Tag Archives: freshman

Twilight Ceremony (Nick Hepburn)

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General Information about the item:

Title: Twilight Ceremony

Form of Folklore: Customary/Ritual (Freshman Tradition)

Language: English

Place of Origin: Hanover, NH, United States

Informant: WW’24

Date Collected: October 29th, 2021

Informant Data:  WW is 20 years old and a member of the class of 24 at Dartmouth College. He is from Nashville, TN where he went to high school and played football and baseball. He currently resides in Hanover, NH and plays football for Dartmouth. He is also a member of the club DIPP and Greek life. Last fall, WW lived on the second floor of Lord Hall and completed his orientation from his dorm room.  

Contextual Data: 

– Social Context: The Twilight Ceremony is completed to bond the new students over their completion of orientation and create cohesion in the new class, but also within the Dartmouth community as a whole as the recent graduating class passes on the flame. For new students, this shows just how committed the College is to upholding strong bonds between the members of its community.

– Cultural Context:  Dartmouth puts a lot of emphasis on welcoming the freshman class to the Dartmouth community right away. Orientation allows the new students to get to know Dartmouth and the community better and then at the end of orientation the Twilight Ceremony marks their entrance into the community. The ceremony is a time for the entire freshman class to be together and start their college journey as one. 

Item: Dartmouth Freshmen participate in the Twilight Ceremony at the end of orientation program to mark their entrance into Dartmouth’s community. During the Twilight Ceremony, freshmen walk with their candles from Collis to Bema where their candles are lit. A member of the senior class imparts words of wisdom onto the new students and then the alma mater is sung. 

Associated File (courtesy of Dartmouth College):

Transcript:

Collector: “What occurred during the Twilight Ceremony and what was its importance to you?”

Informant: “Last year the orientation program was very different cause of COVID-19 and everything being on Zoom. I remember that they gave us orientation packets when we arrived on campus and the packet had a candle in it. Everyone was very confused about what we were supposed to do with the candle. Before the end of orientation they sent an email saying that the Twilight Ceremony was going to occur virtually and that we should have our candles ready. During the ceremony, a few members of the administration spoke and then one of the acapella groups sang the alma mater at the end. It was nice that they tried to make it happen over zoom, but it was kind of a weird experience from my dorm room. There was also an in-person Twilight Ceremony this year where we met outside Collis, got the candles, and then went to Bema for the ceremony. It felt much more genuine than over Zoom and it was nice to be together as a class. I was definitely able to get the sense of community that is so strong here at Dartmouth ”

Collector Comment: I enjoyed hearing WW talk about the Twilight Ceremony and the differences between last year and this year. His commentary coincided with my own experiences with the event.

Collected by:

Nick Hepburn 20

Hampton, NH

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013

Freshman Orientation Program (Nick Hepburn)

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General Information about the item:

Title: Freshman Orientation Program

Form of Folklore: Customary/Ritual (Freshman Tradition)

Language: English

Place of Origin: Hanover, NH, United States

Informant: CG’24

Date Collected: October 25th, 2021

Informant Data: CG is 20 years old and a member of the class of 24 at Dartmouth College. He is originally from just outside Chicago, Illinois where he attended high school. CG has been rowing most of his life and is a member of the heavyweight rowing team at Dartmouth. Outside of rowing CG is a member of DIPP and is involved in Greek life. 

Contextual Data: 

– Social Context: Due to Dartmouth’s strong emphasis on community, the College uses its orientation program as a way to build community among the new class of students. Orientation Peer Leader groups allow new students to get to know one another in a personal setting, as well as to get to know a couple older students that they can go to if they have any questions or need advice. 

– Cultural Context:  There are many aspects of Dartmouth that are unique to the college and need to be learned by freshmen in order for them to be successful at the school. Some of this knowledge is implemented by the College such as the honor principle and course selection and other knowledge is implemented by the peer leaders such as nicknames for buildings on campus. The orientation program allows time for freshmen to get to know all of these things and begin to dive into the community that is so prevalent at the College.

Item: Dartmouth’s orientation program is completed by all new students before their first term at Dartmouth. The purpose of this program is to introduce students to Dartmouth and all the resources that are available, as well as to give students the opportunity to bond with the other students in their orientation peer leader group. These groups usually are made up of around 15 students and two peer leaders. The peer leaders walk the students through course selection, the liberal arts, the honor principle, and student involvement to name a few. The peer leaders also lead games that allow the new students to get to know each other. This program takes a fair amount of time, but is something that all students have to go through 

Transcript:

Collector: “What was the orientation program and what has been its importance to your Dartmouth experience?”

Informant: “Last fall before the start of classes the entire freshman class had to do orientation. It was a bit different than other years because we had to do everything over Zoom and this made it more of a challenge because of all the time we had to spend on a computer. Anyways, during orientation our peer leaders gave us a lot of information about Dartmouth and stuff we should know as freshmen. We also attempted to play ice breaker type games, but it was challenging to do over zoom. The thing that I took away from it though was my relationship with my peer leaders. They helped me answer all the questions I had and I still talk with them today. One of them is actually the reason I ended up rushing the frat that I did.”

Collector Comment: I enjoyed hearing CG’s perspective on the orientation program because I was not as involved and did not get to know my orientation leaders that well, but now I wish that I took the time to get to know them. 

Collected by:

Nick Hepburn 20

Hampton, NH

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013

Walking Around Bonfire on Homecoming Weekend (Nick Hepburn)

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General Information about the item:

Title: Walking around the Bonfire on Homecoming Weekend

Form of Folklore: Customary/Ritual (Freshman Tradition)

Language: English

Place of Origin: Hanover, NH, United States

Informant: JG

Date Collected: November 11th, 2021

Informant Data: JG is a 20 year old freshman at Dartmouth College. She is originally from Boston, MA and played lacrosse at Phillips Andover. JG is older than most 25s because she decided to take a gap year last year. During her gap year she worked as a ski instructor at the Yellowstone Club in Montana. JG currently resides in Hanover, NH.

Contextual Data: 

– Social Context: Dartmouth holds true to its strong community that goes back centuries. Graduated students remain close to the College and often come back to visit on Homecoming weekend. Part of the reason that graduated students will return is to see the next generation of Dartmouth students walk around the fire and become part of  the community that the alumni so cherish. It is apparent just how many alumni come back when looking at the great amount of people that surround the outer ring of the bonfire. 

– Cultural Context:  Dartmouth prides itself on its long standing traditions and tries to uphold these traditions to the best of its ability. The bonfire has been a staple in these traditions and is one that is most looked forward to by the freshmen class. Walking around the fire resembles the students entering the Dartmouth community and it promotes cohesion among the freshmen class as they walk around the fire together. 

Item: Every year on homecoming weekend, a bonfire is built at the center of the Green on Dartmouth’s campus. The bonfire is lit at night and the freshman class gathers and walks around the fire while alumni and other students cheer them on. 

Associated File (courtesy of Dartmouth College, The Dartmouth):

Homecoming Marks Dartmouth's Birthday, Rekindles Friendships | Greek Life and Societies

Transcript:

Collector: “Why did (or didn’t) you take part in the homecoming bonfire? What made it worth taking part in?”

Informant: “I think a lot of us here are drawn to Dartmouth because we want to be part of a school that has a deep sense of tradition/history — at least I know that was one of the biggest pulls for me to apply here. The persistence of traditions like the homecoming bonfire are demonstrations of how fiercely spirited/attached Dartmouth students and alumni are to this school – getting to be a part of these traditions feels kind of like the first step in really becoming and bonding with that tight-knit network which is the Dartmouth community. During the bonfire, I was really able to see this come to life. As I walked one circle around the fire, I was able to see the faces of so many older students and alumni standing around the outer ring. It was comforting to know that they all came to show support for my class as we begin our years at Dartmouth ”

Collected by:

Nick Hepburn 20

Hampton, NH

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013

First Year Trips (Nick Hepburn)

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General Information about the item:

Title: First Year Trips

Form of Folklore: Customary/Ritual (Freshman Tradition)

Language: English

Place of Origin: Hanover, NH, United States

Informant: DG’25

Date Collected: November 1st, 2021

Informant Data: DG is 19 years old and a freshman at Dartmouth College. DG is originally from Chicago, Illinois, but currently resides in Hanover, NH. Growing up DG played baseball for his high school and on a travel team. Since coming to Dartmouth, DG has joined the heavyweight rowing team and is planning on studying economics. 

Contextual Data: 

– Social Context:  A majority of students come to Dartmouth with zero prior relationships and are forced to interact with new people and make new friends. This can always be a challenge and the First Year trips attempt to make the transition easier and give new students a group of people that can get to know and be bonded with through their experiences during the trips. Many students who participate in trips are still in contact with either their trip leader or the other students that participated in the trip with them. 

– Cultural Context:  Dartmouth is located in a unique location in Hanover, NH. Hanover is a small town in rural New Hampshire that is surrounded by woods and mountains. For many students, Dartmouth is a drastic change of scenery. This provides an opportunity for students to gain experiences that would not have been possible had they not chosen to come to Dartmouth. For these reasons along with the fact that Dartmouth places an emphasis on class cohesion and bonding, the College decided to implement first year trips. 

Item: First Year Trips is a program implemented by Dartmouth and run by the DOC. In these trips, groups of around 10 students spend a few days outdoors doing activities that align with the theme of the trip that the students sign up for. Some examples of these themes include cabin camping and fly fishing. The groups are led by trip leaders who are older members of the College. 

Associated File (courtesy of Dartmouth College DOC, represents the events that DG Gramza describes):

First Year Trips

Transcript:

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

Informant: “I felt that the trips really helped me to immerse myself with the people that were in my class and be able to connect better to Dartmouth as a whole. During the trip, a couple things that my group did was hike and eat dinner at the ravine lodge on Mount Moosilauke. It was great to be able to have shared experiences over a ton of different activities with people that I may not have met otherwise. The trips gave me a great foundation of friends that I could branch out from and make my own experience of Dartmouth”

Collector Comment: It was great to hear DG’s perspective on trips and some of the things that he and his group did. Due to COVID, I was unable to participate in trips, but DG was able to help me understand the importance of the tradition.

Collected by:

Nick Hepburn 20

Hampton, NH

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013

Fraternity Ban (Nick Hepburn)

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General Information:

Title: Fraternity Ban

Form of Folklore: Customary/Ritual (Freshman Tradition)

Language: English

Place of Origin: Hanover, NH, United States

Informant: TB’23

Date Collected: November 7th, 2021

Informant Data: TB is 21 years old and a junior at Dartmouth College. He is originally from Chicago, Illinois and played baseball growing up. At Dartmouth, TB is involved in Greek Life and continues to play baseball through the club baseball team. 

Contextual Data: 

– Social Context: Unlike many other schools, freshmen at Dartmouth are coming from a variety of national and international locations and come with many different experiences. The frat ban allows these students of many backgrounds to get to know one another though they might not have been inclined to get to know each other with the presence of Greek life. 

– Cultural Context:  Freshman fall is an important time in the eyes of Dartmouth’s Administration. They want to make this as inclusive and welcoming as possible in order to form bonds between students in the incoming class. Dartmouth also has a large Greek life presence on campus which can sometimes be exclusive. To ensure that members of the freshman class spend as much time together during the first semester as possible, the College instituted a frat ban. This is a six week long period in which freshmen are not allowed to enter the fraternities on campus. Though this limits the things that freshmen can do on the weekends, many look back on the frat ban as a time that allowed them to get closer to their class and meet people that they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Item: Dartmouth Freshmen are subject to the Frat Ban which is a six week period in which they are not allowed to enter fraternities on campus. This is instituted by the College and is upheld by the fraternities and the Department of Safety and Security. Freshmen stay in their dormitories and form bonds with either their roommate(s) or fellow freshmen in the dorm.

Associated File (courtesy of The Dartmouth Review, pictured is the Choates dorms, one of the Freshman Dorms for Allen House where freshman congregate during the Frat Ban)

The Choates: The Armpit of Res Life - The Dartmouth Review

Transcript:

Collector: “What was your experience with the frat ban and how did it affect your freshman fall and did it promote cohesion within your class and or the people in your dorm?”

Informant: “My perception of the frat ban going into college was that it would be a barrier to having fun and meeting people, but I think it did exactly what it’s intended to do which is get you to meet people more organically that in a fraternity setting. Since joining Psi U I’ve spent the vast majority of my time with the brothers, and I think had it not been for the frat ban I would have a far smaller pool of friends because I wouldn’t have had the kind of forced opportunity to branch out in the way that I did. I’m still really tight with some of the people on the floor of my freshman year dorm, and generally feel that I met a ton of great people who I might otherwise not have if they lack interest in the fraternity scene.”

Collector Comment: It is interesting to hear the perspective of someone who actually went through the Frat Ban while fraternities were operating at full capacity. I went through more of an organic Frat Ban as the result of frats being shut down and the only thing to do on the weekends was to interact with the other people on my floor and in my dorm. 

Collected by:

Nick Hepburn 20

Hampton, NH

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013

Snowball Fight (Other Freshman Fall Traditions)

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General Information:
Title: Snowball Fight
Form of Folklore: Customary, snowball-fight
Language: English
Place of Origin: Hanover, NH, United States
Informant: R.A.
Date Collected: October 26th, 2021

Informant Data: 
R.A. is a 21-year-old member of the Dartmouth class of 2022. She was born and raised in Armonk, NY. She is a cognitive science major, with minors in government and digital art, and she hopes to pursue graphic design after graduation. At Dartmouth, R.A. is a member of the dance group Sugarplum and works for the DALI lab. She currently lives in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Contextual Data: 
– Social Context: The annual Dartmouth snowball fight was brought up by R.A. when asked to think about other fall traditions she participated in as a freshman. It is arranged by the school and open for all students and staff who want to participate, and it takes place on the Dartmouth Green. It takes place on the night of the year’s first snowfall, which typically occurs in the fall (although sometimes it takes place in the winter if it doesn’t snow during fall term) – during Rachel’s freshman year it occurred during her fall finals week. Because all students are invited, students never know how many will attend until they show up to the Green. However, as a once-a-year tradition, a lot of students value attending. 
– Cultural Context: Dartmouth highly values traditions, and even the administrative organization takes steps to organize and execute traditions every year. The invitation to the snowball fight is disguised as an invite from Dr Seuss, which is a fun twist for students that references Dartmouth history. Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr Seuss’) was an undergraduate at Dartmouth and graduated in 1925. Because of this reference, the tradition becomes even more culturally tied to Dartmouth. Furthermore, the tradition informally marks the beginning of the Dartmouth winter term, and acts as a precursor to the tradition rich winter that features the annual Winter Carnival, the polar plunge, and an ice-carving contest. 

Item: 
On the night of the school year’s first snowfall, all undergraduate students receive a school issued email from the email address of ‘Dr Seuss’ addressed to Robert Frost and the rest of campus, inviting everyone to engage in a snowball fight on the Green at midnight. At midnight, the Green is filled with students from all over campus, and everyone runs around throwing snowballs at each other. The fight typically lasts until there is no snow left to make snowballs from.

Associated File:

Image courtesy of Dartmouth Admissions

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

Informant: “I distinctly remember the snowball fight as a very fun end to my freshman fall. I received the email from Dr Seuss which I thought was pretty funny and I got really excited. I was a little nervous that people wouldn’t go since it was at midnight and it would be a little weird if only a few students gathered on the Green to throw a few snowballs, but I went and there were so many people! It was super fun and packed with students, and it was nice to see that so many people were awake at the time and took the time to go share the experience together.”

Collector Comment:
I also participated in the snowball fight my freshman fall, and it made me very excited for the upcoming winter term. 

Collected By:
Una Westvold
Oslo, Norway
Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College
RUSS 013
Fall 2021

Twilight Ceremony (Other Freshman Fall Traditions)

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General Information:
Title: Twilight Ceremony
Form of Folklore: Customary, ceremony
Language: English
Place of Origin: Hanover, NH, United States
Informant: L.A.
Date Collected: October 29th, 2021

Informant Data: 
L.A. is a 21-year-old member of the Dartmouth class of 2022. She is a student-athlete on the rugby team, and is a double-major in geography and anthropology. At Dartmouth she is a tour guide, a snowboard instructor, and works for the Sustainability Office. She is from Colorado Springs, CO and enjoys the outdoors, and is very grateful for Dartmouth’s engagement with the surrounding nature. She does not come from a tradition-heavy background, and has thus really enjoyed partaking in the Dartmouth traditions. The second tradition she experienced at Dartmouth was the Twilight Ceremony, after participating in the DOC Trips.

Contextual Data: 
– Social Context: The first thing L.A. did upon arriving at Dartmouth was participating in Dartmouth’s Freshman ‘Orientation-Week’. This program is aimed at introducing the freshman to the various aspects and operations of Dartmouth College. On the Sunday before the first day of fall-term classes, the last day of Orientation-Week, she participated in the ‘Twilight Ceremony’. The ceremony is organized by the Tucker Center in collaboration with the Collis Student Center, and all incoming freshmen participate. This was Lannan’s first experience with an organized Dartmouth tradition, and she really enjoyed participating alongside her whole class. 
– Cultural Context: The Dartmouth experience is heavily influenced by many traditions, whereof some are organized and some occur naturally, and some are repeated every year by members of all classes and some are aimed specifically at freshman. Particularly, Dartmouth places heavy emphasis on freshman-only organized traditions as part of an initiation rite to make the freshman feel introduced as part of the collective Dartmouth community. The Twilight Ceremony incorporates the use of candles and two socially-significant locations on campus (the Green and BEMA), making it very Dartmouth specific rather than a general ‘you are now a college student’ initiation rite. 

Item: 
The Twilight Ceremony is organized and hosted by the Tucker Center and the Collis Center, and it marks the end of the ‘Orientation Week’ program the evening before fall term classes begin. All freshmen are gathered on the Dartmouth Green and provided with an unlit candle. A selected member of the recently graduated class will literally pass the flame from their candle to members of the incoming class, from candle to candle. All the freshmen walk in the dark to BEMA, only illuminated by the wave of flickering flames. At BEMA, a senior student offers a personal reflection on their experience transitioning from a freshman to a senior. The ceremony concludes with the singing of the Alma Mater and the extinguishing of the candles, to mark that students have now formally begun their Dartmouth journey. 

Associated File:

Image courtesy of Dartmouth, the William Jewett Tucker Center

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

Informant: “The candlelight ceremony was the first tradition I experienced after Trips, and because it was a one-time event it almost felt as the most ‘proper’ tradition. It felt very culty seeing all the freshmen walk into the woods with candles and singing the Alma Matter made me feel initiated into a Dartmouth cult. But it was also very fun, as it kind of cemented our class together and gave me the feeling of ‘whatever happens, we are all in this together’. Because none of my friends at other schools did anything like this with their whole class, it made me feel part of a very tight-knit and special community regardless of who there I would end up being friends with or not.” 

Collector Comment:
I had a very similar experience when I participated in the Twilight Ceremony. Although I did not know any of the students around me, I felt as part of a collective group that was embarking on a college journey together in the woods. The Twilight Ceremony is a very formal execution of an initiation rite, including all the stages in a rite of passage. 

Collected By:
Una Westvold
Oslo, Norway
Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College
RUSS 013
Fall 2021

Dorm Parties

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General Information:
Informant: KS
Place: Hanover, NH
Date: November 1, 2021
Genre/Form of folklore: Customary/Ritual
Title: “Dorm Parties”

Informant Data: KS is a 19-year-old member of Dartmouth’s class of 2025. He is a student-athlete on the football team, who is interested in studying engineering. He is from Germany, making him a unique person on the football team as almost everyone who plays American football in college is from America. He lives primarily in Hanover, NH on his college campus now. 

Contextual Data: American college experiences oftentimes involve partying as a form of socializing. It is a great way for people to meet those who live around them as everyone is away from their home, often for the first time in their lives. The feeling of independence is usually new, and so students want to go and meet the others around them so that they have friends for their upcoming college years.

Social Data: Freshmen are banned from going to the fraternities on campus for the first 6-7 weeks of the fall. During this time, freshmen are forced to bond together in the dorms and spend social time there.

Item: Freshmen students are unable to go to the frats because there is a frat ban. In response, the social scene becomes dorm parties because there is not much else going on in the area. Many students rotate hosting and then they have a group of friends in their room for a weekend night.

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

Informant: “Dorm parties are fun because it allows me to meet new people outside of the football team. Because we cannot go to frats, it provides us with a fun way to blow off some social steam. I enjoy getting a break from schoolwork and being around my peers. I think the frat ban was good because it forced us to bond as a freshmen class.”

Collector Comment:

I remember dorm parties from my freshman year being rare and often they were broken up because of COVID. It was nice to hear this class of freshmen was able to be social this fall and make more friends.

Collected by:

Ross Parrish 20

Cincinnati, OH

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013

Fall 2021

Homecoming Bonfire

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General Information:
Informant: SH
Place: Hanover, NH
Date: October 9, 2021
Genre/Form of folklore: Customary/Ritual
Title: “Bonfire”

Informant Data: SH is an 18-year-old Dartmouth student who is a part of the class of 2025. He is from Washington State, but he lives on campus at Dartmouth in Hanover, NH for most of the year. He is a student-athlete participating on the football team and has an interest in studying economics.

Contextual 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.

Social Data: The bonfire is a massive fire set on the green and designed to be run (or walked) around by the freshman class. Since it is during homecoming weekend, most of the campus plus many alumni surround the fire while the freshmen go around. The fire has the numbers of the graduating year of the freshmen class (24 and 25 this year because of COVID).

Item: The massive fire annually set on Dartmouth’s campus on The Green. 

Transcript: 
Collector: “What is your attitude towards Homecoming Weekend and the Bonfire tradition?”

Informant: “Homecoming was pretty cool. The fire was massive and I enjoyed feeling the heat from across the green. I did not expect it to be as large as it was. I appreciated that our class was able to make a lot of fun memories together.”

Collector Comment:
Homecoming weekend in general is a great tradition at Dartmouth. It is super cool to see all of the alumni come back and celebrate at the football game, bonfire, around campus, in their former frats/sororities, etc. Dartmouth alumni seem especially drawn to the campus after they graduate, and it is clear that homecoming weekend is a wonderful example of this.


Collected by:

Ross Parrish 20

Cincinnati, OH

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013

Fall 2021

Initiation into Dartmouth Social Spaces – Dartmouth Housing System Initiation

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Title: Dartmouth Housing System Initiation

General Information about Item:

  • Initiation Ritual
  • Dartmouth College
  • Informant: Trevor Ballantyne
  • Date Collected: November 1, 2018

 

Informant Data

  • Trevor Ballantyne is a close friend of mine who was born on March 31st, 1999. Trevor attended elementary school in Hopkinton, Massachusetts where he grew up and he then attended Rivers Academy for high school. After graduation, Trevor matriculated to Dartmouth College where he is currently a sophomore. Trevor is involved in a fraternity on campus, and he is on the Dartmouth Varsity Lacrosse team.

 

Contextual Data

  • Cultural Context: I personally interviewed Trevor in the Collis Café at Dartmouth College. Trevor was first introduced to the housing community when he arrived on campus for freshman orientation. Trevor was surrounded by all incoming freshman who were all going to their specific housing communities at the time. After that, Trevor was first introduced into South House when he attended a South House dinner at a professor’s house who was affiliated with South House. During this, Trevor was surrounded by all of the other members in South House, including me. The process of being initiated into a housing community always occurs during freshman orientation
  • Social Context: Trevor is a first-generation Dartmouth student who planned on being affiliated with a fraternity from freshman year. Before Dartmouth, Trevor was unaware of the housing system and did not expect the housing system to have an effect on his time at Dartmouth. This initiation occurs during freshman orientation which involves a countless number of activities and traditions that allow students to bond with other members of their class

 

Item

  • As Trevor arrived on campus during freshman orientation, he was first initiated and welcomed onto campus by fellow South House members excitedly cheering for their house. Trevor went to the South House desk and was given a black South House shirt and water bottle. Trevor felt this initiation ritual to be welcoming due to the hectic nature of the day as all freshman arrived on campus. Days later, Trevor was further initiated into the South House community when he attended a South House dinner at a professor’s house. Trevor ate food, met fellow South House members, and signed a book that all South House members signed. Trevor was especially grateful for this initiation ritual because he was able to meet other freshman in South House and start relationships with kids that he would one day possibly live with.

 

Analysis

  • Initiation rituals consist of three stages: separation, transition, and incorporation. For the South House dinner initiation, the separation stage occurs when South House members leave campus and the rest of the student population and go to a house with only South House members. The transition stage occurs when students enjoy food and meet their fellow South House members. Finally, the incorporation stage occurs when students sign the South House book and officially join South House.

 

Meaning and Interpretation

  • Every Dartmouth student is a member of a specific housing community. Many students feel a strong sense of pride regarding their house, and the initiation ritual into South House acts as the first way for students to officially join South House.

 

Comparison

  • Comparison within the subgroup: In this sub-group, we focused on Dartmouth College social initiation rituals. One similarity between most of these rituals is that they are experienced by freshmen. A student’s freshman year is a time to learn about his or her new community and the traditions that form its unique culture. Freshman year is also the time that most students join the clubs or sports teams that they will be most involved in throughout their Dartmouth careers. Therefore, it makes sense that so many of the Dartmouth social initiation rituals take place during the freshman year, such as the homecoming bonfire ritual. One difference within our subgroup is who initiates and runs each initiation ritual. Sometimes these rituals are set up and funded by the Dartmouth administration, and sometimes they are student-run. Another difference is the duration of each ritual. Some social spaces take a while to initiate into or involve a few different rituals that initiate new members, whereas others only require one short ritual.
  • Comparison with the rest of the subgroups: The subgroups differ dramatically across the board. Some of the subgroups focus on various ethnic groups while others focus on groups within Dartmouth. The initiation rituals of the groups within Dartmouth usually have the purpose of welcoming new members into their community and are symbolic. Ethnic-based group rituals have the purpose of testing the new members. Additionally, ethnic groups’ initiation rituals tend to be related to religious practices. Initiation rituals of Dartmouth groups are not religious in character. What all groups have in common though is the fact that the process of initiation creates closeness with the rest of the group and makes one feel completely immersed into the group.

Transcript

  • Trevor Ballantyne on the South House initiation dinner, “It was a good way to meet everyone and there is a huge book that you sign your name, say you were there, everyone from the house does it and you can tell it’s the foundation of a tradition that’s going to go on for a long time.”

 

Collector: Reg Anderson, Dartmouth College, Russian 13, Professor Valentina Apresyan, Professor Mikhail Gronas, Fall 2018

 

Tags/Keywords

  • Dartmouth
  • Housing System
  • Freshman
  • Orientation
  • South House
  • Initiation Ritual