Kenyon College Alumni Magazine

Elm Embrace

In October, Rhys Pinder ’20 broke the Guinness World Record for “World’s Longest Tree Hug” by wrapping his arms around a Middle Path tree for eight hours and 15 minutes straight. He wasn’t just doing it for the fame and glory — Pinder’s fraternity, Phi Kappa Tau, used the event to raise $6,858.48 for SeriousFun Children’s Network, a charity founded by Paul Newman ’49.

Despite some seriously tired limbs, Pinder was kept relatively comfortable during his ordeal, as a support team made sure he was fed, hydrated and kept warm.

Chicken Chic

Residents of the Kenyon Farm certainly know how to entice visitors to their weekly volunteering hours. Recent all-campus email subject lines from the Farm have included “sheriff’s back in chicken town,” “goat salon,” “ducks free to a good home” and “fresh outta ducks,” often accompanied by curious illustrations of chickens in costumes or glamour shots of the Farm’s newest goat.

Changing the Guidelines

In a September meeting, faculty members voted to revise Kenyon’s evaluation guidelines for tenure and promotion, adding criteria that measure faculty members’ commitment to promoting “an inclusive classroom environment that values diversity.” The change goes into effect July 1.

In an interview with Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, President Decatur noted that, “too often, this is the kind of work that falls in the category of something that is extra or unrecognized. And that had the impact of putting an added burden on those faculty who find it really important and rewarding work. If it’s an institutional priority, we need to find ways to recognize that type of work.”