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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 10, 1952)
A History of Junior Weekend The Past Was Much Wilder than the Present By Angela Zach Sixty t wo year s ago this spriiii*', Oregon’s junior class became it tic , , and generally | feel tt|» with day after day and week after week of class. J’roh al-ly the entire student body w as re ties l»ut it took the jun • or-I to kick the props out from tinder convention and start the hall rolling. I hey flatly ignored the call of class bell and ex erted what influence they had to make the rest of the student body tardy or absent. Actually, the tradition start ed with Dr. Luella Clay Car son's program called Junior Ex hibition. She thought it a good plan to give each junior a fore taste of commencement, then an ordeal in which each gradu ating senior delivered an ora tion. Music and oratory of top junior quality constituted the entire program. Junior Flag Hush A rowdy demonstration, the jinuor flag rush, accompanied the sedate Junior Exhibition. During the year, junior girls sewed a flag of class colors with cla-s numerals on it. Junior men defended their flag and i la honor on a flay se. rctlv agreed upon by junior- in which they displayed their flag from the northwest tower of \ illard. At first seniors and later sopho mores took it upon thcmselve to defend the dignity of the school against the juniors and the sight of the junior flag un furled from a majestic univer sity building. Blows were exchanged and blood shed. Sophomores some times bound juniors and kept them captive by the flag pole in front of Villard until they were overpowered and like treatment meted out to them. * The flag was frequently stol en. On one occasion, it was given to a faculty member for safekeeping until the appointed day. Another year, a junior • wore it to school under his vest until he could run it up the flag pole in front of Villard. Full of Fun One year, juniors ingenious ly hoisted a class member sup plied with a water hose to de fend himself, food and the flag in a wooden box half way up ’ the flag pole. Scheming sopho mores captured the water sup ply, doused the pole-sitting jun ' ior and forced him to relinquish ► his position on the pole. After . one such uproarous day, Presi t dent Frank Strong remarked. “W ell, another day is over. It's - a relief to see the buildings still standing.” President Prince Campbell in 1903 declared a junior holiday ^ and diverted hoodlum spirits • into constructive channels. An old fence enclosing the entire • campus was torn down and carted off the first year. Bleach ers were built on the athletic field and cement walks built about campus on successive; years. Junior Day became Uni versity Day and tbc entire stu dent body participated in a j campus work party. Girls! served a luncheon to the labor ers on the lawn between Mc Clure and Friendly, and out of this 'grew the annual all-cam pus picnic. Named in 1008 The affair was first called Junior Weekend in 1908, the line year junior- construc ted a huge “()" on Skinner's butte. Ravages suffered at the hands of visiting vandals are repaired annually bv a coat of paint ap plied to the “() by freshmen under junior supervision. From the first water carnival in 1911 evolved the colorful canoe fete, which by 1915 had become a traditional part of the weekend. Elaborately decorat ed barges evolved through the years from simply decorated canoes. The fete attracted na tional attention (recorded in newsreels) until 1944 when the mill race no longer served to display the annual pageant. The all-campus sing and a float pa rade were substituted. Other Events Added All work and no play pro duced fatigue and no entertain ment so that in 1909, athletic events were added to enliven the program. Other features] were added to the festivities: along the way. Plays and proms j were included, a sunlight sere- j Hade became traditional and j mother s weekend was incor porated into the activities. A freshmen - sophomore tug-‘o war began in 1915, with the freshmen defeating the sopho mores annually until 1949, when sophomores dunked the traditional winners in the mill stream. A queen was added in 1916,: and a theme around which to center activities shortly after.; VILLARD HALL: Campus Landmark The Cover Queen Jo Martin, ruler of this year's Junior Weekend festivities, is a member of Delta Gamma so rority and a sophomore in liberaf arts. The Place to EAT in • Friendly Atmosphere • Excellent Food and Service • Private Dining Rooms for Special Dinners Under New Management Cafe Del Rey 845 Willamette Phone MOTHERS are invited THE WESTGATE SHOPPE OPEN SEASON $6.95 In Red. White, Tan Open-faced sandal that's free to the breeze, soft as its glove supple leather and fluff-felt platform, hits your plavclothes wardrobe as well as it does your faot with its adjustable, custom-fit toe-strap, hits your pocket, too. AflJtMakl&i