Penn traditions persist from generations past

As the nation's first university, Penn is rich in both history and tradition. Today, some of that history manifests itself in events that range from toast-throwing to eating hats. However, these traditions have roots in a variety of century-old celebrations.

Penn's oldest tradition, which dates back to 1916, is Hey Day, an event that is dedicated to members of the junior class as they are about to become seniors.

The origins of the name are somewhat hazy. One theory holds that "it came from one of the popular professor's lectures, in which he used to refer to a person or an activity as being in its hey day, meaning that it was at the height of its popularity," according to Mark Lloyd, director of the University Archives and Records Center.

The contemporary version of the celebration features juniors eating each other's styrofoam hats and parading across campus bearing canes. As they walk, spectators often graduating seniors throw food objects at them.

"The hats are actually taken from another tradition called Skimmer Day, in which the hats would be worn in celebration of a crew team's victory. It was abolished in the mid-1950s when it became a little carried away and they started doing things like pushing people's automobiles into the Schuylkill River and other things that only too much beer can induce," Lloyd said.

The problem of escalating violence and vandalism has resulted from many traditions over the years. However, it has also resulted in the establishment of a number of alcohol-free events to replace those that were labeled as dangerous throwing toast at football games is an example.

"It is derived from a football fight song in which one line says 'Here's a toast to dear old Penn,'" Lloyd said. Whenever a player scored a touchdown, the students would sing this song and drink an alcoholic beverage at its finale.

However, officials put an end to this debauchery in the 1980s and 1990s. According to Lloyd, "The University become increasingly concerned about undergraduates bringing beer and other alcoholic beverages to football games and then consuming too much and getting in trouble. So, officials decided that it would be better if they could come up with some alternate entertainment."

Less than 30 years ago, Penn was faced with students rioting and practically tipping over cars to celebrate the end of the school year, according to Lloyd. In order to diminish the violence, Spring Fling was established.

For Spring Fling every year, Penn students pack the Quadrangle, which is filled with food, games and bands jamming on stages. Also, the Social Planning and Events Committee features a major concert. Last year, they brought Reel Big Fish and Wyclef Jean.

Traditions are always being reinvented on Penn's campus and new events are constantly surfacing.

One new tradition is the Econ Scream. In order to diminish stress the night before their first microeconomics exam, freshmen gather in the Quad and let out a scream at midnight.

You might see freshmen dodging the crossing between Locust Walk and 37th Street. This is because of the circulating rumor that if a freshman steps on the compass, he will fail his first exam.

As Penn continues to grow in academic, physical and social ways, more traditions will be added to enrich the Penn experience.

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