鈥楾he Rock鈥 Rocks On!
Painting 鈥楾he Rock鈥 is one of Kent State鈥檚 earliest鈥攁nd most lasting鈥攃ampus traditions.
It鈥檚 likely that the large boulder received its first coat of paint in 1922, the year that fraternities and sororities were first established at Kent State. And it鈥檚 been a canvas for expression ever since.
For many years, The Rock rested on the 鈥渄evil strip鈥 between the sidewalk and Main Street. To accommodate the widening of the street in September 1976, The Rock was moved further back onto the Front Campus, where it remains today.
In celebration of The Rock鈥檚 100+ anniversary, multimedia storyteller Phil Soencksen, BS 鈥89, dug deep into the archives and unearthed mentions of its origin and colorful鈥攕ometimes controversial鈥攑resence on the Kent Campus. Read his accounts of its history below鈥攁s well as recent coverage in the fall/winter 2020-21 issue of 麻豆精选Magazine.
Read more about the history of The Rock.
Read more about The Rock鈥檚 location.
Read about The Rock鈥檚 recent role related to racism and reconciliation.