On the Hill, as students rush to class, greet friends and professors or head to Peirce Hall, the sound of crunching gravel becomes the daily rhythm. Ten feet wide and stretching three-quarters of a mile long, Middle Path serves as Kenyon’s central artery. However, while the path is an iconic feature of campus, some have recently expressed concerns about its accessibility. In the winter, after heavy snow and ice, Middle Path can become treacherous as students slip and slide to class. Additionally, for students with injuries or disabilities requiring mobility aids, navigating the path becomes even more difficult.
In an email to the Collegian, Director of Alumni Engagement Annie Gordon expressed that alumni “have strong, and varied, opinions” on paving Middle Path. While an overall opinion is not possible due to the large number of alumni, with 25,928 living alumni as of Tuesday, Gordon believes that most alumni “want all students to feel welcome here, while many also have fond memories of the crunch of gravel.”
In the Oct. 2 issue and in a Friday email, the Collegian posed a question to the Kenyon community via an anonymous survey: Should Kenyon pave Middle Path? Over the course of two weeks, 224 students across all class years responded.
In the survey, 51.8% of students answered yes and 48.2% of students answered no. The Collegian gave students the option to elaborate on their position. Below are a selection of anonymous student responses from different perspectives.
Those in favor of paving Middle Path:
“Accessibility doesn’t have to be ugly! Kenyon should bring in artists and designers to remake our Middle Path into something everyone can use, rain or shine.”
“It’s an issue of accessibility. Kenyon is woefully behind the times when it comes to our physically disabled students and it needs to change. The charm of the rocks doesn’t overpower the importance of equity.”
“Why are we romanticizing the horse and buggy era? Gravel is ugly, it gets stuck in our shoes, and worst of all, it makes our campus inaccessible. The fact that Kenyon’s most used path, the center of our campus community, is inaccessible sets a tone that Kenyon is not for everyone.”
“The pebbles don’t make Middle Path, the people do. If we pave it, this staple of Kenyon culture would be seen as beautiful by all, and no longer a nuisance for some.”
“Middle Path is inaccessible, full stop. Refusing to pave it sends a clear message that Kenyon is more concerned about ‘tradition’ than ‘accessibility.’”
Those opposed to paving Middle Path:
“The natural dirt path is a quintessential part of the Kenyon experience! This campus would not be half as beautiful if we didn’t prioritize preserving nature. Paving Middle Path would be hugely detrimental to that goal.”
“It doesn’t seem to impact accessibility, I see people of diverse physical ability on Middle Path every day. If disabled students or community members have complained, it would make sense, but have they? Or is it just a what-if scenario?”
“The current version of Middle Path is central to Kenyon’s identity. If concerns are related to accessibility for those with disabilities, the College should invest in a secondary, paved path, with access to all major facilities. Keep Middle Path gravel!”
“The gravel path represents those who came before us — it would be in our best interest to keep what they created.”
“The allure of Kenyon is our land and beautiful campus. Walking down Middle Path presents beautiful nature and reminds us all of the true beauty of the natural world. To pave it would be to tear down this ode to natural beauty and say that convenience is more valuable than nature. It would look terrible.”