by Daniel Covington and Abigail Rollins
Looking back on another great but challenging year at Centre College, we are here to remember all of the academic year’s greatest moments!
Champions Hall: Long-awaited and encompassing a 50-million-dollar budget, Champions Hall finally opened—and to much praise! The building’s opening is preceded by that of the clock tower in front of it, of course. Overall, it seems as though everyone is excited about the new high tech building and especially the grab and go food shop!
New Student Clubs: Several student clubs and organizations were established or revived this year, including the Student Workers Organization and the Centre Fishing Club. The Disabled Student Alliance, while having been present for several consecutive years, experienced significant growth this year as well.
Pearl Weed Fire: 11/01/2023, 8:45 p.m. Who could forget the fire alarm blaring, the people running, wondering if it was just another drill. “While investigating a fire alarm at Pearl Hall, DFD found a smoldering trash can and extinguished it.” Over 6 massive fire trucks lined the street… all for a garbage can with a blunt that had caught fire.
Horror Film Festival: Centre College’s annual Night Screams Horror Film Festival event showcased eleven cinematic works by students, staff, and faculty. The festival took place on November 9, 2023, at the Vahlkamp Theater. It was a collaborative effort with over fifty individuals involved, including contributions from students studying in Strasbourg. It was a night of fun and horror— one for the books!
Building Bridges and Community Day: Centre College’s 6th annual Building Bridges Day hosted about 44 events and had over 1,200 participants! A few of the most popular events, besides the three signature events, were “Service Animals, ESA’s and Pets ‘Oh My’” hosted by Lila Coburn and Katelyn Rosilez, “Canning and Community” hosted by Liz Dickerson and Rachel Gause, and “Cards for Humanity! The game of Scopa” held by Aaron Godlaski. Be on the lookout in the coming fall for Centre’s next BBCD!
First Real Thanksgiving Break: This year marked the first academic year to have the full week off for Thanksgiving. This was an incredibly welcome change for students and professors alike. Hopefully this change sticks around!
P. Milly Jaywalking: After Kevin Milby’s famous emails regarding the dangers of jaywalking and getting run over by cars, P. Milly decided last semester that he would “stand” with the students. In bright daylight he committed the act of solidarity, crossing without a crosswalk, even doing a light sprint to his house, avoiding oncoming traffic. Who knows why he did it. We might never know… all we know is he is a real one.
Kevin Milby and His Parking Lots: Kevin Milby is a staple of campus email inbox. “Dear Campus Community, The Norton Center parking lot will be closed tomorrow for Centre of Attention Day. Please plan accordingly. Thanks, Kevin Milby. Director of Public Safety.” Kevin and his parking lots are always opening and closing anytime there is an event., Kevin is on the case! No one is better at getting rid of necessary parking than Milby!
New Cowan Chef: Chef Desmond is the newly instated chef at Cowan, having been introduced in mid-January. Students have noticed pleasant changes in the qualities of their breakfasts, lunches and dinners since his arrival. We hope you stick around, Chef Desmond!
The Crosswalk Demon: Still scaring the hell out of us, the cross-walk demon is still taking individuals by the day. We reported on this demon in a previous edition, and let’s just say, it’s probably not going anywhere soon!
Campus and System Updates: Centre College has made several significant changes within the last year that affect student life. These include, for example, minor amenities such as the addition of vending machines around campus and a new flex dollar snack shop in Champions Hall that implements Centre’s first self-checkout system. The two most influential changes at Centre are the new housing lottery program and the update to the convocation credit system, the latter of which will come into effect this coming fall semester and will make the acquisition of 12 convocation credits each year optional for students. In simple terms, while students can still earn an extra credit by attending at least 12 convocations annually, students who do not reach this quota will no longer receive a “U” grade or be otherwise receive penalties.
SGA Election: The Student Government Association held an election this March for a new President, to be instated this coming fall after the current SGA President graduates. The Cento helped assist a debate for the four candidates, moderated by our very own managing editor, Jenna Nicodemus. Congratulations to the winning candidate, Kasey Montgomery!
Eclipse: On April 8, 2024, both the Centre College Outdoors Club and the Centre Society of Physics Students organized group transport to view the total solar eclipse. In addition, Centre staff encouraged those on campus to watch the eclipse together (with protective eyewear, of course) at the Bell Tower. We hope you were able to observe it since the next total solar eclipse visible in the United States won’t be until August of 2044!
Last but not least: From us to you, we appreciate everyone reading the Cento and wish you all good luck for the summer!