| Traditions | |
- Christmas Concerts in Lee Chapel : A better use of W&L’s historic landmarks. The concert brings the Lexington community and W&L’s singers together for a night of peace, beautiful music, and Christmas good cheer.
- Dinner with the President : Every graduating senior joins a small group of his or her classmates for dinner in the Lee House with the University President and his wife. Stimulating conversation and excellent food are the order of the day. Make sure the hosts tell you about Robert E. Lee’s stay in the house. Note: check out the ivory carvings and various treasures, but do not drop anything. Major faux pas.
- Fancy Dress: The annual bash that defines “party” at W&L. The Warner Center basketball courts and the Doremus Gym are transformed into huge themed dance halls for the $80,000 event. Recent themes include Bond, James Bond—“Dressed to Kill: Always Shakin’ Never Stirred” — for the 96th annual FD, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for the 97th.
- Hiking House Mountain: Everybody here feels guilty if they don’t climb Lexington’s most prominent mountain at least once before graduation. The views of the countryside are amazing (or so they say—a certain writer still needs to get off the couch and try it).
- Mock Convention : Or, if peace isn’t really your thing, try some rip-roarin’ politics on for size. “Mock Con” is the biggest thing to hit Lexington every four years—a student-run convention organized just like a real presidential convention. Running since 1908, Mock Con has a near-perfect record since 1948 (it’s been wrong once) at correctly predicting the presidential candidate for the challenging party. Take that, exit polls! Over 90 percent of students participate in the event, which has drawn speakers including, James Carville, Al Sharpton, Bob Dole, Jimmy Carter, and Harry Truman.
- Speaking Tradition : The long-standing rule at W&L was that you would exchange a hearty greeting with anyone who crossed your path—professor, student, or townie. (Some freshman hell-raisers were allegedly whacked with canes in the early 20th century when upperclassmen caught them neglecting the tradition.) This tradition still persists (the speaking, not the beating), but it seems to be hanging by a thread. Upperclassmen blame freshmen for ignoring the traditions of courtesy, but everybody needs to do their part.
- Spring Term: Students revere the six-week term for the glorious weather, slightly more relaxed classes, and the opportunities it creates for international travel and study. Frisbee, tubing, and sunbathing—much of it away from campus, at Goshen—abound. The unusual schedule gives professors a short period in which they can teach hybrid courses (see the Washington Term Program) or study a focused topic in-depth (“Violence in the South” in the English Department, “Enron and Martha Stewart” in the Journalism Department, and so on). However, not all is rosy. Strains on professors, the need to cut costs, and the perception that students take it too easy during the term led the Board of Trustees to cut back Spring Term in February 2004—students will only be able to participate for three of their four years here, starting in 2007.
- Streaking on the Colonnade: And you thought only British soccer fans ran naked. Streaking down the walkway of the historic academic buildings on the front campus is a W&L tradition as old as, well, we don’t really know, but it shows no signs of stopping. The purpose: unclear. The subjects: typically frat pledges, but may include groups of inebriated coeds.
- Vanished Traditions : Unfortunately, some traditions are unmistakably vanishing at W&L. Students used to scurry, Catacombs-style, through underground pipes that run beneath the campus, but no longer—the gates are locked shut. We used to carve initials into the tables at the Spanky’s sandwich joint, but no longer—the old place is closed. What’s next, I ask you?
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| Urban Legends | |
Traveler, Robert E. Lee’s prized thoroughbred, haunts the streets of Lexington. The President of W&L has to leave his garage door open so that the horse can go in and out of what was once his stable. Sometime in the 1930s, W&L frat boys—Sigma Nu gentlemen, it is said—strapped on Tommie guns, Al Capone-style, and commandeered a train to bring their dates from Hollins University back to campus. If it rains on freshman move-in day, it will be sunny and beautiful on graduation day. The student lucky enough to catch, unmask, and identify a member of the elusive Cadaver Society will be set up with full payment of medical school bills. Good luck.
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