| Darwin College | |
| University: | University of Kent |
| Named After: | Charles Darwin |
| Established: | 1970 |
| President: | Grace Mercer |
Darwin College is the fourth-oldest college of the University of Kent, an English higher education institution in the United Kingdom. It was opened in 1970.[1]
After much debate, the college was named after Charles Darwin, the biologist.[2] Unusually for a namesake of a Kent college, Darwin had strong connections to the historic county of Kent, having lived in Down House at Downe (now in the London Borough of Bromley) for the last forty years of his life.
Other names considered in the lengthy process included:
The name was eventually decided by a postal ballot of members of the Senate, choosing from a shortlist of Attlee, Conrad, Darwin, Elgar, Maitland, Marlowe and Tyler.[3]
The Darwin Student Committee (DSC) is a group of students who volunteer their time to make the life of Darwin College students more enjoyable. They are meet and discuss issues that concern the students, deal with problems, organise events during Welcome Week, listen to concerns and generally improve the experience of students within the College.
Weekly DSC meetings plan college events, such as the Masquerade Ball, discuss issues affecting students, which campaigns to run, and receive and pass on important messages from Kent Union and their sabbatical officers.
Since the college opened, there has been an annual vote within the college to elect the student President.
Darwin is home to Origins Bar and Grill, one of the various outlets controlled by Kent Hospitality. Open daily during term-time, serving food from midday until 9pm, the American-style menu is popular with students, staff and visitors alike.[4]
There are regular events throughout the week, the most popular being Ruby Tuesdays (the longest-running night event on campus) and karaoke.