Housing & Dining

The conversations that change your life are not necessarily going to take place around a seminar table. They're going to happen with roommates and friends, lingering over dinner, stopping for coffee, or hanging out in a residence hall lounge late at night. That's why we see where you live and eat not just as a matter of creature comforts but in terms of personal interaction, a way of building community. So you'll find a variety of housing options at Kenyon, from traditional halls, to apartments, to theme-based living arrangements. And if one of those late-night conversations means that you miss breakfast, you can grab a bite during "extendo," Kenyon's quirky term for expanded hours in the dining hall.

Kenyon is fully residential. All students live on campus, and first-year students have their own "neighborhood" near the Gambier village center. Groups of students can band together to create themed housing—recent themes include Chinese immersion, cooking, and athletic team spirit (conceived by the "KAC heads"). The dining scene stands out in two ways. First is the place itself: beautiful, magnificently renovated Peirce Hall, with its literary stained-glass windows and spacious serving areas. Second is the fare: Kenyon is a leader in the local-food movement, and we serve up a good deal of information about area farmers along with the foods we buy from them. The village offers other enticements, from pizza and burgers at the Gambier Grill to creative wraps, soups, salads, coffee drinks, and local organic specialties at the Middle Ground café.