Burning of the Green, circa 1960

“The Rook Green”

Beginning in the early 1900s, all freshman used to be required to wear the “rook green.” Men had rook “lids” (small green caps) while women wore green ribbons in their hair. Until the early 1930s, cadets also wore a green armband while in uniform. The green was worn during the weekdays and was useful for upperclassmen to identify any rooks in the area—rooks had several rules which, when violated, earned discipline carried out by the sophomore class. In the 1940s, the “rookess” ribbons were worn only on Wednesdays, and in 1960, the rook lids also switched to only Wednesdays. In a rite of passage, the freshmen would burn their green—hence the name “Burning of the Green”—at the annual Junior Weekend held at the end of may, signifying their advancement into the sophomore class. By the 1960s, the Burning of the Green had moved to Homecoming in the fall.

During the 20^th century, spirit at Oregon State went through a lot of change as many traditions have come and gone. Some of the traditions have involved athletics, while others have simply embraced our alma mater. Enjoy your daily sampling of some of guest blogger Ben Forgard’s favorites!

Grooves: carving up a tabletop

Have you ever heard the story of the “Senior Tabletops”?

Starting in 1915, the seniors carved their names and other designs on the top of the “senior table” at a popular restaurant in town. Each year the restaurant furnished a new tabletop, while the old ones were stored at “the co-op building,” and later, the MU basement. The tabletops were put on display in the MU in 1932 as a way to revive interest in the waning tradition, but apart from brief revivals in the 1950s and 1960s, the movement was unsuccessful. The tabletops were displayed in Gill Coliseum in the 1950s before moving to the newly remodeled McAlexander Fieldhouse in 1984.

During the 20^th century, spirit at Oregon State went through a lot of change as many traditions have come and gone. Some of the traditions have involved athletics, while others have simply embraced our alma mater. Enjoy your daily sampling of some of guest blogger Ben Forgard’s favorites!

Fire in downtown corvallis, 1930

No Smoking!

In 1890, faculty at the State Agricultural College (now OSU) worried about an alarming habit gaining in popularity relating to dried leaves of “Nicotiana Tabacuni,” formally banned smoking from campus. Although technically more of a rule than a tradition, it was often fondly recalled as a valuable tradition. As class structure (graduation class, not social class) altered during and after World War II (some “Rooks” were not 18 and fresh out of highschool, but in many cases were older than upperclassmen, and had war-time experience), the rule relaxed, first with designated smoking areas in 1944, and then further in 1947 when the ban was lifted after a student vote. By the mid-1960s, there were even ashtrays located throughout the MU. Despite the changes, smoking has never been allowed in the classroom.

During the 20^th century, spirit at Oregon State went through a lot of change as many traditions have come and gone. Some of the traditions have involved athletics, while others have simply embraced our alma mater. Enjoy your daily sampling of some of guest blogger Ben Forgard’s favorites!