Centre offers outstanding opportunities for a well-rounded life outside the classroom. Internationally known performing artists appear throughout the year at the College's Norton Center for the Arts, and virtually all these world-class programs are free to students. Our convocation program brings in speakers and performers who present a wide range of programs, also free to students. Along with these events, there are numerous opportunities for participation in more than 87 campus clubs, societies, teams, and other groups. These student groups focus on a variety of special interests and include such organizations as the Badminton Club, Diversity Student Union, and CARE (Centre Action Reaches Everyone). Residence halls, fraternities, and sororities organize many formal and informal events. The College sponsors 21 intercollegiate varsity sports that provide entertainment for participants and spectators alike, as does our active intramural program. Six national men's fraternities (Beta Theta Pi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa Tau, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Sigma Chi) and five national women's sororities (Alpha Delta Pi, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta and Kappa Kappa Gamma) contribute to the campus social program. These organizations encourage academic achievement among their members, perform community service projects, and organize special events such as Greek Week.
Service opportunities can be found through the After School Program, which hosts an afternoon tutoring and social program for local children twice a week. CARE, another student service organization, supports such varied programs as blood drives, Christmas angel tree giving, Alternative Spring Break, and projects to assist residents of the Boyle County Senior Citizens Center. Centre is also affiliated with several national volunteer service organizations, including the Bonner Foundation and Alpha Phi Omega.
Clubs and Honoraries
We have many interest groups and honoraries that organize a wide variety of events and activities on campus. Some groups, such as the Pre-Health Society, the Economics Society, Society of Future Educators, and language clubs are directly related to academic life. They enhance classroom instruction through field trips, guest lectures, and volunteer work. Other organizations include the Diversity Student Union, the Student Activities Council, the Student Government Association, Habitat for Humanity and several religious organizations. Centre’s honorary societies recognize students for outstanding leadership, character, and academic ability. These societies include Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa (for recognition of outstanding scholars and leaders), Sigma Delta Pi, Phi Sigma Iota, Beta Beta Beta, Phi Alpha Theta, Omicron Delta Epsilon, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Psi Chi (honoraries for students in Spanish, foreign languages, biology, history, economics, political science, and psychology, respectively), and Order of Omega and Gamma Sigma Alpha(Greek honorary/leadership societies).
Religious Life
Centre has always been dedicated to the development of the whole student. Since 1819, when the institution was founded by Presbyterian leaders, the College has recognized the importance of the full intellectual, social, physical, and spiritual development of its students. The religious programs on campus are a crucial component of the College's effort to achieve this goal. Centre’s Religious Life Office is maintained by the College chaplain, whose office is in Crounse 452. Ministers from local churches also maintain ties with the College. The Religious Life Office works to 1) promote vital religious life and greater religious understanding on campus; 2) encourage and coordinate the work of campus religious groups; 3) strengthen students' links to their own religious traditions by facilitating the student ministries of local congregations; 4) enhance the College's mission to educate its students as morally and socially responsible citizens; 5) provide pastoral care and religious counseling for the campus community; and 6) advise students considering religious vocations and divinity school programs. In addition to retreats, speakers, worship services, service projects, dinners, and discussion groups, the Religious Life Office sponsors events such as the Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols, Lenten observances, Passover Seder, Eid dinner, and Baccalaureate. Religious groups on campus include Baptist Campus Ministries, Centre Christian Fellowship, Jewish Student Organization, Meditation Centre, Muslim Student Association and Newman Club (Catholic). The Religious Life Office also sponsors CentrePeace, a campus peace and justice group, and CentreFaith, an interfaith dialogue group that also plans festivals and educational events from a variety of religious traditions. While the College is proud of its Presbyterian connection, Centre is governed by an independent board of trustees and offers much religious diversity. The religious groups with the largest representations on campus are Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Episcopal.
Student Publications
Students publish an online newspaper, The Cento, covering campus activities and opinions. Vantage Point is a publication of student creative writing, photography, and artwork.
Shared Responsibility
Among the abundant opportunities for growth and experience that Centre offers outside the classroom, perhaps the most significant is shared responsibility in campus governance. At Centre, students, faculty, and staff members work together to create a community that brings freedom and responsibility into a healthy balance. Through careful attention to the organization of a strong student government and by making positions of significant responsibility available to students, Centre gives concrete meaning to terms such as democratic values and civic duty. Students take an active part in College decision-making through their roles in student government or—with faculty and staff—as members of the College Council. Students serve with faculty on each major's program committee, advising on curriculum and major requirements. They also take the primary responsibility for regulating the conduct of their peers through the Student Judiciary. Such shared decision-making and responsibility is an essential part of the Centre education. It is a liberal education in the true sense, educating the whole person, building self-esteem and self-confidence, and teaching concepts such as democracy and civic responsibility on a practical level.
Campus Governance
The College Council. Although Centre is legally governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees, its academic and community life is governed in part by the College Council. The council consists of representatives from the faculty (15), staff (10), and students (10), as well as designated College administrators. Student members are elected by the Student Government Association. Two student representatives serve on the steering committee of the council. Students are appointed in reasonable proportion to all committees of the council and carry equal responsibility with other members. The one exception is that they do not participate in consideration of matters involving the confidential records of other students.
Student Government Association. The Student Government Association is the official executive and legislative body for student discussion, decision, and action. It is composed of elected student representatives and student senators, and the executive committee. A major responsibility of the SGA is to allocate funds to student organizations. The SGA president serves as a nonvoting representative to the board of trustees. The SGA represents the student body primarily in matters relating to the standards and practices of nonacademic student activities and services.
The Student Judicial System. The judicial powers of the Student Government Association are exercised by the Student Judiciary. The Student Judiciary is a panel composed f 16 students elected by the student body, which hears cases involving violations of College policy or other misconduct.
The Fraternity and Sorority Systems. By its approval of the Interfraternity Council constitution, the College has granted a substantial degree of self-governance to the campus fraternity system, of which the Interfraternity Council (IFC) is the executive and legislative body. The IFC regulates and coordinates the affairs and activities of the six social fraternities on campus in conformance with the published campus and residence regulations of the College. Both the IFC and the College subscribe to the policies and positions of the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors, North-American Interfraternity Conference, and Fraternity Executives Association. The Panhellenic Council regulates and coordinates the affairs and activities of the five social sororities on campus in conformity with the published campus regulations of the College. The Panhellenic Association subscribes to the National Panhellenic Conference guidelines as outlined in the Manual of Information. A special contract between the men’s and women’s Greek organizations and Centre is spelled out in the “Statement of Mutual Responsibility.” Alleged violations of Interfraternity Council regulations are heard by the judiciary committee of the IFC, and alleged violations of Panhellenic Association regulations are heard by the executive committee of the Panhellenic Association.
Athletics
Participation in athletics is important because it contributes to the education of the whole student. Athletics serve as a learning experience, as a healthy activity, and as just plain fun. Centre’s program offers competition options for the novice, the expert, and everyone in between.
Intramurals. An active intramural sports program gives Centre students the chance to meet on the playing field with fellow students as well with the faculty and staff members who participate in the program.
Intercollegiate Competition. Centre sponsors 23 intercollegiate teams, providing an opportunity for nearly 600 student-athletes annually to participate in college athletics. Centre is a member of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Division III. SAA members in addition to Centre are Berry College (Mount Berry, Ga.), Birmingham Southern College (Birmingham, Ala.), Hendrix College (Conway, Ark.), Millsaps College (Jackson, Miss.), Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, Ga.), Rhodes College (Memphis, Tenn.), and the University of the South (Sewanee, Tenn.). All SAA member institutions adhere to a policy of not awarding financial aid to a student for participation in athletics.
Residence Life
To promote the atmosphere of closeness and community that is an important part of Centre, the College normally requires that students live in College residences and take their meals on campus. The main dining hall serves three meals Monday through Friday and two meals on Saturday and Sunday. All meal plans include Flex Dollars that can be used at the Everyday Café and the Hall of Fame Café.
Health Services
On-campus health services are available in the Parsons Student Health Center, on the first floor of Sutcliffe Hall across from the pool entrance. Parsons is a small health clinic which provides medical care on a walk-in basis for acute common illnesses and minor injuries. Parsons Student Health Center can also provide continuing maintenance of medication for routine chronic ailments. Parsons staff can find specialists in the community when needed for illnesses that require more extensive treatment than can be provided through the clinic. Parsons makes available certain routine medications at minimal expense in order to save students both time and money.