University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

Page 27 text:

.. BOf ' Jla- 1 20, d rob- lUttT oiiht Sid- was the principal speaker, and addresses were made explaining the customs and tradi- tions of the University. Members of the fami- lies of three former chancellors, as well as Miss Hanna Oliver, one of the oldest living graduates of the University, were present. As a climax to the evening ' s program, Poco Frazier, captain of the track team, carried a torch from the Rock Chalk Cairn to the platform at the Stadium. The torch representing the spirit of Kansas was passed first to Mr. Ingalls, who represented the alumni, then to a senior, a junior, a sopho- more, and finally to a freshman. FRESHMEN INITIATION Patty

Page 26 text:

Thus far the students ' sojourn upon Mt. Oread had been pleasant, and unencumbered by the worries of professors, recitations, and quizzes. This blissful ex- istence could not last long, and on September 20, University classes began. Bashful freshmen were awed by the overpowering dignity of grey-haired profes- sors. Long assignments caused them nights of anxiety and feverish study until they adopted the careless attitude of the uppcrclassmcn. One of the most impressive annual traditions of the University is that of the freshman initiation. Shef- field Ingalls, president of the K.U. Alumni Association PaftS [

Page 28 text:

To the tune of splintering pad dies, freshman caps were donned the day before the first football game of the season. To the un- wary first year man who failed to tip his hat to the crimson and blue pennant, retribution was swift and severe. Brawny K men, blood- thirsty Student Council members, and august Sachems administered punishment impartially and with enthusiasm. The executions of the freshman took on somewhat the aspect of an old Roman gladiatorial combat, as spectators jostled each other on the sidewalks to obtain better views of the running neophytes. Thick, polished walnut paddles split with apparent ease as the oppressors swung them at their speeding targets. A moment of breathless running, a succession of painful sensations and it was all over, but the feeling lingered. On the night of the Grinnell game came the annual nightshirt parade. Fifteen hundred pajama-clad students were marshalled into line by the Student Council members, K men, and Sachems, while a flying squadron searched the town for stragglers. THE FRESHMAN DONS His CAP Page 10