We asked current students for a list of top things they think every Kent State student should do before graduation. How many items on the list can you check off? How many do you even recognize?
Illustrations by Jason Zehner
Explore the Kent Campus
- Add another layer of paint to the Rock
- Go sledding on campus
- Feed a black squirrel
- Visit the May 4 Visitors Center
- Visit the Fashion Museum
- Visit the Herrick Conservatory
- Hang out on the Student Green
- Dine at Rosie’s after midnight
- See what’s on every floor of the Â鶹´«Ă˝ Library
- Walk the Lefton Esplanade from Risman Plaza to downtown Kent
- Order a late-night treat at Insomnia Cookies
- Have a drink at Ray’s Place
- Get a grilled sandwich at Twisted Meltz
- Find your bliss at Peace, Love and Little Donuts
- Buy fresh produce at the Haymaker’s Farmer’s
- Market (Saturdays)
- Create a costume for Kent Halloween
- Dress in green for Fake Paddy’s Day
- Celebrate our nation’s independence at Kent Heritage Festival
Be your best self
- Join a student organization or two
- Volunteer for Super Service Saturday
- Sign up for supplemental instruction or tutoring
- Go on an Alternative Spring Break
- Participate in a Peer Leader Training Course
- Find your niche with an Involvement Expert
- (Center for Student Involvement)
- Polish your prose at Writing Commons
- Take a Financial Literacy Workshop
Practice wellness
- Stroll by the Cuyahoga River downtown
- Walk the stairs of the Â鶹´«Ă˝ Library (tallest building in Portage County)
- Travel the Portage County Bike and Hike Trail
- Kayak the Cuyahoga River with Crooked
- River Adventures
- Play intramural or club sports
- Bowl at Eastway
- Skate at the Ice Arena
- Climb the Rec Center’s rock wall
- Run a 5K on campus: Bowman Cup, Black
- Squirrel or Run the World
Meet and greet
- Make a friend in each class
- Get to know your academic advisor
- Chat with your resident assistant
- Snap a selfie with President Diacon
- Drop in during your professors’ office hours
- Give Flash the Golden Eagle a high-five
- Join a team at a Hackathon
Attend Kent Campus Events
- Check out the Black Squirrel Festival
- Celebrate Homecoming
- Catch a movie at Real Late Reels
- Start off the new school year at Blastoff
- Cheer on the Golden Flashes at an athletic event
- Watch a Dive-In Movie
- See a show at the Center for the Performing Arts
- Give something back at a fraternity/sorority philanthropy event
Regional Campuses
Ashtabula
- Grab your books, walk across the street to Lake Erie and study on the beach
- Take a selfie with friends—or with Flash—in front of the “Wave Wall”
- Meet your friends and classmates at Harbor Perk or another great spot on Bridge Street
East Liverpool
- Eat lunch at the
- Hot Dog Shoppe
- Talk to the ghosts in the Mary Pat Building
- Sit at the wharf and watch boats and barges on the Ohio River
Geauga
- Visit the Great
- Geauga County Fair
- (and the KSU Geauga Booth!)
- on Labor Day weekend
- Go to a pancake breakfast in Burton (Sundays in March), the heart of maple syrup country
- Play in the faculty/staff vs. students kickball game each fall semester
Regional Academic Center
- Attend Twins Days in Twinsburg (first full weekend of August)
- Eat lunch on the patio to enjoy fresh air between classes
Salem
- Ignore the “No Fishing” signs at the pond
- Feed and/or dodge the geese
- Gather around the fireplace in Centofanti Hall
- Try to figure out the numbering sequence for the classrooms
Stark
- Join first-year students for the lightning bolt photo during Smart Start Orientation
- Chomp on homemade chips at the Emporium Grille
- Attend at least one Featured Speaker presentation
- Take in the campus wildlife at the Pond and Wetlands Research Area
- Volunteer at one of the longstanding community events, Boo U or Earth Day Study by the clock in the heart of campus
Trumbull
- Read a copy of Trumbull’s art and poetry magazine ICON
- Play a game of pool in the Student Union lounge
- Visit the Link Art Gallery
- Attend a free theatre workshop at the Trumbull Theatre
Tuscarawas
- Enjoy a Broadway show, comedy act or musical entertainment at the Performing Arts Center
- Design and 3D print something fun in the Makerspace
- Record a video, song or a narrative in the Video2Go Studio
What did we forget? Send us your list at magazine@kent.edu!
Score Yourself
50 - 73 You’ve totally embraced the Kent State community
25 - 49 Maybe you’ve spent a little too much time studying
15 - 24 You really ought to get out more
1 - 14 Are you sure we’re talking about the same place?
0 “I just picked this up in my doctor’s waiting room. Who are you people?"