What do kids do on the weekend?

Youdon'tsay · 10-25-2009, 05:04 PM

Just wondering as ds will be visiting soon. I was looking online at the calendar and saw something called Halloween Harris. Is that a party or dance?

Eidda · 10-25-2009, 05:39 PM

All Harris(es) are dance parties. Harris Parties are themed parties hosted in the college's Harris center. On the weekends there is a variety of things going on. Parties, movies, games, always something to do.

WanderingTree · 10-26-2009, 07:21 PM

Harris Center parties are the "mainstream"/"defacto" events but on any given weekend there are a few house and/or dorm parties. There are also concerts (the college brings in some really big names), movies, literary readings, lectures (yes, students go to these for fun), departmental gatherings etc. etc. The college also provides shuttle service to Iowa city. Extracurricular activities, music rehearsal, art studio time, theatre practice and sports take up a lot of time too.

d'smom · 11-01-2009, 09:06 PM

We just visited recently and one thing that my s really like is all of the things that the students could chose from to do. He got to do about five different things over the course of two nights. He had a blast and they did not charge money for any of it!!!!! Great visit

sunmachine · 11-08-2009, 03:13 PM

Campus responds to 10/10 damages and thefts - Scarlet & Black

I'd like to think this isn't a typical weekend at Grinnell....

mcpheevn · 11-08-2009, 03:31 PM

I was slightly put off by the things in that news piece also. But it would venture to guess they are common among drunk college students, not to mention 10/10 is, I believe, one of the 'legendary' parties where kids let loose, which means a typical weekend could be (a lot) milder.

Fyi, Carleton also expresses similar concerns, The Carletonian: Carleton: A consequence-free community?

sunmachine · 11-08-2009, 03:43 PM

Yeah, I saw a similar article in the Bates student paper a few weeks ago.

A certain amount of hell-raising seems to go with the territory. I just think that it'd be nice if the other students called out those responsible, and made them pay for and clean up their own mess.

Youdon'tsay · 11-08-2009, 06:05 PM

Are there poor town/gown relationiships at Grinnell?

_Silence · 11-08-2009, 06:09 PM

10/10 is certainly not a typical weekend. I also want to add, that most people who do party clean up their own mess and pay for any damage they caused. Of course there are always those that don't, but that is certainly not the rule.
Apparently there were a lot of townies coming on campus this year.
I can't really say anything about the relationship between College students and people in town, but I do believe that the relationship between the College students and the high schoolers is not the best.

Youdon'tsay · 11-08-2009, 06:59 PM

I guess I'm a little surprised that people didn't just call security on those who they knew weren't students. I mean, with such a small student body, I'd think it would be fairly obvious who was/wasn't a student.

Ds recently visited and said people leave their dorms open and that he felt very safe. I'm hoping that events like those that happened on 10/10 are indeed rare. But now I'm curious -- do you need any kind of swipe card to get in to the dorms? Also, can someone explain something in the story. Are the ultimate captains in charge of organizing 10/10 activities? That confused me ...

WanderingTree · 11-08-2009, 08:05 PM

Youdon'tsay,

10/10 (the first paycheck for students at Grinnell) is an annual thing but is far, far from the typical weekend. Grinnell has a few traditions that may occasionally get out of hand but that's true for every school. There are also some social interactions with the folks in town, so that may be a factor regarding security not being called. Plus, many alumni and friends of students at other LAC colleges often come to town for parties like 10/10. Also, nobody wants to be a buzz kill.

Yes, students use their "P Cards" to get into dorms, certain academic buildings/offices, campus houses etc. But people are pretty trusting at Grinnell - perhaps too trusting (most people don't even lock their doors). "Oh, I lost my P-card" will get you in.

Traditionally folks on the Ultimate Frisbee team (and their friends) have helped with the event in some way, shape or form but this is a huge party with things happening in every dorm and lounge, so there are a lot of other people involved.

bethievt · 11-09-2009, 01:00 AM

Youdon'tsay

I'm afraid town/gown relationships aren't ideal in many places. Grinnell College bends over backwards to improve this relationship. As I understand it, town residents are invited to every amazing free activity the school sponsors, first-come, first-served and if the college students don't get their free reservations in on time, they are shut out. This may have helped relationships with many local residents, but I have gotten the feeling that the relationships between the local HS students and college students may not be stellar. The same was true in the LAC I attended and the LAC my husband attended back in the 1970s. This may go with the territory.

I was not happy to read about vandalism and theft, however, during the 10/10 event. My son is on a semester abroad, so at least his innocence is unquestioned! But it bothers me that this is happening on his or any campus, now or at any time. I'm not perfect either, but I agree with the Grinnell and Carleton articles. Hold people responsible for the mess they make. The kids should be cleaning this up, not the maintenance staff.

Dairy State K8 · 11-09-2009, 10:12 AM

My son's iPod went missing 10/10 from a friend's room. He told me that there were many non-Grinnell students on campus that weekend and he believes the thief was not a Grinnell student. Not that every Grinnell student is perfect, but in a campus community like Grinnell, the ramifications of being found out and labeled a thief would be unimaginably bad.