Earlham College - Student Life

Student Life

Earlham's "dry campus" policy is controversial among members of the student body and some faculty members. Drinking is fairly commonplace; some students refer to the campus as "pleasantly moist." In August 2007, as part of New Student Orientation for the incoming class of 2011, the Earlham faculty revealed their new approach to dealing with alcohol issues. Although the official alcohol policy remains the same, the primary focus is now on education and personal responsibility, as opposed to enforcement.

Tension sometimes arises between students and the Quaker Indiana and Western Yearly Meetings over issues of sexuality. Western and, to an even greater degree, Indiana Yearly Meeting tend to be more conservative on issues such as condom distribution, pregnancy, and homosexuality. Tension over the issue of homosexuality led to a decision in 2011 to split Indiana Yearly Meeting. This tension has been a recurrent feature of Earlham life for decades. Roommates are specifically advised by the Earlham authorities to discuss their views on homosexuality, premarital sex, and interracial relationships with one another.

In 2005, the Committee on Campus Life approved a new pregnancy policy, stating that pregnant women may reside in on-campus housing, but are also offered a housing exemption if they so desire.

Most students stay on-campus during the weekends. The Student Activities Board, Earlham Film Series, student bands, theater productions, etc. offer a variety of activities on the weekends.

In March 2005, William Kristol, founder and editor of The Weekly Standard, was hit in the face with an ice cream pie by a student during a lecture he gave on campus. This event made national and international news and was carried by many leading news outlets. Most students and faculty at the lecture showed strong disapproval of the act, and applauded when Kristol resumed his talk. The event sharply divided students and, to a lesser extent, faculty, with some showing support for the act of pieing and most showing strong disapproval. Many, however, felt that the act was unjustly punished by the President (who was also indirectly hit by the pie). The student was subsequently suspended for the rest of the semester and dropped out the following year. Additionally, President Doug Bennett overturned a College Judiciary Council ruling that found the students who knew about the pieing ahead of time not guilty; this act further divided the campus. Shortly after the incident, conservative commentators Pat Buchanan and David Horowitz were 'attacked' (with salad dressing and a pie, respectively) and a 'teach-in' at Earlham was conducted which featured three faculty members sharing their views. Several years ex post facto, the pieing, the punishment, and whether William Kristol should have even been invited to speak at Earlham all continue to be issues of contention amongst the faculty and student body.