General Information:
Informant: Keegan McHugh
Place: Hanover, NH
Date: October 23, 2021
Genre/Form of folklore: Customary/Ritual
Title: “Highlighter Party”
Informant Data: Keegan is a 22-year-old Dartmouth College student who is a member of the class of 2022. He is from Bel Air, Maryland, but he has lived around or on campus at Dartmouth continuously for the past 3 years. He is a student-athlete on the football team and is majoring in sociology.
Contextual Data: During freshmen fall there is a fraternity ban, which last for the first six weeks of the term. This ban means that freshmen are not allowed to enter a fraternity or Greek life house except for one party held by Chi Heorot. This party is referred to as “highlighter” due to the theme being neon or highlighter colored attire.
Social Data: The Highlighter party allows Dartmouth freshman to experience an alcohol-free fraternity event specifically designed for their class. This event allows the freshmen to enjoy a party while also building relationships within their class.
Item: The Highlighter Party is a dry event for the freshmen held at Chi Heorot during the fall term.
Transcript:
Collector: “Are there any other traditions we haven’t discussed that you think are important to freshman fall at Dartmouth?”
Informant: “The highlighter party at Heorot is one of my fondest memories of freshman fall since it allowed us to enjoy an actual fraternity party rather than being in a dorm room due to the fraternity ban. I was able to meet a ton of people outside of my team and built relationships with a lot of people that I am still friends with today.”
Collector Comment: I remember the highlighter party being so popular that individuals were doing anything possible to get inside. This tradition also provides a much more efficient way to meet people than dorm parties that typically occur during freshman fall since dorm parties typically involve people you have met previously.
Collected by:
Carson Reich 21
Houston, TX
Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College
RUSS 013
Fall 2021