into suite of 8,12 or 16 students with a common area onto which all rooms open, and common areas are the center of activity in many suites. Dorm room doors are almost always open and the atmosphere is trusting enough that most students leave their doors unlocked or open even when they aren't in the dorm. The Knox gender ratio is fairly balanced and by sophomore year it seems that most students have a campus boyfriend or girlfriend. Many form very close, long-term relationships, and the rumor goes that 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of Knox students will marry someone from Knox. There are many active clubs and Greek organizations on campus in which students can become involved. Fraternities dominate the party scene, as there are few other venues for parties on campus. Drinking is common on weekends, but tends to occur within the confines of small groups of people in dorm rooms or suites and is usually not extremely excessive. The administration turns a fairly blind eye to drug and alcohol use if it is not disruptive, but I get the sense that they are trying to become more restrictive. Apart from drinking, there is not a lot to do on weekends. There are often parties you can go to, whether or not you're drunk, but many people choose to pre-game for these. There is nowhere off campus you would really want to go, even if you were over 21. The best option that does not involve drinking would be watching movies or hanging out with your friends in the Gizmo. It would be really nice if there were more campus-sponsored activities such as concerts and movies in which students could participate on the weekends.

There is always, always something going on. The best and most talked about tradition...easy. Flunk Day. End of story. (It will be, I guarantee it, your favorite day of the year. For the rest of your life.)

There is always enough to do if you are involved and make a little of your own fun. You can do the whole greek party scene, but it is just as easy to have your own parties or not to party at all.