Originating in September 1895, Dartmouth Night and its iconic bonfire have remained a mainstay of campus culture, despite some changes from celebrations of the past.
Described as an event that "disturbed the slumber of a peaceful town" and "illustrated the success and ability of Dartmouth graduates," Homecoming has always as its namesake implies welcomed the success and presence of alumni.
"I would say a clear parallel is that Dartmouth Night and Homecoming were just as big a deal then as they are now," Dartmouth for Life director Daniel Parish '89 said. "I can remember standing in the middle of the Green and looking around, the same way [students will] this fall, looking around seeing thousands of people light up by light from the bonfire."
Although the College has let some of the "old traditions fail", Dartmouth Night still exists to preserve its original intention of strengthening what former College President William Jewett Tucker referred to as the "Dartmouth Spirit." In the past, members of the first year class would stay out and guard the bonfire at night to protect it from roving groups of upperclassmen that would try to come and knock parts of it over, Parish said.
The culture on campus is healthier and more inclusive than when he was a student in the late 1980s, though there are still students who do not feel as integrated into the College community, Parish said.
"I loved my time as a Dartmouth student, but having been here off and on for more than two decades, I look at the range of opportunities and the range of ways students can engage with one another now," he said. "I think it's a stronger sense of connection and community than when I was a student."
Former history professor Jere Daniell '55 said the campus culture has reamined largely the same. While he drew several parallels between the College's past and present, he said there was less of an emphasis on binge drinking 60 years ago.
Dartmouth's academic culture has also changed dramatically over the past 60 years, becoming "more ambitious in terms of scholarship," he said.
Since Daniell's time as a freshman, in the College's efforts to compete, Dartmouth has launched a rigorous revision over the admission of students, as well as hiring and retention of professors, he said.
Furthermore, demographic changes including the integration of women in 1972 have added new diversity to a previously "homogenous" student body. In the past the all-male College students brought dates from out of town for the weekend.
"That sea of humanity on the Green with people watching the bonfire; I remember being blown away by that each fall," Parish said. "Part of [the change in campus culture] reflects very purposeful steps Dartmouth has taken over the last 25 years or so to create a more positive community dynamic."
David Sloper'60 said that he remembers that school spirit was at a all-time high during his own homecomings.
"It was very contagious," Sloper said. "We felt very good about Dartmouth. We were better than everyone else. We felt like it was one of the best places to go."
