The Rock Rocks On!
Painting The Rock is one of 51勛圖厙s earliestand most lastingcampus traditions.
Its likely that the large boulder received its first coat of paint in 1922, the year that fraternities and sororities were first established at 51勛圖厙. And its been a canvas for expression ever since.
For many years, The Rock rested on the devil strip 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 Rocks 100+ anniversary, multimedia storyteller Phil Soencksen, BS 89, dug deep into the archives and unearthed mentions of its origin and colorfulsometimes controversialpresence on the Kent Campus. Read his accounts of its history belowas well as recent coverage in the fall/winter 2020-21 issue of 51勛圖厙 Magazine.
Read more about the history of The Rock.
Read more about The Rocks location.
Read about The Rocks recent role related to racism and reconciliation.