Lewis & Clark College Top Questions

There are tons of clubs here, and not enough time to be apart of it. Slam poetry's super popular. There's also a film club that I occasional go to which takes advantage of our Library's impressive supply of films from past to present. People in the dorms are typically very open to hang out and there are many spontaneous jam sessions (it feels like everyone plays an instrument). As for fraternities/sororities, look elsewhere. They don't exist here. We're happy about that. There are parties going on every weekend somewhere, from little dorm parties to bigger house parties and if the weather's nice maybe a treehouse party with a drum circle in the middle of the woods (awesome). If you dislike drinking, Portland has lots of awesome stuff to do from great concerts to movies and voodoo donuts. Also, there's always some kids hanging out on campus having a quiet night in the lounge watching a movie or playing wii. Overall, there are those who party constantly and those who never do and the majority are somewhere in between. Regardless, you won't find yourself feeling pressured to do anything. Also, campus police will stay out of your hair as long as you aren't stupid.

One thing that L&C students love is the student-run coffee shop, the "Co Op." Prices are extremely low and it has a very laid back vibe. All the workers are students and work on a volunteer basis. The only downside is that it's quite out of the way for members of most dorms to go to on a regular basis.

This is an a cappella version of the song "Yes We Can." We are a group of students from Lewis & Clark.

Hamlet, recreated in the present day at Lewis and Clark college

The most popular student groups on campus are the a cappella groups. Over 300 people attend each end-of-the-year concert, and we now have four different a cappella groups. I sing in the first a cappella group that was started at LC, called Momo & the Coop. Since my group started three years ago, three more groups have formed! We all perform together on the Fir Acres Mainstage at the end of each semester. Students in the dorms leave their doors open. I met my best friends from living on the same floor with them freshman year. Other friends I've met from class since we all hang out in the math department to do our homework. Athletic events aren't that popular, but we're working on it. Theatre is much more popular. I'm never awake at 2am on a Tuesday! A tradition is the Welcome Back Picnic which is on the lawn in front of Templeton. We all eat outside and dance the "hippie flail" to Marimba music! There's always a party if you want to go to one, but it's so easy not to get involved with that scene if you don't want to. My math girls and I once had a sleepover and ate ice cream and popcorn and watched the Disney movie "Enchanted!"

The student body in general doesn't seem too interested in joining clubs. Sports teams are there however, also the newspaper, KLC Radio station, and various departmental clubs. I was involved in Amnesty International but it wasn't very successful on campus due to lack of interest. Some students leave their doors open, especially the lower classes (fresh/soph) but not in the apartments--people are pretty closed off. Athletic events aren't popular in general. I'd say basketball gets the most fans. Guest speakers are sometimes popular if it's widely publicized. Dating scene not great but I had a boyfriend the whole time so not an issue for me. I met my closest friends through a class I had and a random rooommate placement. It's hard to meet people when you're a transfer because people already have their own groups established. 2 am on a Tuesday night: studying for an exam or finishing up a paper L&C isn't a huge party school, but there is the partying crowd, however I think it's mostly on the weekends. a Saturday night with no drinking would involve: hanging out with friends in your room watching a movie, playing board games; going downtown to see a movie; going out to a coffee shop There is lots of things to do off campus because Portland is a great city. People are very interested in eco-friendly activities; many people like to be outdoors. The public transportation system is excellent.

The student body is fairly small, but very diverse. I think there's something for everyone socially as and in terms of extracurricular activity. While many people like to party LC is not a party campus. There are no sororities or fraternities, which I was thankful for because I'm not much of a partier myself. Students are just as likely, I think, to watch a movie with their fiends on a Friday night as they are to get drunk. So whether you party or not, you'll fit in somewhere. One thing I look forward to each year is the naked mile. I've never participated but it's always fun to watch.

Many students leave there doors open in the dorms. Getting to know my hallmates was the best part of freshman year. The student run Co-Op is a great place to get a cup of coffee or cookie, study with friends, look at student art, and hear live music. If you come to campus during Prospective Student's Week, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the time honored tradition called "the naked mile".

I have no clue what anyone participates in on campus. Athletes are recruited but I think there are a bunch of sports for amateurs to play. A lot of students leave their doors open. Theater is pretty popular to go to. Guest speakers are sort of popular. Athletic events, not at all. I met my closest friends through my roommate. She's one of them, and then she introduced me to her friend from home, and she introduced me to her roommate, and then I met a friend of hers from home, and then I met her roommate. Those are my closest friends. We're all kind of lost together. If you're awake on a tuesday at 2am, you probably have insomnia or you are frantically trying to finish a paper that is due that day. Some people party a lot, and some people never party. I had trouble finding a happy medium. There are no fraternities or sororities. There isn't much to do one a saturday night that doesn't involve drinking. Go see a movie downtown or go dancing. I don't really know.

Good house partys on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Lots of fun things to do on campus. Great student clubs that encourage new friendships.

The students on my dorm floor were extremely open; we hardly ever locked (or even closed) our doors, and we were always in each other's rooms. I know most other people were not that close with their floor mates (a lot of them never even met some of their floor mates), but my experience was pretty unique. Sports are practically non-existent. Lewis & Clark's been trying to give athletes a bunch of scholarships to get new athletes here and revive our school spirit, but most of the kids brought in by that pretext end up leaving within the first year because they feel isolated from the rest of the campus. There are no sororities or fraternities, and the biggest campus-wide parties we have take place in a small house down the street. People really enjoy drinking here, and that seems to be a lot of people's weekend activity. You can always go downtown and hang out there, but as far as on-campus entertainment on the weekends, things are pretty dead until about the last two weeks of the year.

Students do nothing except get drunk and rape each other.

I cannot describe what the most "popular" groups/organizations/clubs/teams on campus for the simple reason that the word "popular" is not of L&C nature. The people there don't really subscribe to that way of thinking. The groups are pretty much evenly divided. The althletic events have had a reputation for having low to no attendance. However, many have said that has changed a lot with the underclassman. Many events happen on campus. The most attended are usually the speakers and theater events. A couple of the most attended events this year were the Solomon Sparrow Electric Whale Revival (a slam poetry group) and the Blue scholars concert. Most students leave their doors open, but that will vary hall to hall and student to student. And i met one of my closest friend on the optional Pre-NSO(new student orientation) hike trip. One of my other closest friends i met during the academic fair where all the freshman learn about the different departments and the various courses they offer. I met another one of my closest friends because he's my roommate, which is another thing L&C is good at. They place roommates really well together. And there are parties almost every weekend, giver or take a few weekends a semester, but it's all pretty chill. There's no pressure to party, but it's there if you want it. And if you don't want to party, there's plenty of stuff to do on campus usually, and if nothing campus catches your eye, there's always free transportation to downtown that runs till 2 or 3 am on the weekends. And if you can't find anything Downtown, you probably should be in bed, because there's ALWAYS stuff to do in Portland. And the only tradition that i can think of is the Naked Mile..and yes, it is just what it sounds like. People run a mile with no clothes on.

Theme parties sometimes (i.e. Animal-Fantasy Party), athletic team house hosted parties, keggers, weedfests, etc. People always leave their dorms open, Guest Speakers that are internationally recognised are a constant, the dating scene is tough, where isn't it tough? No frats, no sororities, no lame people. Everyone is a chilla.

I was on the track & field team and was associated as being a track girl, but I liked that. Other than that I don't think I'm associated with one group necessarily, but I think that is also a personal issue because I like to float from group to group. There are these things called "LC goggles" where peoples' "dating standards" are apparently lowered because the girls outnumber the boys, and the odds make girls feel like they have to settle. I don't necessarily agree, I'm just stating what I have heard. People party every weekend. I mean.. it's college let's be honest. Most of the bigger parties are off-campus though, but are within walking distance at housing nearby. Frats/sororities do not exist at LC, but I think that is fine because with such a small amount of students it is "clique-y" enough without more segregation among a new kind of category. There is plenty to do without alcohol of course. Downtown is always pleasant to just pass the time in the city. There's a bowling alley in Tigard. There are various malls within driving distance. A stroll down 23rd at night is full of characters. There are plenty of sushi restaurants and various cuisines. Catch your favorite sports event on Tuesday night for cheap buffalo wings at Buffalo Wild Wings..

Mmmmmeh... too lazy to write at the moment...

The dating scene fucking sucks at this school. There are a LOT more women than men on campus. People don't really go on dates; they mostly hook up. It isn't that hard to find someone to hook up with at a party, but there's a very small chance that a straight woman will find a relationship with a man on campus, but not vice versa. Most women figure out pretty quickly that they should try Craigslist, Portland State University, or go to bars/coffee shops downtown if they want to actually date. The guys don't have to work very hard for relationships, so they never dress well, often get high beforehand, and generally have the attitude that if it doesn't work with this girl, it will work with a girl who is so desperate that she has lost her standards. They are correct. The phenomenon of LC women abandoning their standards for physical attraction, good sex, and overall being treated with respect is called "LC Goggles." If I had known about this, I might have seriously reconsidered going to Lewis & Clark.

The people on your floor become like your family, and you'll probably be friends with most of them. Doors are usually open, depending on what day it is. Athletic events aren't super popular although I think there is a good turnout for basketball games/football games. In the early hours of the morning I'm probably awake procrastinating or something. Apparently there is a naked mile run around campus that happens around prospie weekend but I haven't seen it or I missed it. Most people party on Friday or Saturday nights... that is when they are the loudest, but sometimes on Thursdays or random days. There are no frats/sororities here. Off campus there is tons to do as Portland is just a half hour bus ride away.

Having a social life on campus was hard to figure out at first. You have to think about how to balance work and fun more carfully than in high school, but once you get it figured out there is a ton of fun to be had on and off of campus.

The ultimate frisbee team seems to be popular. There are three a capella groups that are student run and their concerts always get a big turn out. College Outdoors is an organization on campus that has various outdoors activites throughout the year, including over breaks. My roommate went on a trip to the Grand Canyon with them, and I hiked in the Redwoods of Northern California. Their trips are pretty popular. I'm in an a capella group, which I really enjoy, because I've finally found people who enjoy singing as much as I do. There are certain dorms where the doors are always open, like the art-themed dorm called Platt. It really depends on where you live. There definitely are people who date, but because my year is 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} female, there's definitely a lot of guys who are trying to hook up with as many girls as possible. And the girls can get kind of desperate. There are off-campus parties every weekend which are usually close enough that you can walk there. And there's always people drinking in their dorms, because usually as long as you're not too loud, you won't get written up. If you do get caught drinking in dorms, you have to meet with a campus living coordinator. Nothing really happens, basically. A lot of people go downtown on weekends to coffee shops, Powell's bookstore (really great bookstore), clothing stores, restaurants, and clubs. There's two clubs people go to, one is really sketchy and the other is an all ages gay club. There are a lot of concert venues and people often go to concerts. They're usually indie bands, but I've heard about a few big people like Ben Harper playing in Portland. Saturday Market is also really popular-- there's lots of stands with crafts and jewelry, as well as food stands.