Student Life and Culture Archives > Blog > Archive
Return to top

Tag: Campus traditions

Campus Traditions: Class Colors and the Color Rush

Posted on by
Color Rush, 1903
Color Rush, 1903

Written by Anna Trammell

We all know that the representative colors of the University of Illinois are orange and blue. For many years, however, students showed loyalty to their individual class by displaying a different set of colors. The tradition of class colors began early in the University’s history. In 1891, the first Color Rush was held. A 1921 Daily Illini article describes the event by saying: “Two poles greased and bearing the class colors at the top were planted about 60 feet apart. Equal numbers of freshmen and sophomores guarded the poles which bore their colors while two other groups, equally divided, sought to tear down the colors.”[1] This battle between freshmen and sophomores, which often ended with injuries and suspensions, was eventually retired. But the tradition of class colors remained. Continue reading “Campus Traditions: Class Colors and the Color Rush” →

Campus Traditions: the Failure of the Practical

Posted on by
The Senior Bench (1910)
Senior Bench, 1910

Written by Thomas Hendrickson

Years ago, nearly a century now, the University of Illinois campus was rife with traditions that undergraduate classes were supposed to observe. Many of these traditions were written down for incoming freshmen in student handbooks published by the YMCA. These were traditions that involved the Senior Bench, the Gettysburg Tablet, a no-smoking custom, and many more sensible observances. Yet these traditions fell by the wayside due to their inherent practicality.

The Senior Bench tradition dictated that the Senior Bench donated by the Class of 1900 could only be used by the senior class, and this was written in the student handbooks until the late 1920s. However, the tradition did not last long because students began to simply ignore the rule. Freshmen even got into the habit of decorating the bench with their class numerals as soon as the year started.[1] Continue reading “Campus Traditions: the Failure of the Practical” →