Traditions of Mount Holyoke College
“Since its formative years as a
seminary straight through to the present, the traditions of
Mount Holyoke College have made it unique among its peers
and cherished by its students. These traditions celebrate
nature, learning and the strong bonds that tie Mount Holyoke
students to their alma mater. Due to the evolving nature of
Mount Holyoke, some original traditions have been lost, some
changed, some reborn, and some still persist. New traditions
are created and alter throughout time as well. These
traditions shape the feel of the college, as well as helping
to define the ways students interact with their fellow
classmates, the landscape, the faculty and staff, and with
the world.
Traditions help to define a school,
even as the school defines its traditions. However,
traditions can be so much more than just good times with
friends and classmates. Because it is understood just how
important traditions are, they become valid tools. Mount
Holyoke students have, upon occasion, chosen to protest a
tradition or alter it in such a way that this act magnifies
their voices. Protesting over-regulation of
DisOrientation
led multiple halls to refuse to participate in order to send
a clear message to the administration. Sometimes the protest
is broader than just the school's boundaries-- as part of
war protests, in 1970, the senior class eschewed the
traditional
laurel chain in favor of black armbands and
peace posters, walking in a silence that, thanks to the
altering of this hallowed tradition, said much more than
otherwise could be.
Traditions mark the comings and
goings or eras. Shifts in the governing of the college
trigger the lives and deaths of current tradition.
DisOrientation became what it is today because of President
Woolley's retirement.
Pangynaskeia grew out of President
Kennan's induction into office. Watching the traditions we
have now being born and old traditions dying, we can better
see where we stand now.
Traditions mark the values held in these eras, mark the
times in the world around them, help us truly feel this
college's varied history. Traditions bring students together
and connect all those invested in the college, alumnae,
faculty, and students alike, in a bond of an academic
family. Mount Holyoke is not just an empty shell; students
bring it to life, while traditions give it soul. Traditions
connect us with the past and the future, and let us live
fully in the present.”
The Mt Holyoke Historical Atlas