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FAQs about Vassar Traditions
- What is a Vassar Devil?
- What is the Daisy Chain, and how did it get started?
- What is the story behind Serenading?
- Why is there a bell atop Main Building?
- Does Vassar have a school song?
- What are Vassar's colors?
- Why do I keep seeing red, blue, green, and yellow all over campus during reunion weekend?
- What is Founder's Day?
- What is Primal Scream?
- Why do some trees on campus have plaques on or near them?
- 1. What is a Vassar Devil?
- A Vassar Devil is a square of devil’s food cake topped with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and marshmallow sauce. (Accept no imitation!) Its exact origin remains a mystery. Before becoming an Alumnae House specialty, it was served at an off-campus inn.
< back to top | close window > - 2. What is the Daisy Chain, and how did it get started?
- The Daisy Chain is actually two, 75-foot-long chains of daisies and laurel, plus the sophomore women who carry it (they dress in white) at Commencement and the sophomore men (they dress in white pants and navy blazers with daisy boutonnieres) who serve as ushers at Commencement. Members of the Daisy Chain are chosen by the seniors.
< back to top | close window > - 3. What is the story behind Serenading?
- Like many traditions, Serenading aims to help build a spirit of camaraderie among classmates and dormmates. As currently practiced, the senior class walks from dorm to dorm, sings its own song to the assembled freshmen, then listens to “original” songs composed by freshmen in that dorm. Everyone then assembles at the Outdoor Amphitheater, where the best of the freshmen songs is chosen.
< back to top | close window > - 4. Why is there a bell atop Main Building?
- Actually, we don’t know. Today it is off limits to visitors, except for after Spring Convocation, when juniors are invited to climb the stairs and ladder and ring the bell. This signals their transition to the status of senior.
The original bell was replaced in October 2005, thanks to the first-ever sophomore class gift from the class of 2007, which was created through a generous challenge gift from a Vassar alumnae/i couple. The old bell, which had sustained significant damage during its time atop Main Building, is currently being refurbished in order to permanently mount it outside Main Building.
One hope of the refurbishment will be to determine the date the original bell was cast and/or mounted on Main, as extensive research in the college's archives and discussions with Vassar's historian, Betty Daniels '41, have been fruitless in dating the original bell.
Photo at right: A member of the class of 2007 rings the new bell after Spring Convocation 2006.
< back to top | close window > - 5. Does Vassar have a school song?
- Vassar school song also the name of a song traditionally sung by the senior class at Serenading and by the 50th class at reunion. The words of the song are altered slightly to accommodate rhymes to class years. (Remember, this dates from the early part of this century and is sung vigorously with a sense of fun.) Thus, for example:
Salve 2-0-0-5
Come, Seniors, hail, all hail our class.
We’re out for play today;
Sweeping onward in a mass,
Oh, we will shout:
Ve vo vi vo vim
Keep our rocket’s flame alive.
When the Seniors are out
It is time then to shout:
Salve 2-0-0-5
< back to top | close window > - 6. What are Vassar's colors?
- Rose and gray. The colors symbolize the college’s unique founding mission: “The rose of sunlight breaking through the gray of women’s intellectual life,” as one student wrote home in 1870. In the college’s early years, students were required to wear the colors on public occasions. Today, a variety of rose and gray hues represent the college colors.
< back to top | close window > - 7. Why do I keep seeing red, blue, green, and yellow all over campus during reunion weekend?
- Every class has a color, and the colors repeat every four years: ’01 green, ’02 yellow, ’03 blue, and ’04 red. At Spring Convocation AAVC presents the senior president with a class banner in the appropriate color, to be used at class events once the class has graduated.
< back to top | close window > - 8. What is Founder's Day?
- That’s the day each spring when the college celebrates Matthew Vassar’s birthday with a Saturday of carnival rides, live music, and fireworks. It is the oldest tradition at Vassar and started with a surprise birthday party for Matthew Vassar on April 29, 1866. Many young graduates come back to campus for Founder's Day, and all alumnae/i are welcome to attend.
Photo at right: Students listen to a band at Founder's Day 2006.
< back to top | close window > - 9. What is Primal Scream?
- Primal Scream is the terrifying sound of hundreds of voices screaming in the Quad at midnight on the eve of final exams. According to one alumna, the scream began in 1982 during her junior year when the campus community was upset by the death of a senior. Signs saying “12/12/12” began appearing around campus and instructed people to scream wherever they were at midnight on December 12. The scream now unofficially marks the beginning of exam week.
< back to top | close window > - 10. Why do some trees on campus have plaques on or near them?
- Since about 1868 classes have sponsored the planting of trees on campus. Plaques mark these special class trees. Often the class tree is a focal point for class gatherings and memorial services at reunions. Arboretum maps available at the Message Center mark the locations of class trees.
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