Editing Knox Survival Guide

It would perhaps be most useful to get some basic bearing on where you are and why you are there, and who all these people are around you.  It's good to be a quick study.

To start off with the most painfully obvious, [[Knox]] is a small [[liberal arts college]] located in [[Western Illinois]], which is part of the [[Midwest]].  There are 1392 [[students]]. <ref>[http://www.knox.edu/x700.xml Knox Fast Facts]</ref>  And you are stuck here for what may seem like an extraordinarily long time, about as long as a [[President of the United States of America|presidential administration]].  Added to them are several dozen members of the [[faculty]] and a number of [[staff]], both [[Administration|administrative]] and rank-and-file.  The town of [[Galesburg]] is home to around 33,000 [[people]] and a fluctuating number of [[train]]s.  The trains will undoubtedly be one of the first things you notice, and you will notice them several times an hour for several months, until you don't even notice them anymore.  You know how they say that people can learn to live with anything?  That is [[the Knox Experience]].  Apparently it was [[Copy Editor|copy-edited]] out of the [[admission]] brochures.

This article makes much reference to cardinal directions to place items of interest.  For those of you used to [[Denver|mountains]] and [[Chicago|city skylines]] as reference points, just remember that [[Old Main]] faces north, towards [[downtown]] Galesburg.

Also keep in mind that this guide was written around the inception of The Wiki Fire and edited completely randomly and largely anonymously since then. Basically, be the clever aspiring Knox students we all know you are when reading this.  

Knox touts its distinction as the best liberal arts college in [[Illinois]], a state that, to be fair, has a fairly weak history in the liberal arts.  After all, the [[Chicago|City of Big Shoulders]], which back in Knox's time was a relatively uncultured creep of Midwestern industrial growth and centralization, required a meat-and-potatoes sort of higher education system, and there were certainly plenty of well-established schools [[East Coast|further east]] for nancy English majors.  Knox has, however, done fairly well for itself, placing somewhere in the seventies each year on the ''[[U.S. News and World Report]]'' rankings.  It often garners good ratings in the [[Princeton Review]], and is a perennial favorite of the book ''[[Colleges That Change Lives]]''.  Knox is quick to note whatever accolades it receives, and you can find them quoted [http://www.knox.edu/x703.xml here].

As just mentioned, students often think much of social matters, and as the middle students of high school who, perhaps, existed without some firm sort of group identification, the social scene at Knox is quite involved.  It is made the more so given Knox's small size and isolation: just as water boils faster in a covered, confined space, Knox's [[drama]] percolates up all the time.  The wide availability of drugs and alcohol doesn't help anybody calm down, either.  For [[Anso]] majors, it can be quite the opportunity for some ad-hoc fieldwork, but of course few of them can resist being involved themselves.

For first-years especially, the social scene is largely centered on the [[Greek]] system.  After the first year, those who do join a Greek organization keep somewhat within that organization (though anyone will tell you that the Greek system at Knox is not nearly what you expect it to be), and those that do not join any will coalesce their own social channels or find a good balance between the two social realms, but until then there is significant room for maneuver.  The [[fraternity|fraternities]] are most prominent on the party scene, because they have residential houses and it is easiest for them to both fit people and organize.  The [[sorority|sororities]] only have nonresidential houses, so they don't hold as many parties, instead attending the fraternity parties.  The sororities are also larger and contain a larger variety of people within them than do the men's fraternities, making their identity somewhat more difficult to define.  [[Rush|Recruitment]] for these organizations is different than many major universities, and begins in [[Winter Term]]. Besides the organizations listed, there are several more niche Greek organizations of various size and purpose.  

*[[Tau Kappa Epsilon]] (Teak) is located to the east of [[Beta Theta Pi|Beta]].  It is known for its parties and recruits many fine young men out of Seymour. It is also the oldest remaining TKE house in the nation.  

*[[Beta Theta Pi]] (Beta) focuses primarily on attracting [[football]] players and other athletes.  Their house is on South St. between [[TKE]] and [[Alumni Hall]].

*[[Phi Gamma Delta]] (FIJI) attracts a lot of baseball players, basketball players, a significant number of African international students, and sundry others. Depending on the year, it is the most multicultural of fraternities.  Their house is on the southwest corner of [[Cedar Street|Cedar]] and [[Tompkins Street|Tompkins]] streets, diagonal from the Galesburg Police Station and across the street from Standish Park.  

*[[Sigma Nu]] (SNu) caters largely to the less obviously fraternity-material students (the geek contingent), and tend to be focused on [[video games]], [[politics]], and "bein' chill". However, as of 2010-2011, they have attempted to, "rise above the awkward," posing a more friendly socializing atmosphere. Their house is located on [[West Street|West St.]], near the [[Service Ramp]] in the [[Quads]], and they really anjoy reminding Quad residents of this fact.   

*[[Sigma Chi]], the newest fraternity (and, thus far, sadly lacking in a whimsical abbreviation) grew out of the [[Ultimate Frisbee]] team.  Its members are fond of [[nudity]].  Their house used to be a very prominent [[crackhouse]] until the occupants were arrested and one fraternity member's family purchased the house, remodeled it, and sold it to the school. It is located on the southwest corner of [[West Street|West]] and [[Knox Street|Knox]] streets.

*[[Delta Delta Delta]] (Tri Delta) is one of the sororities.  They maintain their Lodge on [[Academy Street|Academy St.]], behind [[SMC]]. They are known for always staying classy and being overly enthusiastic about everything.  

*[[Pi Beta Phi]] (Pi Phi) also maintains a house (the Bungalow) on Academy, just north of the Tri Delta Lodge.  This sorority has somewhat more activists and dedicated [[feminist]]s than Tri Delta, and are known on campus for being down to earth.  

*[[Alpha Sigma Alpha]] is the newest sorority on campus. Originally branded the female [[SNu]], they have since backed away from this label.

The other major locus of social organization is the [[suite]] system.  Upperclassmen generally [[Housing Lottery|get to pick with whom they are living]], if they have any preference in the matter, but [[first-year]]s are simply thrown together based on survey answers.  Given the pressure-cooker social atmosphere, few people end up living with their first-year roommates, for instance, for any additional time.  Some first-year suites end up becoming destinations, and others are simply bedrooms.  Some suites have perennial reputations, [[Seymour 3B]] being the most infamous.  Each freshman suite or group of suites comes with a Knox-issue [[Resident Advisor]] (RA), who will range in quality and willingness to overlook suite members' [[Drinking|actions]] and [[Marijuana|possessions]]. Regardless of your opinion of this person, they are there to for numerous reasons, mostly as an intermediary between you and the administration. Keep in mind that you screwing up (and getting caught) reflects poorly on them as well, but seeing as they have attended the college for longer than you it is totally acceptable to look to them for assistance and advice.

First-year [[Post]] is an [[girl|all-female]] area of six [[suite]]s, with about 100 girls.  These suites are on the north side of the building, along [[West St.]]; there are also four upperclass suites in the east wing of the building, and upperclassmen living in [[Post Basement]] (the rooms of which were installed to alleviate [[overcrowding]] during the 2006-2007 school year) and may be fondly referred to as [[Post Dungeon]].  [[Kitchen]]s and [[laundry]] rooms are available in the basements, and the [[C-Store]] convenience store is in [[Post Lobby]], along with a big-screen TV (generally controlled by the [[Gaming Information Network]] or other video-game players).  There are stairwells between each suite

===Sellew-Raub===

[[Sellew-Raub]] is located in the [[Quads]], and is largely made up of first-year housing, although the amount of upperclass housing changes from year to year.  It runs east-west, between [[Five-Name]] and [[Four-Name]].  The [[Service Ramp]] is at its western end.  There are six suites on three floors, each with 10 to 12 students.  On each floor, one suite is Raub and one Sellew.  As with Seymour, these are designated by floor (e.g. [[Raub 2]], [[Sellew 1]]).  There is a common area in each suite, and one bathroom separated in two parts for each floor.  Sellew and Raub each have a stairwell.  [[Laundry]] facilities are available in the basement, but no [[kitchen]].  Sellew-Raub is co-ed by floor. It is typical Quads and pretty unremarkable.

[[Conger-Neal]] is pretty much the same as Sellew-Raub, and is located along [[West St.]] north of the [[Service Ramp]]. Most of the occupants are upperclassmen, but usually at least one suite is made over to first-years.  The [[Conger-Neal basement]], reminiscent of the infamous velociraptor scene in Jurassic Park, is the third-scariest on campus, after [[Aux Gym]] and [[GDH]].

[[Five-Name]] is the large L-shaped building rounding the northeast corner of [[West Street|West]] and [[Knox Street|Knox]] streets.  It contains five suites.  [[Campbell]] and [[Elder]] are the two suites of the north wing, and [[Neifert]] and [[Sherwin]] are on the east wing.  [[Furrow]] is in the bend, and houses primarily upperclassmen.  The basements also have a few rooms, but these are usually given to upperclassmen as well, although many believe them to be the worst housing on campus. This reputation is based largely on five-names extreme excess of fire alarms, though it may seem unthinkable to have as many as 6 fire alarms in a single day that is daily life in five-name. Each wing essentially has a double suite on each floor, with a shared hallway separated by a door that is usually open, and bathrooms at either end.  The building is co-ed.  There is a combination kitchen/laundry room in [[Neifert Basement]], along with [[the Roger Taylor Lounge|the former Roger Taylor Lounge]].  The[[Student Health Center]] sits on the outside corner of the building and is combined with the [[Counseling Center]].  Five-Name suites are numbered by floor, starting in the basement (Neifert or Elder 1, although usually they are referred to as Neifert or [[Elder Basement]], with the actual first floor being numbered 2, and so forth).  Five-Name is far away from everything, except loud Sigma Chi dance parties.

On the northeast quarter of campus are most of the academic buildings on campus.  [[Old Main]] is the old one, with the [[belltower]].  [[Seymour Hall]] is the one with all the stuff in it, in the center.  You eat at it.  [[GDH]], the [[Aux Gym]], and the [[Old Jail]] are around, along with administrative buildings outside of the campus proper.  [[Alumni Hall]] is the one that doesn't even have stairs to its doors.  To the west is the gray building that looks kind of like a scale model of itself, which is [[Seymour Library]] (not to be confused with Seymour Hall – [[Knox]] may have few wealthy [[alumni]], but those it has are sometimes suitably generous).  [[TKE]] and [[Beta]], as well as the [[Wilson House]], are nearby.  North of [[South St.]] are the [[apartments]], which are home mostly to seniors and some juniors, as well as [[270 W. Tompkins]] (a rotating theme house) and the [[Jazz House]].  West of South [[West St.]] (confusing?  Just wait) is [[SMC]], the large building that suggests a swastika, and behind that the [[sorority]] houses, another house, and the [[Human Rights Center]].  On the eastern side of the campus is [[CFA]], and in the southeast corner the [[Memorial Gym]].  The [[Quads]] are essentially the southwest corner, including the [[Old Quads]] ([[Four-Name]], [[Conger-Neal]], etc.) and the [[New Quads]] ([[Five-Name]]).  [[Post Hall]] is just north of these, and a number of campus houses, including [[I-House]], the [[Old Phi Delt House]], [[SNu]], [[Sigma Chi]], and [[Yellow House]] are strung out along [[West St.]] from [[Berrien St.]] on the north end to [[First St.]] at the southern end.  The [[Steam Pipe Network]] connects many of the campus buildings.  Here, look at a [http://www.knox.edu/prebuilt/PDFs/Campus_map.pdf map of campus].

Knox's signature building.  It's on the letterhead.  The school makes a big deal about it being the only remaining site of the [[Lincoln-Douglas debates]].  [[Abraham Lincoln]] climbed through a window to get to the debating platform – He'd "been through college," he said.  You may have sat in [[Lincoln Chair|his chair]] as a [[prospie]].  If Knox knew exactly where he had walked while on campus, they would surely mark it off as the Lincoln Trail, litter it with interpretive signage, and all but worship it.  More prosaically, as it were, it holds the [[English Department|English]], [[Philosophy Department|Philosophy]], and [[History Department|History]] departments, as well as some key administrative offices on the first floor, including the office of the [[Dean of the College]], the [[President's Office]], the [[Business Office]], the [[Office of Student Development]], the [[Dean of Students]], and so on.  Major meeting rooms in Old Main are the [[Alumni Room]] (if you can't have a hall you might as well get part of one) on the first floor in the northwest corner, and the [[Common Room]] along the southern side of the second floor.

After [[Teresa Amott]] came in, she made Alumni Hall one of her top priority, got some backers and started restoration. The amount of large vehicles and dust have lead some students to think it might actually be finished by the end of the 18 months (the completion date set by Amott).

[[Seymour Union]], also known as Seymour Hall, has three floors and a basement.  The second and third floors are entirely all-male [[residence hall]].  If the right doors and windows are open, sometimes [[marijuana]] smoke wafts down to the first floor.  On the first floor are three different eatery options.  Along the south side of the building is the [[Hard Knox Café]], known as The Caf, the buffet-style option, and the most well-used (if not the most popular) one on campus. Just north of it is the [[Oak Room]], which is single-pass and has less variety but is often better quality.  Across the hall from the Caf is the [[Gizmo]], the snack bar/fast food sort of place, which is open all day and is a major gathering spot.  Next to it just outside the building is the [[Gizmo Patio]], which is very popular for [[drama|socializing]] and [[studying]] in warmer weather and [[smoking]] even in the winter. The windowed hallway from the Caf and Gizmo past the Oak Room to the north side of the building is known as the [[Gallery]].  This is where [[tabling]] happens.  Often the school will bring traveling merchants in the Gallery to hawk their wares, most notably the [[poster sale]], the book fair, and most often a woman who sells clothes and woven items.

The Gallery ends and a new perpendicular hallway takes its place for the north side of the building.  The northeast corner of Seymour is taken up with [[Founders]], the main [[computer lab]].  It has mostly [[Windows]] computers (but a few [[Mac]]s), as well as a tricked-out laser printer.  It is open 23 ½ hours a day (closed from 5-5:30 AM for computer maintenance).  Across the hall from Founders is the [[Campus Life Office]], where [[Craig Southern]] (the housing guy) and [[Cindy Wickliffe]] (the campus events organization lady, and the sender of campuswide [[e-mail]]s that you're not supposed to respond to) work.  The building foyer on the north side also has [[change machine]]s and an [[ATM]].  The change machines are broken almost as often as not.  You will get used to it.  Be nice to the Gizmo people, because if you are they might give you change even though they're not supposed to.

There are actually three separate basements in Seymour, at least as far as student accessibility is concerned.  Students can only get into two, unless they work for Dining Services, which uses the third section for storage.  One section, on the northwest side of the building, contains the mailroom and [[bookstore]].  The other section is accessible from a stairwell near the Gizmo.  At the landing there is the [[Union Board]] office, and some other [[club]] office space.  At the bottom are two bathrooms, the [[Student Senate]] office, and [[the Roger Taylor Lounge]] (formerly [[Wallace Lounge]]).  The left side, which has windows, is a study area, and the windowless right side used to be a bowling alley, but is now a game room complete with two pool tables, a foosball table, an air hockey table, several big-screen TVs and a Nintendo Wii.  At the back of the lounge is the old ''[[BLADU]]'' office, which formerly housed the [[Free Store]] (now located in the basement of [[Conger-Neal]]).  This is the only public building open 24 hours a day.

[[Seymour Library]] is in the top 2% of [[college]] libraries nationwide, they say.  However, they don't quote this rank like they do for ranks associated with [[financial aid]] or the [[WVKC|radio station]], so it's a little suspect.  All in all, however, it's a lovely library for a school of this size.  Jobs at the library are among the most coveted on campus.  It contains the main copy machines for public use, a number of [[computer]]s (including laptops you can check out at the front desk), and a few dozen or so books, too.  The study carrels are numerous and generally fairly quiet, although many of the red swivel chairs squeak horribly.  The catalog is online, and accessible [http://library.knox.edu here].  You can check out movies too – the VHS library is larger, but they continually acquire new DVDs for [[professor]]s' class needs.  The [[Special Collections and Archives]] room has a lot of very interesting old things.  The major meeting areas in the library are the [[Muelder Reading Room]] (much, much better known as the Red Room, because of the red carpet), and a number of smaller rooms arrayed next to it, including the [[Bookfellows Room]], [[Finley Room]], and [[Cassidy Room]].  On the third floor above this area are [[Honors office]]s, for seniors who are doing an [[Honors Project]].  On the first floor, the study room at the east side of the building arrayed with glass-block windows is often referred to as the [[Fishbowl]].

[[Reserves]] for (non science) classes are available at the front desk.  Smaller reserves are in manila envelopes and listed by a file number, which you have to look up in the catalog.  The rest are by call number.  There are also open reserves, which are located on the first floor, between the periodicals and the DVD shelf.  There is only one bathroom in the entire building, off the foyer.  There are two stairwells, one at the front and the other at the back, running just to the right of the Fishbowl.

If you want science books or reserves, those are available at the [[Kresge Science-Mathematics Library]] in [[SMC]] (another donation behemoth, that Kresge was).  There is also a [[Music Library]] in [[CFA]].

Officially known as the [[Sharvy G. Umbeck Science and Mathematics Center]], it is called SMC (pronounced '"smack") because many of Knox's benefactors (in this case a former college president) do not have pretty-sounding names.  We can't all be Seymours or Kresges, after all.  It contains offices and classrooms for all the sciences, including [[psychology]], [[mathematics]], and [[Computer Science|computer science]].  Its basement is creepy and contains the [[Computer Center]], two computer labs, [[Stellyes]] and [[Caterpillar Lab|Caterpillar]], and many file cabinets containing magical objects (this is where you can find the [[door to Narnia]]).  The [[Office of Advancement]] is located in the E wing.  The [[Kresge Science-Mathematics Library]] is in the center of the second floor.  The building has four wings, lettered B through E, with the core being A.  The A-wing contains two large lecture pits seating over 100, one of which is the meeting place for [[Student Senate]]. There are six stairwells, two in the core and one on the end of each wing.

SMC is not really shaped like a swastika, but it kind of looks like it, especially from above.  Perhaps they will make additions.

The [[Old Jail]], just east of [[GDH]], contains faculty offices.  It also holds the [[Lincoln Studies Center]] and the [[Underground Railroad Freedom Station]], as well as an actual [[jail]] in the back.  The jail is multilevel and quite impressive.

Officially known as [[Ford Center for the Fine Arts]].  This holds the [[Art Department|Art]], [[Theatre and Dance Department|Theatre and Dance]], and [[Music Department|Music]] departments.  The main venue is the [[Harbach Theatre]], which is the [[mainstage]] for theatre productions and is across the lobby corridor from the [[Office of Admission]].  [[Kresge Recital Hall]] is used more often for speakers and musical performances, and for [[First-Year Orientation]].  It's on the south side of the main lobby.  In the basement by the eastern stairwell is the [[Studio Theatre]], used for smaller, usually [[student]]-directed, shows.  The south wing of CFA is the [[music]] wing, and contains offices, recital halls, practice rooms, and the [[Music Library]] on the second floor.  On the north side of the lobby is the main art exhibition space, around an obviously curved wall.  Inside this wall is the [[Round Room]], which would be the coolest room on campus if the seating weren't quite as unnecessarily cramped.  The [[Office of Financial Aid]] sits above the Office of Admission on the second floor.

CFA has the same effect that created the term SMC rat, for science students, but without a name.  You will get stuck in CFA if you commit to theatre or music.  You will spend way more time in it than most people think is necessary.  And you will, for some reason, feel compelled to visit it when you have nothing to do because there is inevitably someone, usually a group of someones, who have the same problem and will be more than happy to talk about things with you on the CFA patio because they don't know what to do with their time away from CFA either.

The [[Memorial Gym]] holds most of the important athletic facilities on campus.  It is tucked behind [[CFA]] and the [[track]].  Inside is a [[basketball]] court on the first floor.  In the basement there is a woefully small [[natatorium]] (pool).  This used to be easy to break into, but then they changed the lock. On the second floor there are offices for low-seniority faculty, as well as the headquarters of the [[Black Studies Program]].  The new-looking, floor-to-ceiling windowed section is the [[E. & L. Andrew Fitness Center]].

 

Some other facilities, specifically for dance, are located in the [[Aux Gym|Auxiliary Gym]], between [[CFA]] and [[GDH]].

The main convenience store for campus is the 24-hour [[Quick Sam's Convenience Convenient]] (seriously, that's what the sign says) at the corner of [[South Street|South]] and [[Academy Street|Academy]].  Unlike the [[C-Store]], they sell cigarettes and alcohol.

The 19th President of the college, also the first female president, scheduled to take the helm during the 2011-2012 school year. Most Knox students don't know anything about her yet. Check out the articles about her on the Knox website as well as videos of her speeches at Knox and you will be just about as informed as the rest of us.  

Maybe you remember them?  The [[Office of Admission]] is headed by Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission [[Paul Steenis]].  You won't have much to do with the Office of Admission proper as a [[student]], but you will likely have dealings with the [[Office of Financial Aid]], under Director [[Terry Jackson]].  They send you a financial aid package, and help you out with student loans and so on (getting them, not paying for them).

[[Dining Services]] includes all dining facilities on the Knox campus and their employees.  [[Steve Farris]] was the director, until he passed away suddenly at the beginning of September, 2007.  Dining Services is now headed by [[Helmut Mayer]].  Write a comment card to him in German sometime; it's fun.  Unlike many other colleges, Dining Services is not outsourced (some time ago, [[Sodexho]] had the contract).  The employees have a union and are fairly well-paid for food service workers. The food quality may not be fantastic, but you'll get over it. Actually, you probably won't, but you should.  Shut up and eat a [[breakfast bagel]].

Galesburg's ZIP code is 61401.  The area code is 309.  Galesburg is part of the 17th district of Illinois for the [[U.S.]] House.  It is the county seat of [[Knox County]].

In 2000, Galesburg's population was 33,706.  The median per capita income in 2000 was $17,214, the median household income was $31,987.  The median house value was about $65,400.  This was previous to the [[Maytag]] closure, so all these numbers have undoubtedly decreased.

Seminary St. is the restored old-timey city center.  A developer came in and paved the street with brick, and put $1000 a month apartments on the upper floors of the shops, apparently thinking that he was in Martha's Vineyard at the time.  It is nonetheless a nice area, if sometimes a little upmarket for college students.  Strung along Seminary are [[Innkeeper's Coffee]], [[Cornucopia]] (a miniature Trader Joe's sort of natural foods place), [[Uncle Billy's Bakery]] (connected to Cornucopia – the spinach bread is the single best thing about Galesburg), [[Chez Willy's]] (as haute cuisine as Galesburg will ever get, but rather expensive), [[Stone Alley Books and Collectibles]] (amazing), [[The Landmark]] (not quite as formal, a little less expensive, and also very good – try the lobster bisque), [[The Packinghouse]] (a steakhouse, just off Seminary on Mulberry St.), the [[Seminary St. Pub]], a [[wine bar]] on the street behind Seminary (Chambers St.), and the Amtrak station.

[[Cherry St.]] is three blocks east of Seminary, and is the locus of the [[Local bars|bar scene]], with [[McGillacuddy's]] (which is where [[Jazz Night]] is held on Thursdays, open to all ages), [[Cherry Street Bar and Grill]], [[GP's Lounge]], and [[Duffy's]].

Other popular places downtown include [[Pizza House]] and [[Kaldi's]] (both on [[Simmons St.]]).  The [[Knox County Courthouse]] is an old-looking building with a tower, located at Cherry and South streets.  The local congressman, [[Phil Hare]], has his district office near Broad and Water streets.  The [[Galesburg Public Library]] is located at Simmons and Broad, and the [[Galesburg City Hall]] on Broad between Simmons and [[Tompkins Street|Tompkins]] streets.  The tallest building in Galesburg is the fifteen-story round brick building at the corner of Simmons and [[Cedar Street|Cedar]] streets.  It holds old people.  The [[Knox County Jail]] and the offices of the [[Register-Mail]] newspaper are located on [[Prairie St.]], between Simmons St. and Tompkins St.  The [[Orpheum Theatre]] is on [[Kellogg Street]], just south of Main.

The other major shopping district in Galesburg is the area around North [[Henderson Street]] and [[Carl Sandburg Drive]].  This is the more typical big-box [[suburb]]an shopping area, and generally you have to access it by car.  It features the [[Carl Sandburg Mall]], which is basically a [[Sears]], [[K-Mart]], [[JC Penney]], and [[Bergner's]] with a few shops in the hallways between them. A [[Hy-Vee]] grocery store is there, and there is a [[Target]] just west of Henderson on Carl Sandburg.  The [[YMCA]] and the [[Showplace 8]] movie theater are further along Carl Sandburg, near the intersection with [[Fremont St.]]  There is a [[Staples]] on National Blvd., but the turnoff is confusing and half the time you'll end up on [[Highway 34]], so it's easier to head to the [[Lowe's]] parking lot off Carl Sandburg east of Henderson, and cut through there.  Further south on Henderson, there is a sex shop, [[Romantix]], located at the intersection of Henderson and Losey streets.  There is also a standalone [[Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits]] on Henderson, and an [[Econofoods]].  There are several restaurants along the road, including [[Old Peking]], [[New China Buffet]], the [[Rib Shack]], [[Perkins]], [[La Gondola]], and fast food restaurants like [[Taco Bell]] and [[Arby's]].

All Knox students receive an [[ID card]].  The ID card contains the [[student]]'s name, photograph, ID number, date of birth, and the card's expiration date (one week after the expected date of graduation). The ID card is grey, and the photograph is generally ugly.  The cards are not particularly durable, and even after less than one year the lamination will peel, the photograph will fade (and none too soon), and and card body may even start to crack.  Some student punch holes in their cards so they can be put on keyrings, but this greatly reduces the life of the card.  The back of the card has a magnetic strip for use in swiping [[meals]] and using [[Dining Dollars]] and [[Flex Dollars]].  There are plans to integrate card-swipe entry for [[residence hall]] doors, but as yet there are none with this feature.

Meals are counted in swipes, and are redeemable at the [[Caf]] and the [[Oak Room]] as one swipe per meal.  One can also use them at the [[Grab-n-Go]] locations, where each food item has a point value, and 10 points equals one swipe.

This is the main eating area, featuring varyingly mediocre buffet-style food with a mid-80s hospital ambience.  The offerings change daily, although there are a number of mainstays.  There are a number of [[vegetarian]] options, although [[vegan]]s will be somewhat more limited.

The Caf offers a small [[breakfast]] on most mornings, including a limited omelette bar, and some small variety of breakfast food, including a wide variety of cereals.  [[Sunday brunch]] is much more extensive, as it is basically lunch, and offers breakfast staples such as pancakes and the omelette bar along with Sunday brunch specials like chicken strips and tortellini.

At [[lunch]] there is a larger variety of food, including pasta, a salad bar, soup, a hamburger grill, pizza, and a sandwich bar, plus offerings that change from day to day.  There is a toaster oven available.  Dessert options, including ice cream, a baked special, and cereal are also available.

The [[Oak Room]] is located right next to the Caf.  The atmosphere and the food in the Oak Room are somewhat better, generally, but the Oak Room only offers a small menu each day, and is single-pass instead of buffet, so it is much less popular.  It has ample seating, and is quieter than the Caf.  Students getting food at the Oak Room can have their hand stamped for re-entry to the Caf, where they can take their food and have access to the Caf's buffet as well.

 

The Oak Room is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:00AM to 1:30PM, and for dinner Monday through Thursday from 5:00PM to 7:00PM.  It is closed on weekends, in part so that local high schools can hold their proms there.

The [[Breakfast Grab-N-Go]] is located in the [[Oak Room]] and works much the same as the lunch one, except with breakfast food and much shorter lines.

Work-study allotments can be for up to ten hours a week, which, under the $7.50 minimum wage in effect for 2007-2008, amounts to about $2250 for the year.  You actually pay to the school the entirety of the allotment as part of the [[tuition]] checks; the actual work-study done is then "reimbursed" to you through paychecks.  The caveat here is that few students will get paychecks amounting to the full amount.  The income, after all, may be taxable.  Also, there is a shortage of work-study positions on campus (at the very least, while there is a mathematical equality, the actual difficulties of holding multiple work-study jobs to fill smaller voids lead to some amount of de facto campus unemployment or underemployment).

Some students choose to work off-campus.  Some places employing students are [[Innkeeper's]], [[Kaldi's]], [[Chez Willy's]], and [[Cornucopia]].  Those with cars and a lot of time may commute to Peoria or the Quad Cities to work.

The [[Honor Board]] is the enforcer of the Honor Code, and the tribunal for students accused of academic dishonesty.  It is comprised of nine students, three from each class, as well as two members of the faculty.  The co-chairs of Honor Board for 2009-2010 are [[Carrie Bueche]] and [[Hannah Cynn]].   

''[[Catch]]'' is Knox's award-winning literary journal.  It features mainly creative writing such as short stories and poetry, as well as some [[photography]] for aesthetic appeal.  Other genres, such as journalism or critical works, are sometimes accepted, but generally if they offer interest in the [[Creative Writing]] sphere only.  Each ''Catch'' issue (there are two each year) is designed differently, with a level of complexity ranging from boringly elegant to matchbook-pasted-to-the-front-cover pretentious. ''Catch'' is a selective publication, and those pieces that are accepted are edited at the whims of the editors.  The selection process is blind to help reduce bias.  The ''Catch'' office is in the S.S. McClure Publications Office in Seymour.  The current Editors-in-Chief are [[Brian Lowe]] and [[Alice Holbrook]].  ''Catch'' is funded through the Board of Publications.

''[[Cellar Door]]'' is a more inclusive literary journal that focuses less on production and more on workshopping and the writing process.  It is published about twice a year, using simple staple-bound newsprint. Each issue concentrates on a general theme, such as "Family" or "[[Suburb]]ia."  ''Cellar Door'' features articles by [[faculty]] and others as well as by students.  All submissions are accepted, so long as the writer is amenable to the workshopping process.  Submitters are also required to sign a declaration saying that they love their work.  If you don't love your work, stick with ''Catch''. ''Cellar Door'' is funded through the Board of Publications.

[[WVKC]] (The Voice) is Knox's radio station.  The studio is located on the fourth floor of [[GDH]].  Almost all of the DJs are students; there is a signup and orientation meeting near the beginning of each term, advertised throughout campus.  WVKC's frequency is 90.7 FM, and the broadcasting radius reaches about 55,000 area residents. WVKC is funded through the Board of Publications.

Accessing much of downtown is easy by foot, but for reaching the rest of town owning or borrowing a [[car]] or [[bicycle]] is necessary.  There are three [[bus]] routes in Galesburg running on complicated loops once each hour, but only until around 6:00PM.  The bus terminal is at [[Main Street|Main]] and [[Kellogg Street|Kellogg]] streets, and all three buses depart from there every hour on the hour.  The fare is 60 cents.  Few use the bus, but if time is not very important it is cheaper than calling a taxi.  The schedules and routes can be found [http://www.ci.galesburg.il.us/transit/citybus.htm here].