University of Iowa - Student Life

Student Life

Much of the student night-life in Iowa City is centered around the pedestrian mall ("ped mall"), which contains numerous restaurants, local shops/boutiques, and over thirty bars. A popular university event that draws both students and also residents from the entire midwest is home football games. A related activity that many students engage in is tailgating, often beginning early in the morning. The University of Iowa is well known for its party and social scene: it was given the rank of 10th-best party school in the United States by Playboy magazine in 2010, and in 2011 The Princeton Review ranked Iowa in the #4 spot on its annual Top Party Schools survey. The university has appeared on similar top ten lists of several other publications over the years. In addition, there are hundreds of student organizations, including groups focused on politics, sports, games, lifestyles, dance, song, and theater, and a variety of other activities. The University also tries to sponsor events that give students an alternative to the typical drinking scene. In 2004 the University established an annual $25,000 contract with the newly reopened Iowa City Englert Theatre to host concerts and performances for as many as 40 nights a year.

Students also participate in a variety of student media organizations. For example, students edit and manage The Daily Iowan newspaper (often called the DI), which is printed every Monday through Friday while classes are in session. An early editor of the DI was noted pollster George Gallup. Daily Iowan TV, KRUI Radio, Student Video Productions, Off Deadline magazine and Earthwords magazine are other examples of student-run media.