Tug of War across Mirror Lake, 1910s
(Today we begin a summer blog series titled “Long Gone Campus Traditions”. In these posts we’ll explore some of the more unusual, sensational and even violent student traditions that have been obsolete from OSU’s campus for quite some time.)
Perhaps one of the best discontinued traditions is the class Tug-of-War which was held annually between the freshman and sophomore classes, mostly from around 1909 until the late 1920s. In the beginning, the spectacle was usually held on “Tradition Day”, which marked the end of the school year. A bonfire was held, when the freshman burned their beanies, and class honoraries held their initiations. A field day and review of cadets also took place, all leading up to Commencement.
The Tug-of-War portion of the festivities was held across Mirror Lake. Freshmen would reportedly stand on one side of the lake and the Sophomores stood on the opposite bank. The University’s President kept time, and eventually one side would end up getting dragged through the water.
The event became sporadic starting in the mid-1930, but was still held as part of what had become Traditions Week after World War II. In one event in 1949, for instance, the lake was tinted with a bright green dye, so that whichever team was dragged through the water, members would “literally turn green with envy,” according to that year’s May Week chairman, Stanley Zucker.
It is unclear why the tradition eventually ended. There are no Lantern stories about it after 1949, and as early as the 1920s, University officials were not exactly pleased with the spectacle. Then-President Rightmire came down very hard in 1926 on all aspects of hazing, both between classes and within the Greek organizations, after multiple incidents ended with police intervention.
1916
Filed by C.N.
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