By Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
At an institution like Springfield College, with such a rich and populated history, there are bound to be some quirky ways of doing things that have stood the test of time.
Springfield College is no exception to that general rule, as people on campus have been abiding by a select few expected behaviors for as long as anyone can remember.
One of these understood traditions is that members of the campus community do not walk on the grass, a practice that has had more than enough time to become commonly accepted.
In fact, one of the initial instructions first-year students receive on move-in day every year is to make sure they avoid the grass when walking around campus. The emphasis older members of the campus community place on this tradition is reflective of its enduring importance.
“From very early on, this [not walking on the grass] has been something that has been done,” Springfield College Archivist Jeff Monseau said.
As a matter of fact, a document in Monseau’s archives titled “Freshman Commandments”, one he estimates dates back to around 1930, has a section called “You Shall Not:” and the first item listed is “Walk upon the grass.”
That’s right – the Springfield College community has been avoiding the grass for nearly 100 years.
As for why we avoid the grass, while there isn’t one commonly accepted answer, several viable possibilities have been bandied about.
“I’ve seen various reasons for it,” Monseau said. “To keep the campus beautiful. [So] the students learn order, restraint and learn to follow rules.”
Interestingly enough, Monseau would go on to mention how former Springfield College President Dr. Richard B. Flynn was strict about enforcing the tradition of not walking on the grass. Judging from how students responded, they didn’t want to take any chances.
“I used to take people to Cheney [Dining Hall] who would come and visit, and we’d sit near the window and watch the students, and not one of them would cross over onto the grass,” Monseau said.
Monseau noticed how the policy of avoiding the grass became slightly less strict when the current President, Mary Beth Cooper, arrived. He said how she’s more cognizant of fun things students may want to do that happen to take place on the grass.
“I think for activities and everything, it’s usually okay now to go on the grass,” Monseau said.
Still, it’s probably best to avoid walking on the grass whenever possible. That way, the traditions of this school continue to be followed, and there’s no risk of verbal reprimand.
Another well-established habit at Springfield College is for people to hold doors open for each other, a dynamic that Monseau says began when Springfield College was just an all-boys school.
“This goes all the way back to the beginning [of this school’s existence in 1885], when the purpose of this school was to train young men to go out into the world and help other people,” Monseau said.
Furthermore, according to Monseau, the long-standing practice of holding doors open on this campus was born from people wanting to be kind to others.
Springfield College is not the only school that emphasizes this, though; this act of generosity is more widespread than people may think.
“One of the things that all schools try to do is [get students used to holding doors open], so it becomes ingrained in you to always do that,” Monseau said.
Presumably, there are many firm believers in the benefits of consistently holding doors open for other people, and Monseau is most certainly among them.
“I hope that’s a tradition that will never stop at Springfield College, because I think it’s important for everybody to learn and get practice on it,” Monseau said.
It is also worth noting that holding doors open doesn’t go unnoticed. Monseau indicated how alumni mention acts of kindness, such as holding doors open, as reasons for why they chose to come to Springfield College.
“[Today], as you go into the Student Union, you’ll still have people always holding the door for somebody, so it is a tradition that continues,” Monseau said.
Speaking of alumni, they will most certainly recall partaking in Springfield College’s third main tradition: wearing beanies during New Student Orientation (NSO).
According to Monseau, first-years at this school have been wearing beanies since 1926, when the beanies were green instead of their current mix of maroon and gray. The logic for the initial color does make sense, however.
“As a first year, you were ‘green,’” Monseau said. “You didn’t have a lot of knowledge.”
For those who didn’t enjoy the experience of wearing the beanies, it could have always been (much) worse. Monseau said that previously, Springfield College first-years had to wear the beanies for the entire school year, not just during NSO weekend.
If someone did not like donning the beanies, they were far from alone. Monseau feels that, for the most part, first-year students were not overly enthused about the tradition, but took part nonetheless.
“That’s usually the impression that I get, that it’s tolerated. Most people don’t enjoy wearing the beanies,” Monseau said. “But when I ask students whether or not they wore theirs, most say they wore theirs.”
“I think most feel like it’s nice to be a part of something, that it’s nice to be a part of tradition,” Monseau added. “So, in my eyes, that seems to be the main thing.”
While the majority of students simply wear the beanies because they want to, or because they don’t have any valid reason not to, one would think that at one point or another, there has been a strong reason to not put on the beanie. As it would be, this did happen, back around the time of World War II.
Monseau shared the story of how a good number of students who came to Springfield College after the second World War were on the G.I. Bill, a piece of legislation that gave help to veterans returning from war. It should be noted that some of these soldiers weren’t too happy with having to wear beanies.
Notably, one person put up a particularly strong fight against the notion of having to wear a beanie. Eventually, this person went before a board to get permission to not wear it.
While some places may not value their traditions enough to go to such great lengths to maintain them, Springfield College definitely does. While they may seem trivial to some, these time-honored traditions make up part of the fabric of day-to-day life on Alden Street.
Photos courtesy of Springfield College