Collaboration Makes Student-Run Bar a Reality

When Delaney Gallagher ’23 walked into Flats — the new student-run bar located behind the College bookstore that she helped dream up three years ago — she couldn’t have been happier

“The inside was exactly how we imagined it,” she said. “It was a pretty cool experience to see the place actually have life in it.”

As part of a Homecoming alumni happy hour last Friday, Gallagher joined a group of patrons that included others — alums as well as current student workers and staff members — who worked together to make the student-only bar a reality.

“It was cool to interact with people from across Kenyon generations who were really into the idea and to meet the new students who have taken on the project and really put in a lot of effort to get it up and going this past year,” said Gallagher, who now works in Chicago.

The idea for Flats, which shares space with Peirce Express, was born in 2021 when Gallagher and James Loveland ’22 were staffing a Senior Week event. Determined to create a student-only bar where their peers could socialize outside of all-campus parties, they recruited other students to help — including co-founders Rocco Danese ’23, Charlotte Schultz ’23 and Spencer Hirsch ’23 — and worked with staff members in facilities, finance, student affairs and AVI. 

When delays arose — including some related to acquiring a liquor license — momentum continued as graduating students passed the project on to continuing ones, and new staff members picked up the baton. 

This semester, Flats opened its doors for the first time, serving alcoholic beverages and bar food under the leadership of managers Owen Walls ’25, William Wilson ’25, Andrew Canonico ’25 and Natalie Connelly ’25. 

Gallagher expressed gratitude for the support she and other co-founders received from the College.

“The collaboration that occurred was really awesome,” Gallagher said. “The fact that it did happen even after the initial students were gone really showed how committed everyone on campus was to putting in the work and focusing on making this thing a reality.”

“It would’ve been really easy to say ‘It's too hard to do’ or ‘It's not possible’ and dropped the ball when we left, but no one did that, and they really believed in the idea.”

This was true even at the highest levels of the College — former President Sean Decatur and current President Julie Kornfeld are among the initiative’s supporters, Danese said.

“We couldn't have done it without staff interaction and student collaboration,” he said. “I'm glad it finally has gotten across the finish line this semester.

James Jackson, senior director of campus life and director of student rights and responsibilities, said Flats offers a number of benefits — and lessons — for students.

"The Flats is more than a hangout spot; it’s a place that encourages responsible drinking and helps cultivate a culture where students can engage positively around alcohol,” he said. "For the current student leaders who have enthusiastically shown a willingness to further Rocco’s, Delaney’s and the others’ vision for Flats, this a great learning experience in teamwork, management, and putting ideas into action."

Celestino Limas, vice president for student affairs, said he’s been thrilled to watch how great proposals can become reality when students and administrators team up.

“From the time students first pitched President Decatur and me the idea three years ago, the fingerprints of many students have been all over this project, and that is a great reflection of Kenyon,” he said. “James Jackson has been an incredible shepherd of the project, and the way he has been persistent is reflective of his way of being student-centered.”

Seeing all this hard work come to fruition made the drinks flowing at the recent alumni happy hour event taste even better. 

“It was really nice to see everything up and running,” said Danese, who works in New York City now. “It made me feel that the work that we put in as founders and as student collaborators was worth it at the end.”