| Traditions | |
- Baccalaureate Address: Baccalaureate is one of Princeton’s most time-honored traditions. Originally referred to as a sermon, the Baccalaureate Address marks the end of Reunions and the start of Commencement activities for graduating seniors. Held in the University Chapel, recent speakers have included retiring Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon and e-Bay CEO Meg Whitman ’77.
- Beer Jackets: Traditionally made of white denim, beer jackets are part of the Reunions uniform for each class. This tradition began with a few members of the Class of 1912, who noticed that that the foam from their beers would spot their clothing. To avoid pricey cleaning charges, they developed the idea of a beer jacket, a jacket that could be worn to protect clothing from stains while drinking. The following year, the Class of 1913 adopted this tradition and wore their signature beer jackets throughout the spring. In recent times, the graduating class will vote on a design for their jacket, which is distributed during reading period of their final exam period.
- Big Three Bonfire: The Bonfire is by no means a regular occurrence on Princeton’s campus. According to tradition, a bonfire is to be built after Princeton’s football team beats both Harvard and Yale, thus serving as a celebration of the much-coveted Big Three Title. Students construct the bonfire in the center of Cannon Green behind Nassau Hall.
- Cane Spree: Organized to foster class spirit, Cane Spree is a series of athletic competitions pitting the entering freshman class and the sophomore class against each other. Traditionally, the event occurs at the end of the second week of classes. A tradition dating back to the 1860s, Cane Spree’s competitions have changed, but the customary cane wrestling still remains. The victorious class gets the shirts from the other class.
- Colors: Even after the Civil War, Princeton did not have official school colors. A member of the Class of 1869 suggested orange as a school color in honor of the Prince of Orange, William III of the House of Nassau, as Nassau Hall had been named for him. Orange was not adopted until Princeton students found success in a baseball game against Yale students while wearing badges with orange ribbons.
- Commencement Season: Commencement season at Princeton takes almost a week, starting with the annual Reunions, which begin the Thursday before commencement. The alumni parade, the P-rade, takes place Saturday morning, and the alumni leave campus the following day in time for the Baccalaureate Address to the graduating seniors and their families. Monday is dedicated to Class Day exercises, departmental receptions, and senior prom. Recent Class Day speakers include such Bill Cosby and Jerry Seinfeld. On Tuesday, commencement exercises include an invocation, the Latin salutatory, the conferring of degrees, the valedictory, a speech from the University’s president, and the singing of “Old Nassau” before graduates pass through FitzRandolph Gate.
- FitzRandolph Gate: Across Nassau Green is the all-important Nassau Street, the so-called “main drag” through town. In order to get into town from Nassau Hall, students must pass through the infamous FitzRandolph Gate. Legend has it that any student who passes out of the Gate before graduation will not graduate with his class or at all. Students take this very seriously, and it has become a rite of passage for graduating seniors to walk out the gates at the end of their graduation ceremony, which is held every year on Nassau Green.
- Honor Code: Princeton’s Honor System was adopted in 1893 at the demand of students. Some technical changes have been made to the system over the years, but the essential principles still remain. Students take responsibility for their academic integrity and sign a pledge at the end of every paper and exam stating that they have neither given nor received assistance.
- Locomotive: Princeton’s oldest cheer, dating by some accounts from the 1890s, has the sound of a locomotive. It starts slowly and picks up speed and volume. This is a popular cheer during the annual P-rade.
- Nude Olympics: Shortly after women began to enroll as Princeton undergraduates in the fall of 1969, the tradition of the Nude Olympics was born. During their sophomore year, the first completely coed class, the Class of 1973, participated in naked revelry in Holder Courtyard. Over the years, some aspects of the Nude Olympics have changed except for the central rules: the Nude Olympics would occur at midnight in Holder Courtyard during the first major snowfall of the year, and sophomores would participate. After much debate, the Nude Olympics was banned several years ago, and incoming students must sign a pledge agreeing not to participate.
- Old Nassau: Princeton’s alma mater is sung at the end of most campus events, including athletic events and Triangle shows. The song was composed by Harlan Page Peck, Class of 1862.
- P-rade: Formally, the Alumni Parade—the P-rade—occurs the Saturday of class reunions. The 25th reunion class heads the parade, followed by each of alumni classes wearing their signature beer jackets. At the end of the P-rade, the graduating class runs onto Elm Drive to join the procession.
- Reunions: Today, alumni Reunions are the biggest alumni event of the year. As a time for lecture series, class gifts, and fanfare, campus becomes a sea of orange and black. Classes identify themselves by way of banners, blazers, and beer jackets. With thousands of alumni returning each year, Reunions have become one of Budweiser’s biggest events of the year, with sleeping quarters for alumni all over campus.
- Theft of the Nassau Hall Clapper: The bell in the tower of Nassau Hall used to ring at 9 p.m. to signal the freshman curfew. On the nights that the bell did not sound, freshmen would be allowed to stay out later. As early as the 1860s, freshmen would steal the clapper, and the bell would have to rung with a hammer. Throughout the years, it became almost an expectation for the freshman class to steal the bell’s clapper, but the reward changed. Eventually, a victorious theft of the clapper would lead to the cancellation of early classes. The tradition ended when a member of the Class of 1995 fell from the bell tower while trying to steal the clapper his freshman year.
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