General Information

Informant: SW

Place: Dartmouth College

Date: October 12th, 2021

Form of folklore: Customary, ritual

Title: Pranks on Trips

Collector: Maria Angelino

Informant Data

The informant is a Dartmouth student in the class of 2022. She was born in Florida and is majoring in Women’s Genders Studies with a minor in Sociology. She works with the athletics department in management and social media skills, and is also affiliated with a sorority on campus.

Contextual Data

Contextual Data: In the week prior to Freshman Orientation week, the Dartmouth Outing Club organizes and oversees “Freshman Year Trips”, where students go on a 3 day trip with six to eight other freshman and two upperclassmen trip leaders. There is a wide range of activities- from hiking, to canoeing, to arts and crafts. Upon arrival, the freshman go to Robinson Hall (Robo) where they are greeted by upperclassmen dressed in random, flamboyant outfits (flair) to check in. They spend the first night preparing for the trip and then are sent into the wilderness of New Hampshire. Throughout this whole period, the freshmen do not have access to their phone and have all their belongings in one bag. This is often an intimidating experience for freshmen entering a totally new environment, but is intended to make them feel welcomed and comfortable. 

Social Data: This item was collected through a face to face interview of the informant. It had been 4 years since the occurrence of the folklore, but she says she still remembers it vividly. 

Item

Pranks are pulled throughout the duration of the trip by the trip leaders to keep their “tripees” on their toes and provide comedic relief. One of these pranks is informing the freshman that they are on a landing strip and an airplane needs to land immediately, requiring them to move quickly to avoid being hit by the plane. 

Transcript: 

Collector: “What do you remember most about trips?”

Informant: “The pranks were definitely the most memorable. They pranked us with an emergency plane landing. They told us we were on an emergency landing strip and some plane needed to come in right away. We had just been pranked with the “Robert Frost Ashes” so we didn’t really believe it, but then we saw it coming and it looked really realistic. In reality, it was just people with flashlights on top of a truck and they were coming down a hill. They brought us brownies afterwards, we were definitely fooled though. The trip leaders were super enthusiastic about everything we did, even if the pranks seemed far fetched. It was reassuring to have upperclassmen seem so excited about being with us in the middle of the woods.” 

Collector’s Comment:

The tradition of Freshman year trips sets the foundation for freshman as they enter into an entire new environment. This simulated rites of passage by physically separating the freshman from their parents upon arriving to Dartmouth, transitioning into independence through the trip itself, and being incorporated into the college community when they get back to campus and classes start. Having upperclassmen lead the freshmen on the trips is a form of guidance and expertise that make the freshman feel more comfortable.