Elizabeth: As a member of a sorority, I do confess that I sit with my sorority sisters often, but not all the time. People sit with their friends, and many of mine happen to be in my sorority. This is not the rule by any means though. You grab a table with whoever!
As far as places to go within walking distance, “downtown” Danville is just a few blocks down Main Street and new restaurants seem to be popping up all the time. The Hub is a quaint coffee shop attached to the bookstore. My personal favorite restaurant is 303 W…best hamburgers ever. The Catholic church is right down Main Street, too.
When I was visiting colleges, the number of people who stayed on campus for the weekends was an important factor for me. Although many students are from Kentucky, most stay during the weekends. There is so much going on that I don’t feel the need to leave.
I hope this helps and if you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Alyssa: 1. Cowan (the dining facility) is full of weird traditions, but the major tradition is that girls and boys do not usually sit together unless it is breakfast or brunch. While this is the tradition, people regularly sit together and break this unwritten rule. Sorority and Fraternity women and men do tend to sit together, but it is not required. Most of my meals, I sit with a large mix of affiliated and unaffiliated men and women. It may seem as though many people in fraternities or sororities sit together, but they also sat together before they rushed a fraternity or sorority.
2. Campus is situated on Main Street, so there are many neat shops and restaurants along Main Street and the surrounding area. One student favorite is Burke’s Bakery! Also, my personal favorite is the taco Bell that we often make late night runs to. Everything is within walking distance, so you do not have to have a car on campus.
3. This weekend is an example of a quiet weekend because most people went home for Easter Weekend, but that did not mean that there was nothing to do all weekend. I stayed on campus this weekend, and I had a wonderful weekend of fun with my friends who stayed. Some of my friends live in Lexington, and they do go home on the weekends, but they usually go home on Sunday and stay for the majority of the weekend. They often don’t even go home on the weekends!
Andrew S.: The Catholic church I attend is St. Peter and Paul, located on Main St. and about a ten or fifteen minute walk from campus. Several Centre students attend mass with members of the Danville community and is a wonderful spiritual and communal environment. It is, admittedly, sometimes difficult for me to attend or motivate myself because of my academic load or extracurricular involvement, but the times I have gone have been great. In addition, P & P is located next to the inimitable Burke’s Bakery, which has simply the best treats you could ask for in Danville. God and baked goods; what more could you ask for on a Sunday?
Sophia: there are quite a few things within walking distance, though nothing like what you might have in a larger city. i would definitely recommend v the market for the 21+ crowd — it’s just a great atmosphere and the owners are very interested in encouraging local music and artists. another favorite of mine is la hacienda — a bit of a walk if you have to walk, but definitely worth it (just remember to bring cash!)
depending on where you are, campus can be incredibly quiet. my favorite place to go for guaranteed quiet time/reflection is the walking labyrinth that is beside the presbyterian church. it’s a great place to go just to have time to think and breathe.
CJ: One word about Greek life at Centre. We have what is called “deferred rush” (no official Greek recruitment or pledging until February) so by the time folks join a Greek group, they are essentially just “joining” their friends that they have made over the course of the school year. So when fraternity or sorority groups are seen sitting together in Cowan Dining Hall, they are eating with their friends. Also, I have never seen any group exclude friends who are non-members from sitting at a table in the Dining Hall. That being said, I understand your concern. At Centre, however, I’ve never seen any type of serious divide.
As far as the community surrounding the college, there are a plethora of restaurants and stores nearby because much of the campus is located on or near Main Street. There are cafes, pizza pubs, seafood restaurants and breakfast restaurants all less than a mile from campus. There are many shops and stores on Main Street, but Walmart and Kroger are both about a four minute drive from campus, but many students (as well the DanTran- Danville’s public transportation system) head that way-literally-all the time.
The Catholic Church (Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church) is 0.6 miles from campus and many students attend each Sunday.
Campus never feels quiet on weekends. Although the campus population is blessed to include many Kentuckians, Centre is by no means a backpack campus. There are many weekend events at the Norton Center, as well as events put on by Student Activities Council (such as Midnight Movies, Ice Skating, Carnival) and Greek groups.
Rachel: Hi Blair! Thanks for the great questions.
I would say that the first is true only in the sense that people sit with people with whom they have similar interests. Yes, members of the same sorority and fraternity do often sit together, but it is not an exclusive thing. People in fraternities and sororities often sit with independents and with members of other fraternities and sororities. They sit together just as often as, say, members of sport teams and members of similar friend groupings with no affiliation. No one is completely left out.
There are definitely things within walking distance! A car is not necessary, though nice. In walking distance, there are several stores such as CVS and a Dollar General, as well as wonderful little boutiques like Myrtles (which sells some clothes, jewelery, and other fun stuff). There are also restaurants ranging from Papa John’s and Baskin Robbins to the the Hub Coffee shop, Bluegrass Pizza Pub and Freddie’s Italian (Danville restaurants). If you have a car or a friend with a car, those options grow to most things you could want.
There is a Catholic Church roughly a 5-10 minute walk off campus, and I have heard wonderful things about their reception of college students.
There was a student life survey a year or so ago and it said that most Centre students go home one or zero times a month. I think that is true. If Kentucky students do go home, most do so rarely. Campus is definitely never quiet on the weekends; there are events and things happening all the time!
Hope all of this helps!
