Freshmen Hazing of the 1940s-1960s

What ARE these five students from the class of 1946 doing on the ground, exactly? Praying? Kissing the earth? Awkwardly hiding from the camera? Actually, they are taking part in the Freshmen Hazing experience! The hazing of freshmen by the sophomore class was a time-honored tradition on the Ripon College campus from the 1940s until the late 1960s. Freshmen had to adhere to a variety of rules, which included a 10:30 p.m. curfew, being present at all football games and pre-game pep rallies, wearing “regulation beanies” at all times outside of their dormitories, and, most importantly, “buttoning” to upperclassmen, as seen in this photo. This hazing lasted until students went home for Thanksgiving break; that is, unless the freshmen class won the coveted grease-pole fight during homecoming (though, unfortunately, this rarely happened).

--Jacqie Fingerson

First African American Students at Ripon College

[Picture from Ripon Magazine, Issue 33, Year 2000]

This picture is of the first known African American students to attend ripon. From left: Bill Stewart, Robert Walker, and Del Cornick. They graduated in 1952 and started what would become Ripon's journey through the struggle for diversity and understanding on a predominantly white campus. Each student had their own experience in a time that was much different from our own, where laws were not stringent enough to prevent overt racism. These days, the "Political Correction" movement and education have paved the way for tolerence, but how do the experiences of the past compare to recent Ripon graduate experiences with racism and prejudice?

--Morgan Douvris

Summer Archives Students Projects

This summer, Jacqie Fingerson and Morgan Douvris have been working on research projects in the archives. Morgan has been investigating the history of African Americans at Ripon and the experiences they had here; Jacqie has been looking at the history of Greek life. The next few blog entries are from Jacqie and Morgan on their projects.

-AP