by Chamberlain Zulauf
Looking for opinion article inspiration online I came across the above prompt, thanks to the folks at wowessays.com. It isn’t the most attractive prompt, but I couldn’t move on from the idea of writing for it in some way. I couldn’t put my finger on why though. Soon I realized it was because I had been sitting in the Colket Center all night doing homework…and listening to WRKE broadcast over the speakers there.
Roanoke prides itself on its student environment— its sense of place. In a lot of ways, the Colket Center is the cultural hub of campus. The WRKE radio in Colket is a big part of that feeling of place even if it’s just in the background. In those calm moments the radio in and around Colket can be a huge vibe if you listen close enough.
It figures that WRKE was just ranked 14th on the “Best College Radio Station” by the Princeton Review. We even have two of our own, Devon Mitchell (‘22) and Kristi Rolf (‘23) hosting their own radio show on Tuesdays at 7:00pm. “WRKE is my favorite activity I’ve done at Roanoke, and I think it’s helped my communication skills a lot,” said Rolf.
I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve shamelessly Shazamed a song in Colket over the years. A great way to feel the spirit of campus is to come to Colket late in the evening, getting a bite to eat in Cavern or chilling in the game room. If you find yourself doing so, take a minute to listen to the music. You’ll hear something you like!
