Agnes Scott College - Silhouette Yearbook (Decatur, GA)

Page 15 text:

(I) The Cracker Jack Sailors cheer their class on to a victory in the Black Cat games. (2) Caria Edson tugs her team to victory. (3) The Troop of ' 83 celebrates its last Black Cat with the Black Kitty award. (4) The Sundance Kids demonstrate their favorite hobby. (5) High Spirits and much relief characterized the Scottish Highlanders ' first Black Cat.

Page 14 text:

And More Sisters Most of us have observed the baf- fled expressions on the faces of off- campus visitors when a Scottie says, 1 want you to meet my little sister, Patti, and my other one, Caria, oh, and there ' s my newest one, Debbie. The looks indicate that the Scottie must have lost all of her senses. But it is easy enough to explain, thanks to the great Orientation program which gives each incoming freshman and transfer student a Big Sister from another class. These Big Sisters intro- duce them to Agnes Scott, and when they arrive help the new girls to move in, get settled, learn their way around and adjust to college life. Many Big Sisters stay close to their little sisters throughout the college year. Some am- bitious seniors have as many as six little sisters. Now that ' s a sisterhood! Just keeping up with each of their birthdays is a memory feat. But the biggest reward for a Big Sister is when her charge decides to become a Big Sister herself because hers was so spe- cial to her! I Sol guy. iA Ajt The Sister Class . . . Everyone knows that at Black Cat each class is out to win the prized Black Kitty. But if you listen closely, you will hear an ever recurring phrase which is very spe- cial: Sister Class. A senior Scout tells a nervous sophomore Sundance Kid, Don ' t worry, we ' ll help you find out their mas- cot — hey, we ' re you sister class! And of course we have the sentimental sister songs at the bonfire and song competi- tion the Thursday before the Black Cat production and formal. Even this year ' s rain and indoor fake bonfire did not take away from the beauty of choruses of girls singing to their sister classes. It was a time for the freshmen to thank the ju- niors for helping them through Black Cat. And it was a time to say good-bye to the senior Troop of ' 83 and welcome in the new sister class of 1986. 1 n E cTJ BJI Mippii l 1 I BP S ' m V ' i l r Jl vIP H L kj ' ill. (I) Orientation Council presents The Twelve Days of Scott , a comical spoof of the Freshmen ' s first days. (2) Nancy Patierno consoles Big Sis Anne Luke at senior Anne ' s last Black Cat. (3) Moving in to Inman. a Scottie holds the all-important bucket used to carry toiletries to and from the showers. (4) Andrea. CarIa, Naccy. Bonnie and Carie team up for some sister class spirit.

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Have you ever wondered why we do what we do during Black Cat? Accord- ing to a certain well-known Black Cat scholar, the traditional festivities lead- ing up to and including Black Cat have been evolving since the I920 ' s. You may also be wondering what could happen in sixty or so years to that special week and feeling of fall quar- ter. To begin, once there was no Black Cat. An Agnes Scott student today would say, No Black Cat? Well that ' s almost impossible to imagine! And it was the constructive imagination of Dr. Mary Sweet that pioneered the Black Cat spirit, yet even she did not know what she was initiating. Dr. Sweet, tired of patching up freshmen and sophomores, directed their energies into composing judged skits about college life instead of play- ing malicious fall pranks on one an- other. By the early 1950 5 hockey games, a production, a picnic, and song compe- tition were added to the fall quarter agenda. A week-long hockey tourna- ment between the classes was the kick-off of the sports season. The pro- duction those evenings was somewhat different from the Black Cat produc- tion that we know. Friday evening, after a long day of hockey and fried chicken, each class wrote a song about college life at Agnes Scott that was sung and judged at the production. At this time it was required that the songs be both original music and words. At the production, each class performed a skit and the faculty also performed. None was judged. In the late 1950 5, a dance in Rebekah Recep- tion Room or the gym was held that same event-loaded Black Cat Friday. By this time, each class had a mas- cot, but the decision of the freshmen in the fall was not a hidden secret. After the dorms closed at night, the freshmen could convince security to let them in the upperclassmen dorms where the mascot would be an- nounced. The freshmen would put a decoration representing their mascot on the upperclassmen ' s doors, and later the other classes would deck ev- eryone s dorm room doors with their mascot decorations. For example, one freshman class chose Harvey the In- visible Rabbit as their mascot, and they taped whiskers and ears on dorm doors announcing their unique choice. So by the end of Black Cat the dorm room doors were covered with mascot decorations and Happy Black Cat wishes. The tradition of the secretive- ness of the freshmen ' s mascot and the sophomore mission to discover it be- gan with the same class that stole Ah- woo for the first time. The bonfire began as a pep rally the Thursday before the first hockey game and was held where the tennis courts are today. Then, like today, the sophomore class guessed the fresh- men ' s mascot and the freshmen re- sponded. Also, college songs were sung by the classes but were not judged. At some point, these songs were changed to be sister class songs, and still there was a requirement of originality. By this time, it was suggested that one year be a fast year and the next a slow year, indicated by fast, peppy songs and slow, sweet songs. Songs during Black Cat were once so popular that sister class and college songs were printed and sung at Black Cat and for years after their debut. During the I960 s, as the hazing and the keeping of the secret became more of a battle between the opposing classes: juniors vs. seniors and fresh- men vs. sophomores. Mortar Board be- came more and more involved with Black Cat, even though it had been indirectly involved with events during Black Cat for some time. Since 1903 it had been an overseer of the festivities with the purpose of insuring a fun- filled weekend, while discouraging hazing. In more recent times, the class of I973 ' s Mortar Board chapter decid- ed to make Black Cat a more extrava-