Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

Page 14 text:

Acting president Roys formally opened the college’s 88th year at the first assembly of the new term in Alden Memorial. He asked for a year filled with improvements and outstanding achievements. “The engineer of today must have a background of subjects other than the purely technical courses,” explained the Dean. Several changes were apparent in the Worcester scene as the college settled down to its daily routine. One as¬ sistant professor, three new instructors, and six graduate assistants were added to the faculty ranks for the coming year. The corner of Boyton and Salisbury was a bee¬ hive of activity; Kaven Hall, the future home of the Civil Engineers, was fast approaching completion. Though modest in design the new building seemed to have an air of majestic splendor—beautiful in its simplicity. For the first time since the Navy Training unit began at Tech, the Dormitory was too small to accommodate all those desiring rooms. Several freshmen had to find rooms in the surrounding neighborhood. Though the faces were new in the dormitory, the freshman pranks and pro¬ verbial complaints about the taste of the dorm food were the same as the ones of previous years. Opinions and sentiments were sharply divided among Tech men as the local heated political campaign began to take impetus. The only common choice on the entire ballot was the English department’s Prof. Higgenbottom. But the line separating two different political beliefs was just a scratch compared to the wide difference of opinion between New York and Brooklyn supporters in the base¬ ball classic. Portable radios became standard equipment in laboratories around campus that week. The Tech Council continued to function as the most important student governing branch on campus; few citizens of W.P.I. were not directly or indirectly affected in some way by the council’s activities during the year. One of its most significant undertakings this year was the revision of Goat’s Head rules and the beginning of a project to bring the Council’s Constitution up to date. While the Tech Council was busy with the problem of the Goat’s Head, the Interfraternity Council was busy preparing plans for the I.F. Ball which was to serve as a means for raising money to purchase a memorial to the late President. Pitge Jen Top-of-the-morning to you

Page 13 text:

Breathe there a man with soul . . . While the bridge club was busy winning second place in the Intercollegiate Bridge Tourney, SPE once again proved their vocal talents by taking the coveted Pi Delt Songfest Trophy home for the fourth straight year. Little concern was attached to the fact that Tuesday, June 9, had been an oppressive day in Worcester, for there had been many days of that sort in New England during June. There had been many days when thunder clouds had gathered on the horizon by evening to give hope that once they had exploded their fireworks, relief would follow in their wake. And on many occasions that welcome relief was forthcoming. But June 9, 1953 was different. The clouds gathered, the storm came . . . but this time instead of relief, utter destruction followed. A credo Yours truly Fate was kind to the Class of ’53 in that it allowed Old Sol to shine enthusiastically on Sunday, June 14. 136 seniors received their sheep skins beneath the clear skies and in a pleasant Alumni Field setting. Fifteen hundred parents and guests had gathered to watch the ceremonies which marked the culmination of four years of hard work. Returning in late spring to the ‘Hill’ from all parts of the country, five hundred men found their ranks swelled by the addition of two hundred and sixty beany topped freshmen, one of the largest entering classes in Worcester history. The revised orientation program was accepted with great enthusiasm and the process of assimilation into the overall picture was well under way after a few days. The new freshman learned quickly about the Goat’s Head. Several appearances of the much sought after brass head were made early in the season. The informal demonstration of class spirit however was not as inspiring as the first organized hazing event of the year—the Paddle Rush. This rough, bruising exhibition of class spirit took place between the halves of the first home football game, and although the teams were evenly matched in numbers, the sophomores, capitalizing on one year of experience and training, took the honors. The introduction of a new rushing system by the I.F, council proved to be an enlightening alteration to the plans brought forth in previous years. Rushing rallies early in the year brought the frosh together with their fellow classmates and future fraternity brothers, and seemed to speed the adjustment which the new citizens had to make.

Page 15 text:

The fury of freshman-sophomore competition brought serious concern to the administration. “Endowed insti¬ tutions such as this are at the crossroads of whether they continue to operate as in the past,” said acting President Roys. “Students tend not to notice the changes, scholastic and social, that occur in them while in college, but other people do, and it is the aim of the school to shape a stu¬ dent’s development and guide those changes in the right direction.” Worried about the property damage and pos¬ sible personal damage which was caused by Goat’s Head rivalry, the Dean called for a return to “A high level of ideals and a seriousness of purpose.” The General Excellence Trophy was awarded to A.T.O., who won the honor for the second year in a row. P.G.D., by bringing their average up 1.38 points, won the scholas¬ tic improvement prize while A.T.O. was first scholasti¬ cally and A.E.PI. second. The return of the scholastic improvement prize, a replica of Rodin’s Thinker, was a memorable occasion and reopened the competition which was originally started in 1916. The Tech Council announced its fall budget and the alarming figure of 77% of the students activity tax going A civil ' s dream come true to the athletic fund was table talk for several days. Con¬ troller Knowles stated that it seemed apparent that the Student Activity tax must be increased in the next year. The rope pull, benefiting from the experie nce of the past years and a set of strict rules with regard to partici¬ pation set down by the Tech Council, was an outstanding event. The foreboding water was to play host to the sophomore class. The tuxedo clad leader of the ’56 group lead the game group through the muck and mire after a brief but spirited struggle. Coach Bob Pritchard’s gridiron warriors operating under the new limited substitution rules found the going rough. Mainly because of a green team which came along gradually, reaching some high spots and also dipping to a few lows, and because of unexpected injuries, some of the brightest grid stars were kept out of the line up for the major part of the season. The new men made mis¬ takes common to all newcomers, and against strong teams this made the difference between victory and defeat. However, it was a satisfactory season of two wins, three losses and one tie. Perhaps the outstanding upset in many a year for Tech was the defeat which Coast Guard suf¬ fered at the hands of the Pritchardmen. The pre-game pep rally and bonfire on October 31 will be a memorable event for Tech men for many moons to come. To those hearties who made the snake-like trip through the streets of Worcester, expressing with cer¬ tainty to all of the populus just who was going to beat RPI, that evening will be especially memorable. Homecoming day, with the full cooperation of Mother Nature, proved to be the usual big success. Highlighting the day’s activities were three athletic contests—a cross country meet with Amherst, a soccer game with Trinity, and most popular on the program, the home coming foot¬ ball game with arch rivals R.P.I. Although our Crimson- If ' atch by night Page SJeven