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Learning Dartmouth Slang

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General Information

Informant: MC

Place: Dartmouth College

Date: October 21st, 2021

Form of Folklore: Verbal Folklore

Title: Dartmouth Dictionary 

Collector: Maria Angelino

Informant Data

The informant is in the 2024 graduating class at Dartmouth and participates in a variety of clubs on campus- including FORT and ABS. She is majoring in Psychology and is looking to do pre-med. She was born and raised in Georgia. She has a little sister and is very close with her family. 

Contextual Data

Social Data: The folklore was collected through an interview with the informant. Throughout her first term at Dartmouth, she learned different abbreviations or made-up words that Dartmouth students used to shorten the title of different buildings, materials, or events. “Dartmouth Slang” is usually learned throughout one’s first term on campus by interacting and having conversations with upperclassmen. The folklore is conducted all the time, in normal conversation or over social media platforms. 

Cultural Data: Dartmouth is located in the very rural, secluded town of Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate population is usually around 4,000 students, and these students normally do not leave the campus often. The nearest big city is Boston, MA, which is two hours away. For this reason, students have created their own bubble within the Dartmouth community and over the years developed a language of their own. 

Transcript: 

Collector: “Are there any other traditions we haven’t discussed that you think are important to fall of freshman year at Dartmouth ?”

Informant: “The thing I will never forget about my freshman fall is hearing words that I’ve heard before. I could tell they were abbreviations for things, but I would always have to ask what they meant. BEMA, FFB, FOCO, Frackets, Tails, Lines (for pong), Flitz, Blobby- those were just a few of the many different words Dartmouth students used in casual conversation. Once I learned them, I felt like I had to use them when I was referencing that building or item because that is how everyone else talked about it. I remember talking with family and friends at home about Dartmouth and frequently used the slang, and they would have no idea what I was talking about. They would make fun of it- saying it was a classic “Ivy League Student move”- but I think it is kinda cool that we’ve created our own bubble here. The slang is just one tradition of the many that makes this place so unique. “

Collector’s Comment:

The creation of verbal folklore by the Dartmouth students illustrates a lot about the culture on campus. The small, close-knit community of students developed their own way to talk about their surroundings and things that are specific to life as a Dartmouth student.

Dancing

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General Information

Informant: LH

Place: Dartmouth College

Date: October 13th, 2021

Form of folklore: Customary, dance

Title: Dances at Dartmouth

Collector: Maria Angelino

Informant Data

The informant is a Dartmouth student in the class of 2025. She wishes to remain anonymous.

Contextual Data

Cultural Data: The “The Salty Dog Rag”, among many others, are dance routines taught to freshmen during their First-Year DOC trips. Upperclassman trip leaders and H-Croo leaders tell the freshman they must learn and memorize the dance for future purposes. They often learn it upon first arriving at Dartmouth and on the last day of trips at Moosilauke Lodge. The freshmen barely know each other, but the dances are intended to bypass the awkwardness and help them embrace the unusual customs that Dartmouth students love. 

Social Data: The folklore was collected 2 months after the informant went on their first-year trips. She was interviewed and asked about her experience. 

Transcript: 

Collector: “How did DOC trips make you feel as a freshman coming into a new environment?”

Informant: “The trip was super important to making me feel more at home. I remember we learned the “Salty Dog Rag” and the one where you are singing in the shower, and there was other fun ones too. It felt very inclusive because nobody knew what they were doing so we were all doing it together. It was a lot of fun trying to come up with how to actually do the dances. I think everyone was super uncomfortable learning the dances, but it really brought us together as a community.”

Collector Comments:

The customary lore of dancing can be very impactful to a culture. In this case, the upperclassmen used dancing as a way to make the freshman feel more connected to the Dartmouth traditions and collective history that the college has. 

Pranks

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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. 

Returning as Alumni

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General Information

Informant: The informant is a Dartmouth graduate from the 2020 class and wishes to stay completely anonymous. 

Place: Hanover, NH

Date: October 19th, 2021

Form of Folklore: Tradition

Title: Returning as Alumni

Collector: Maria Angelino

Contextual Data

Cultural Data: Dartmouth was founded in 1769 and is one of the nine colonial colleges charted before the American revolution. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, Dartmouth is a small, private liberal arts school and is a part of eight Ivy League institutions in the United States. The school is best known for its focus on undergraduate degrees, strong Greek life culture, and supportive alumni base.

Social Data: Homecoming weekend is an important weekend in the Fall term at Dartmouth College for both the freshman class and alumni. With so much activity going on, former students find this weekend to be a great opportunity to come back to campus and relive their “glory days”. This folklore was conducted via an interview a week after the informant went to her first homecoming weekend as an alumni, not a student. 

Item:

Alumni coming back to Dartmouth on Homecoming Weekend.

Transcript: 

Collector: “What do you know about the origins of the bonfire tradition?”

Informant: “ I don’t know much about how the whole thing started. I remember hearing about how the fire used to be way bigger and the classes would run, instead of walk, around the fire. I do know that it was always a time for a lot of alumni to come back because they warned us our freshman year to lock our dorms. They said alumni would try to come into their old rooms just to see what they look like now and reminisce on the good old days. I thought it was just another weird prank our UGA was pulling on us, but there were actually a ton of alumni that came back Homecoming Weekend when I was a student. This year was kind of weird for me because I experienced it as an alumni. It was crazy coming back and feeling like I was just another Dartmouth kid again. I love the adult life, but my four years here were the best years of my life. Coming back and seeing old friends reminded me of all the great memories and friendships I made. I definitely plan on coming back on Homecoming Weekend whenever I can.”

Collector Comment

This aspect of Homecoming Weekend often gets overlooked by the students because of the focus on the Bonfire and other events. The return of alumni speaks to the multiple existence and variation of Homecoming Weekend as students who graduate continue being apart of Dartmouth’s culture after graduation.

“Touch the Fire”

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General Information

Informant: KF

Place: Dartmouth College

Date: October 9th, 2021

Form of folklore: Customary, ritual

Title: Touch the fire” & “Worst Class Ever”

Collector: Maria Angelino

Informant Data

The informant is a female Dartmouth student-athlete in the class of 2023. She was born in California and has two younger siblings, but spends a majority of the year at school in Hanover, NH. She is a student-athlete on the pre-med track and is not affiliated with the Greek Life system. 

Contextual Data

Social Data:  Every term at Dartmouth has one big weekend of celebration, and in the fall this is “Homecoming” weekend for the incoming freshman and alumni. There are parades, speeches, and a large bonfire that the freshman class walks around. While the freshmen walk around the fire, the upperclassmen yell at them and tell them to “touch the fire”. This is one of the most well known traditions at Dartmouth that all students and alumni look forward to. At the time the folklore was collected, the informant was a junior and recorded her teammates as they passed by. A follow up interview was then conducted.

Contextual Data: Dartmouth was founded in 1769 and is one of the nine colonial colleges charted before the American revolution. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, Dartmouth is a small, private liberal arts school and is a part of eight Ivy League institutions in the United States. The school is best known for its focus on undergraduate degrees, strong Greek life culture, and supportive alumni base. 

Item

The upperclassman taunt the freshman walking around the fire and tell them to “touch the fire”.  

Transcript: 

Collector: “Why do (or don’t) you take part in traditions such as the homecoming bonfire?”

Informant: “I love to participate in all of the homecoming events. I think the whole thing is kinda odd, but I love that about Dartmouth in general. I remember when I was a freshman and had to walk around the fire. I thought it was so weird and it kinda felt like we were in a cult, but it made me feel like Dartmouth was really my new home. I was so happy to be a part of a place where everyone was so supportive and excited to be here. My teammates and I walked around the fire while people yelled at us that we were “the worst class ever” and “touch the fire”, but it was pretty funny. We just embraced it and cheered back at them. So this year when our freshman were walking, the upperclassmen and I did the same thing to them, and they also just cheered back at us.”

Collector Comment

The bonfire tradition represents a form of the rites of passage experienced by the freshman at Dartmouth. They are separated from the rest of the classes when they walk around the fire, and the transition period happens as the upperclassmen taunt them. It is similar to a task or hazing- when the freshman completes the lap and can handle being called the “worst class ever”, they can finally be incorporated into the community of Dartmouth students.