Within the next week, the Class of 1993 Senior Executive Committee must create a ceremony to replace the now defunct clay pipes tradition. While it is impossible for anybody to know if this new tradition will be as successful as the old, there are certain ceremonial characteristics the committee should consider which can help develop and maintain long term stability of the tradition.
Here at Dartmouth, it seems that all traditions fall into four general categories -- breaking, burning, drinking and complementing. What follows is my suggestion for a new ceremony which embodies three of the four major categories while continuing the symbolic meaning of the old clay pipe tradition.
On Class Day, each student will receive a small clay cup or mug -- they should all be similar.
Then at the appropriate time during Class Day, a large vessel containing a drink of some sort will be placed in the Bema. Each student will fill their cup with this drink -- probably by dipping it into the vessel. If the large vessel idea is not kosher with sanitary regulations, then perhaps special Class Day pitchers could be used which would then become part of the tradition as well.
At the end of Class Day ceremonies, someone -- perhaps one of the class historians/orator, or a new position to be filled -- will give a toast to the prosperity of the class. All the students will raise their cups together, toast their allegiance to each other, their friends, their school and themselves -- as you can see, a lot of cool stuff could be added on to this tradition; it is malleable -- and then everybody will drink the drink.
This is nice because it not only unifies the whole class by everyone lifting their mugs in a common toast, but the students symbolically -- and literally -- internalize the ideals of the toast by consuming the drink.
Also, the drink itself should also be an important part of this tradition. It should definitely not be alcoholic, but I don't think it should be something simple like water or lemonade. It should be something unusual that one might only come across on Class Day.
Then, as people leave the Bema, they all go to the Lone Stump and break the very cups they have just used to pledge their allegiance and love to their classmates. This break not only symbolizes one's love and commitment to Dartmouth, but also a promise to return in 50 years. As you can see, this new tradition, like all good traditions, has a very high sap factor.
So, we have both a unifying activity by a common toast and a drinking of the liquid, and we have a symbolic breaking with the College activity by breaking the cups on the stump.
Well, that's it. If you like this idea, and I hope you do, then blitz "Class Day" and tell them you like Goldman's idea.
If you don't like, or if you like some parts of it, but not all of it, please tell them that as well. Operators are standing by.
