By Graham Reid

This week Student Council approved three new student groups: International Students at Kenyon (ISAK), Special Dogs and Kenyon Students for Justice in Palestine. Special Dogs is a group of students interested in hip-hop who hold discussions as well as freestyle rap sessions and performances. The group had been inactive since some of its members were abroad last semester. ISAK regained their official status after they lost their standing when they failed to complete an end of semester evaluation.

President of Special Dogs Evan More ’15 described the group as “a welcoming place for anyone who appreciates hip-hop,” adding that the group’s interests could include, “music videos … beat production, dancing, singing, art, graphic design.” More calls the group’s discussions “intellectually stimulating” and outlined the group’s activities during their regular Thursday meetings as “[listen] to some really cool music, talk with some really intelligent people and dig into a really deep discussion.” Special Dogs will perform at the Village Inn this Friday, Feb. 21, and More hopes to involve the group in other events including outdoor events in the spring. Special Dogs meets in the Horn Gallery for discussions on Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. — though will occasionally relate to Taft B100 in the case of scheduling conflicts — and for performance workshop sessions on Sundays at 6:00 p.m.

Though Council re-recognized ISAK, they discussed issues including the club’s need for a full executive board as well as the issue of the high cost of living in the International House, which has been prohibitive to some international students.

After a discussion about a perceived conflict between Kenyon Students for Justice in Palestine and other campus clubs whose missions speak to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Council unanimously approved the club.