The Springfield Student Est. 1910
September 12, 2019
Volume 134 No. 1
[scstudentmedia.com]
Contact us: springfieldstudent@springfield.edu
Welcome back The Student’s first edition of the new year
New Dining on Campus - See Page 4 Q&A with President Cooper - See Page 7 Photo Courtesy of Springfield College Flickr
The legacy of the beanies One of Springfield College’s longest standing traditions holds a rich and meaningful history
By Danny Priest @dpriest3
Springfield College is full of tradition. There are traditions that range from recent ones such as midnight bingo to more classic practices such as new student orientation. For all of the rituals out there on campus, there may not be one more well known or longer practiced than that of freshmen wearing beanies. On campus the term “beanie” has been and always will be synonymous with freshmen. Yet what many people may not be aware of is exactly how long the custom has been around
or how it’s changed over the years. According to Springfield College’s official website, the tradition of wearing beanies has been around since the early 1920s. Now in 2019, some freshmen despise the beanie and refuse to wear it, which is completely acceptable, but that was not always the case. Back in the early days of beanies, freshmen had to wear the caps all year long until Stepping Up or “Decapitation Day” in the Spring. The only way for the freshmen to be able to take off the beanies any sooner was to win a game of foot-
ball against the sophomore class. On top of those stipulations, the beanies worn by freshmen were green in color. The reasoning behind that was because new students were “green” and inexperienced, and the beanie was a way to put that on display. As all long-standing traditions are forced to do, the beanie evolved and changed. By the 1930s they were maroon and white to match the school colors. By the 1970’s the freshmen could take off their beanies if they won a See Beanies on Page 6