Getting Involved - Driscoll Green, Community Commons, and Old Fraternity Row

We are now standing near Driscoll Green, which is right in the heart of campus.

If you look to the west, you can see our new Community Commons building. The Community Commons serves as the main student center on campus. It was designed to create a sense of belonging for students, where they can workshop new ideas over lunch, meet a new friend for coffee, catch a concert, leverage a one-stop shop for support services and enjoy the best views of the Rockies. The Community Commons is also home to The Rebecca Chopp Grand Central Market, which comprises nine eateries, each with specialized and customizable menus boasting at least 600 unique meal combinations between them. We have a number of other dining options spread throughout campus, including cafes and convenience stores, which are great places to grab a quick bite before class. The dining halls are also open pretty much any time throughout the day from 7am-10:30pm, depending on the dining hall and with a few intermittent closings.

On the east side of the green you might have noticed Old Fraternity Row. While these houses are no longer home to Fraternity and Sorority Life, or FSL, these communities still have a strong presence on our campus. Approximately 30% of our undergraduate students are involved in FSL, which include business fraternities, service fraternities, religious fraternities and sororities, social fraternities and sororities, and multicultural fraternities and sororities. 

There are over 100 clubs and organizations at DU, including everything from cultural groups and religious organizations to Student Government to club and intramural sports. These clubs and orgs are a great way to get involved and find your community at DU. The largest club on campus is the Alpine Club, which has been a staple of the University for decades. They offer trips in camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing and so many other outdoor recreational activities, including at a beginner level. Our second largest club, you might be surprised to learn, is the Dungeons and Dragons Club. This illustrates the wide variety of interests at the University of Denver, but if you can’t find something that interests you, it is so easy to start your own club or organization.

DU also has many traditions that make the student experience special. My personal favorite is Winter Carnival, which takes place in February each year. It is a weeklong celebration of the winter season, with free activities on campus Monday through Thursday. Typical events include horse-drawn carriages, chili cook-offs, hot chocolate drinking and so much more. Starting Friday, students, faculty and alumni alike head up to Keystone Resort for discounted lift tickets, rentals, housing, lessons, and cool lodge hangouts for the weekend. It is one of the oldest and most loved traditions on campus.

Continue walking north to cross Asbury Ave, and follow the curving sidewalk path to the front doors of Coors Fitness Center.