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This Week in Grinnell History

September 28, 1962

Grinnell's animal houses

"Freshmen who live in the hall were stripped and put in a telephone booth where soda pop and other liquids were poured on them."

Although we all know and love Grinnell's Greek-free campus, it hasn't always been absent of fraternity rituals like hazing.

44 years ago, editor Jim Hatfield reported on the persistence of hazing rituals. "The Clark freshmen were taken to the North clubroom where they were stripped to their underwear and held while syrup and dry cereal were poured over them," Hatfield wrote.

But the presidents of the three halls may have been less enthusiastic the next day, when they were called before the Council of Hall Presidents for violating college policies. Ultimately, they were let off with just a warning. CHP President Steve Howell rationalized this, saying it was "a mistake in judgment on the part of the presidents involved."

Don't let this completely besmirch Grinnell's egalitarian record. Hatfield harshly criticized the acts, saying he considered prepping "to be completely contradictory to a fundemental [sic] principle of liberal education: respect of the individual."

While this may call into question Hatfield's unbiased reporting in the news story, it may restore our faith in Grinnellians of the past.

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