The Permanent Underclass

1769

There are no freshmen on campus. The entire student body consists of transfer students.

1772

Students are summoned to class by a freshman blowing into a conch shell. A freshman named John Ledyard hates the job. "It was his custom," writes historian Frederick Chase, "to perform it with a reluctance and in a manner corresponding to his sense of degradation."

1802

Although George Ticknor is offered admission to Dartmouth, he decides to wait until he is 12 years old before enrolling. He graduates with the class of 1807.

1822

The freshman curriculum for the fall term consists of three classes: Livy Roman Antiquities, and Graeca Majora.

1877

The body of a hanged criminal mysteriously appears in the freshman section of the chapel. A newspaper reporter writes that the body "remained there during morning prayers with its aroma ascending heavenward."

1896

A group of sophomores, armed with revolvers, kidnap a freshman. The faculty pass a resolution asking for the hostage's release.

1915

A freshman asks a senior to bring him a napkin. The Aegis reports that "the body is shipped home by Palaeopitus."

1947

Doc Benton, legendary ghost of Mt. Moosilauke, makes his first alleged freshman trip.

1950

Although the rules against hazing freshmen are stricter than ever, sophomores discover a loophole: involuntary haircuts have not specifically been banned. According to the Aegis, "Chunks of hair were seen on the sidewalks of Main Street" and many freshmen answered to the nickname "Baldy."

1951

The deans impose a rule against giving haircuts without consent.

1967

At the annual tug-of-war that determines whether freshmen can remove their beanies, the sophomores tie their end of the rope to a tree. Freshmen burn their beanies and smash plates and windows in Thayer.

1989

Freshmen rank first on two lists compiled by Yankee Homes magazine: of "Ten Reasons to Live in Hanover," and "Ten Reasons Not to Live in Hanover."

1991

Students in the Outing Club drop the name "Freshman Trips" because of the title's sexual exclusivity. A replacement name isn't found.

From beatings to beanies, the lot of theDartmouth freshman has not alwaysbeen a happy one.