On no other campus will one see as many students wearing school sweatshirts and hats as one does at Dartmouth. This may be a small affectation, but it is certainly telling of the deep pride Dartmouth students have for their college.
School spirit at Dartmouth means much more than simply supporting athletic teams. It manifests itself not only on Saturday afternoons at Memorial Field but also, and just as importantly, in the daily lives and actions of the College's students.
Dartmouth spirit is present in the activities planned by the Dartmouth Outing Club. It manifests itself every spring afternoon that students spend on the Green tossing Frisbees or lying in the sun. It exists in the inordinate amount of time freshmen spend their first year sharing meals and laughs at Full Fare. This spirit is present each Sophomore Summer and every Green Key, Winter Carnival and Homecoming weekend. Some of these things may at first appear routine and insignificant, yet each is vital in creating the unique and unparalleled Dartmouth spirit.
The intensity and importance of students' interactions in creating Dartmouth spirit is amplified by the relative isolation of the College. Here, unlike at Yale, Harvard, Penn or any of the other Ivies, the only people with whom we interact are, for the most part, fellow Dartmouth students. This above all else bonds students and crystallizes the unique flavor of spirit at Dartmouth.
So it seems appropriate, then, on this 100th anniversary of Homecoming to concentrate on what it is that unites Dartmouth and what it is that has made Homecoming such an enjoyable and heart-warming activity throughout the last century.
