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Dartmouth Slang

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Title: Dartmouth Slang

Informant info:

Joseph Balaban is a twenty-year-old sophomore (’19) from the eastern shore of Maryland. He has two older brothers, one of which graduated from Dartmouth this past spring (Class of 2016). His mother, uncle, and grandfather are also all Dartmouth alumni. Joe intends to be a history major and is also a member of the men’s lacrosse team.

 General Information:

  • Verbal, folk speech
  • English
  • United States of America 

Social / cultural context:

Joseph was interviewed in person in early November. The context of this item is much broader than most items of folklore because although they first appear for freshmen upon arriving to Dartmouth, they remain a part of student vernacular for the remainder of their time in Hanover and potentially thereafter.

Item:

Blitz- Dartmouth email account; also used as a verb i.e. “to blitz a professor”

Flitz- Flirty email sent among students, usually to invite another student to a formal or on a date

FoCo- The class of 1953 commons food court

’17s, ‘18s, ‘19s etc.- Dartmouth students are referred to by their class year i.e. seniors graduating in 2017 are called ‘17s or sophomores, 19’s

The Hop- The Hopkins Center for the Arts; also used to refer to the courtyard café located on the bottom floor of the Hopkins Center

The Bema- The big empty meeting area located east of the Shattuck Observatory

Shmob- Mob of freshmen usually seen walking or eating together

Transcript:

“Since so many of my family members were Dartmouth alums, I grew up hearing lots of Dartmouth slang. By the time I arrived on campus last fall I was already familiar with many of the terms used by Dartmouth students such as blitz, foco, ‘19, and the Hop. These terms commonly used by Dartmouth students are integral to being a Dartmouth student because they differentiate us from all the other college students in the world while also unifying us with the alumni. On my way up to school, I ran into a Dartmouth alum who was a ’99, and we had a long conversation about his time at Dartmouth. Even though our graduation years are 20 years apart, we spoke as if we both attended Dartmouth at the same time.

 

Collectors Info: Armin Mortazavi, Class of 2019, hometown: Potomac, MD

Trips Safety Talk

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Title: Trips Safety Talk

Informant info:

Matt Tanenblatt is a current Dartmouth student and a member of the class of 2019. He came to Dartmouth from Atlanta, GA (where he has lived his entire life) and is a member of the men’s lacrosse team. An economics major, Matt is a very business minded individual—he launched an iPhone “app” over a year ago.

General Information:

  • Customary, ritual, dance, prank
  • English
  • United States of America 

Social / cultural context:

Matt was interviewed about the safety talk alone and in person, while still on campus. At the time of the interview, it had been roughly 15 months since he witnessed the safety talk on Trips.

Item:

The safety talk is a tradition that occurs on the first night of trips while all the freshmen are still on campus. Throughout the day, trip leaders and Croo members off-handedly mention to freshmen that the safety talk is three hours long and mind-numbingly boring. Then, once all the freshmen are seated on the floor in Sarner underground, the Croo members begin a very dry presentation on what to do and not to do while on Trips. After about ten painful minutes, the Croo members throw away the fake agenda and break out in humorous songs that get their messages across about the “do’s and don’ts” of Trips. It’s a prank that surprises and welcomes freshmen every year as they begin a new chapter of their lives.

Transcript:

“The safety talk was a hilarious but startling moment on my freshman trip. I remember dreading how long and boring it was going to be and how uncomfortable it would be to sit on the floor in Sarner for three hours. Then just as I was falling asleep, the Croo turned down the lights and began blasting popular songs. They rewrote lyrics to popular hits with messages informing all of us about what to do and what not to do in the next few days. The example I remember most clearly was ‘Don’t have sex on trips 19’s’ sung to the tune of a song that was popular last summer.”

Collector’s comments:

The informant spoke fondly of this item, making it appear to be a very welcoming experience for new freshmen.

Collectors Info: Armin Mortazavi, Class of 2019, hometown: Potomac, MD

 

Salty Dog Rag

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Title: Salty Dog Rag

Informant info:

Matt Tanenblatt is a current Dartmouth student and a member of the class of 2019. He came to Dartmouth from Atlanta, GA (where he has lived his entire life) and is a member of the men’s lacrosse team. An economics major, Matt is a very business minded individual—he launched an iPhone “app” over a year ago.

General Information:

  • Customary, dance, tradition
  • English
  • United States of America

Social / cultural context:

The Salty Dog Rag is taught to new freshmen by the Croo Members on the lawn in front of Robinson Hall on their first day of trips as well as on the last day at Moosilauke Lodge. Matt was interviewed about this item of folklore roughly 15 months after he went on Trips.

Item:

The Salty Dog Rag is a whimsical dance performed by freshmen and Croo Members alike throughout trips. It’s typically a very tense, awkward experience for freshmen to be learning the dance on their first day of Trips.

Transcript:

“The Salty Dog Rag is a staple of freshman trips. Every year before the schoolyear begins, a group of wide-eyed freshmen slowly make their way to the lawn outside Robinson Hall to sign in for their freshmen orientation trip. I’m not sure where the tradition came from or when it started, but it has been a part of trips for years. As the freshmen stand aroundly making meaningless small-talk, the Croo members bust out in song and dance, grabbing the freshmen and teaching them all the words and dance moves. Personally, I remember it as a painfully awkward icebreaker on the first day of trips, and I’m happy that I havn’t done the Salty Dog Rag since Trips.”

Collector’s comments:

As evidenced by his comments, Matt didn’t appear to have very fond memories of the Salty Dog Rag.

 

Collectors Info: Armin Mortazavi, Class of 2019, hometown: Potomac, MD

Construction of the Bonfire

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Title: Construction of the Bonfire

Informant info:

Kellen D’Alleva is currently a nineteen-year-old sophomore at Dartmouth college, which means she’s a member of the class of 2019. Hailing from Long Island, NY, she is a member of the women’s lacrosse team and intends to major in economics.

General Info:

  • Customary, ritual, tradition
  • English
  • United States of America

Social / cultural context:

Kellen was interviewed by herself at Dartmouth College just weeks after she experienced her second homecoming bonfire.

Item:

The homecoming bonfire is a Dartmouth tradition like no other. Since 1910, it has been the focus of homecoming weekend and “Dartmouth night.” In the early years of the tradition’s existence, it was customary for the bonfire to be constructed entirely by freshmen before they run laps around it. However, recently the majority of the construction is done by an actual construction company while certain groups or teams from around campus show up to help and decorate the boards of wood with their group names or logos.

Transcript:

“Every year during the week leading up to homecoming weekend it’s tradition that members of the freshmen class help build the bonfire. Last fall, my entire class of girls on the lacrosse team and I went to the green on the Thursday of homecoming week and spent roughly a few hours building part of the bonfire. Afterwards, like many other organizations on campus, we wrote all of our names and DWL (for Dartmouth Women’s Lacrosse) on the boards we added to the structure.”

Informant’s comments:

When asked why they felt compelled to help construct the bonfire, Kellen responded that no one in particular told them they had to do it, but rather that it was a Dartmouth tradition.

Collector’s comments:

The informant seemed generally happy and cheerful reminiscing about this memory, which could be potential reasoning for why it’s a tradition that has lasted for so long.

Collectors Info: Armin Mortazavi, Class of 2019, hometown: Potomac, MD

Matriculation

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Title: Matriculation

Informant info:

Jack Auteri is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania and is in the class of 2019 at Dartmouth College. He is planning on being a Government major. He was interviewed on 11/5/16 in Hanover, NH.

General Information:

  • Customary: Ceremony, Ritual, Tradition
  • English
  • U.S.

Social / Cultural Context:

Jack experienced the matriculation ceremony in the Fall of 2015 when he was a freshman at Dartmouth. It is one of his most memorable moments at Dartmouth thus far so he was happy to share his experience with us.

Item/Transcript:

“I remember my matriculation very clearly and it is one of my best memories from last year. I started getting really excited when my whole floor came together outside of Russell Sage. The guys were in jackets and ties and the girls were wearing nice dresses, so it felt like a pretty big deal. We walked together to the Parkhurst building, where President Hanlon’s office is. We sat outside under a tent waiting for our turn to go in and shake Hanlon’s hand. When we were up, I remember walking up the stairs to his office dripping in sweat. It was hot out that day and I am known to start sweating when I’m nervous. We went into his office and he spoke to us for ten minutes about what it means to be part of the bigger Dartmouth community. I then shook his hand, went back outside, and got to meet some alumni that graduated in 1969, which is 50 years before we are supposed to graduate. It was one of the most memorable moments for me so far.

Informant’s comments:

“I think this ceremony is a strong tradition that this school has, and it is a great way to initiate the freshmen into the Dartmouth community. I hope that the ritual of shaking President Hanlon’s hand stays strong in the future because it is an experience that all freshmen should experience in their first term at Dartmouth.

Collector’s comments:

I did not remember the details of my matriculation ceremony as clearly as Jack, but I agree that it is a tradition that should remain strong at Dartmouth. I remember shaking his hand and feeling very welcomed by the entire Dartmouth community. It truly is a great initiation ceremony and a great example of Customary Folklore.

Collector’s name: Will Randell

Tags/Keywords: Customary Lore, President Hanlon, Matriculation, Ceremony, Ritual, Tradition

 

Rushing Memorial Field on Homecoming

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Title: Rushing Memorial Field on Homecoming

Informant info:

Franklin Goldzer is from Rye, New York and is in the class of 2020 at Dartmouth College. He is currently undecided on his major and is finishing his first term at Dartmouth. Franklin was interviewed in Hanover, NH after Homecoming weekend.

General Information:

  • Customary Lore: Tradition/Ritual
  • English
  • U.S.

Social / Cultural Context:

Franklin has an older brother who witnessed the field being rushed by the student body after the football game on homecoming weekend during his freshman year. Franklin heard about this tradition from his brother and recounted what he heard and how it effected him this year on Homecoming weekend.

Item/Transcript:

“When my older brother was a Freshman at Dartmouth, I was still in middle school. He came home for winter break and told me about some of his best experiences from the fall. He told me about Homecoming weekend and how he rushed the field after the football game. I don’t remember who Dartmouth was playing that year because he told me so long ago, but I remember that they won. My brother told me that as Homecoming weekend was approaching, he heard from older students that everyone should storm the field if the football team wins their game because it is a tradition that happens at Dartmouth. He said that as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the student section got ready to jump the fence and swarm the team. He said it was one of the best experiences he had that year, so when I got to Dartmouth, I told my friends that we should do the same thing. Sadly, Dartmouth lost the game this year, so we couldn’t rush the field.”

Informant’s comments:

“My brother also told me that the rushing of the field has not happened since he was a freshman. When I told my friends about it, they were hesitant because they were worried about getting in trouble with Safety and Security, so maybe that is the reason this tradition has faded out over the years.”

Collector’s comments:

I have not seen this tradition happen in my two fall terms at Dartmouth. I agree with Franklin that the cause of this is due to kids being worried about getting in trouble. My friends and I talked about it last year and some people had the same concerns as Franklin’s friends.

Collector’s name: Will Randell

Tags/Keywords:  Customary Lore, Tradition, Ritual, Homecoming, Rushing the Field, Football

 

 

Floor-Cest

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Title: Floor-Cest

Informant info:

Jack Auteri is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania and is in the class of 2019 at Dartmouth College. He is planning on being a Government major. He was interviewed on 11/5/16 in Hanover, NH.

General Information:

  • Customary Lore: Belief/Superstition
  • English
  • U.S.

Item:

Floor-Cest is the belief that freshmen that live on the same floor should not engage in sexual relations or “hookup” during their first year at Dartmouth. It is believed that you should become good friends with your floor mates, rather than attempting to have a sexual relationship. It is a superstition in the sense that if you were to engage in floor-cest, the other floor mates would look down on you for damaging the floor’s overall chemistry.

Social / Cultural Context:

Jack lived on the first floor of Russell Sage last year. During the fall term of his freshman year, Jack engaged in floor-cest and he recounts what the effects were for himself, and his floor as a whole.

Transcript:

“It was orientation week and I had helped this girl move some of her things into her room. Later that week, we had our first floor meeting with our UGA. She laid down the ground rules for a successful fall term at Dartmouth. One of those rules was more of a warning, discouraging floor-cest. I thought to myself, ‘That’s a good rule to live by, but that girl at the end of the hallway might call for an exception.’ A few weeks had gone by and the frat ban was over. At this point, the girl and I had become pretty good friends. I had some connections in one of the fraternities and she asked me if we could play pong there. Obviously, I obliged and we played a few games together against her friends. The party started to heat up as we were playing and after the third game, it had become a dance party. We started dancing together and continued to dance for most of the night. As the party was winding down, she asked me if I could walk her home, which made sense because we lived on the same floor. When we got home, she invited me into her room to ‘hang out.’ We then both disregarded our UGA’s warning about floor-cest, and slept together anyway. After that night, our friendship was tainted and neither of us were interested in an actual relationship. Our other floor mates noticed the awkward tension, which just made the overall atmosphere on our floor more awkward.”

Informant’s comments:

“After my experience, I agree 100% that floor-cest should be avoided if you want to be good friends with your floor mates. Committing floor-cest will cause awkward tension not only for the two people involved, but for the floor as a whole.”

Collector’s comments:

After talking to Jack and experiencing a similar situation on my floor freshman year, I agree that floor-cest is a real superstition. The belief that it taints the friendships that are created with your floor mates is true and I advise incoming freshmen to be aware of its affects.

Collector’s name: Will Randell

Tags/Keywords:  Customary Lore, Belief, Superstion, Freshman Folklore, Floor-cest,

Doc Benton Story

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Title: Doc Benton Story

Informant info:

Campbell Brewer is from Richmond, Virginia, and is in the class of 2019 at Dartmouth College. She is currently undecided on her major. She was interviewed in Hanover, NH on 11/2/16. She went on the Hiking 1 trip during her first-year trips.

General Informaion:

  • Verbal: legend; Customary: Prank
  • English
  • U.S.

Social / Cultural Context:

Heard at Moosilauke Ravine Lodge during the final part of first-year trips.

Item:

This is a story that is told at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge on the last night of first-year trips. The story involves a man that lives alone in the woods and is responsible for mysterious deaths around the town he lived in. It is a scary story that is told to the Freshmen as a prank to scare them on the last night of their trip.

Transcript:

“After a long few days on our trip, we were all excited to be at the lodj with the rest of the freshmen on our trip section. After dinner, they had us all sit on the grassy hill outside of the lodj. The story was pretty long and I heard it more than a year ago, so I may not remember all the details. From what I remember, the story went like this: There was a very smart boy that lived in the area by the lodj and the rest of the people in the town joined together in order to send him to medical school so he could return and be the doctor for the town. While Doc Benton was away studying, he met a scientist, or fellow doctor, I’m not really sure. When Doc Benton came back home, he helped the townspeople with medical issues. His wife died and after that, he was never seen around town and kept to himself. Once he disappeared, a bunch of animals started showing up dead with a red dot on their forehead. After that, a farmer’s daughter went missing and they found her on top of a cliff with Doc Benton. He threw her off the cliff and when they found her body, she had the same red dot on her forehead. That is all I remember but it definitely freaked me out.”

Informant’s comments:

“After hearing the story and being completely freaked out, I think the main purpose of the story is to prank and scare the Freshmen as a source of entertainment.

Collector’s comments:

I agree with Campbell in that the main purpose of the story is to entertain and scare the freshmen on their trip. However, I think there is also a sense of tradition within the community of first-year trips that is the reason for why it is told every year

Collector’s name: Will Randell

Tags/Keywords:  Doc Benton, Legend, Scary story, prank, the lodi, moosilauke, trips