For many students, going out on the weekends is an essential part of the college experience. Weekend partying is seen as a time to relax and have fun with friends after putting in a week of academic work. While I am someone who only goes out a few times a year for special events, I have made a point of observing the scene that is Kenyon’s party culture. This was the only party scene that I had ever experienced until recently when I had the chance to spend a weekend visiting my best friend at The Ohio State University.
There are obviously a lot of things that are different about going out at OSU. To start with, there are so many people. There are also many more options of where to spend the evening. There are traditional house parties that are reminiscent of the gatherings at Kenyon, but there are also various bars and clubs that people frequent throughout the night. Some of these are for ages 18 and up, while others are only for those over 21, and they vary in popularity and exclusivity. A few of them had lines of people waiting to get inside.
What was immediately obvious to me was how much more public going out is when you’re in Columbus. You have to have a K-Card to get into Kenyon parties, but the bars and clubs of Columbus are free game for anyone who’s old enough to get in and willing to pay the entry fee. (There’s another difference—entry fees for public events.) While there are definitely smaller private parties around the campus, most people seem to opt for the bigger gathering places.
While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the whole public party scene thing, there was one difference that I really appreciated. My friend and I were supposed to be meeting up with a few other people at her club of choice, and since we got there a bit before they did, we were just dancing together at the edge of the room. There was a fairly large group of girls all dancing at the center of the space, and one of them broke out of their group to invite the two of us over to join in with them! I was pleased (and honestly a little bit touched) that these total strangers just invited us into their group.
Students at Kenyon tend to have a little tunnel vision at times, I think. We get very comfortable within our respective social circles, and it can be scary to try to step outside of them. Kenyon party culture has therefore always felt a little bit cliquey to me; people go out with a certain group and don’t interact much with anyone outside of said group. As someone who deals with a lot of social anxiety myself, I understand that approaching semi or complete strangers can be a bit frightening. It’s just important to remember that we’re all just people. The general social culture at Kenyon can be very isolating at times, and the party culture can be even more so. Next time you’re out for the weekend, say hi to that guy standing along the wall, or invite that little group of girls to join in with you and your friends. Just a simple gesture of kindness can go a long way.