By Bella Glastra van Loon, Spring 2025 Special Collections & University Archives Intern
About the Exhibit
In recent years, long-standing traditions of hazing and initiation rituals have come under increased scrutiny. While hazing is often associated with fraternities, sororities, and athletic teams, it was once a common feature of school-sanctioned orientation weeks. The University of San Francisco and Lone Mountain College/San Francisco College for Women were no exception. During the mid-20th century, humiliation rituals were deeply embedded in freshman orientation, often involving strict dress codes, menial chores, and absurd dares. These initiation weeks stirred feelings of dread, anxiety, and shame, yet also created a sense of camaraderie and connection to campus life. As school spirit slowly rebounds in the wake of the pandemic, institutions like USF are reexamining how to build inclusive communities that support both academic and personal growth without the harmful legacy of hazing. This exhibit reflects on a time of college optimism while critically examining the violent and traumatic aspects of freshman initiation once seen as essential to student life.
Lone Mountain College / San Francisco College For Women
Lone Mountain Women’s College or San Francisco College for Women incorporated a variety of initiation activities into the school calendar. The Freshman “Week of Woe” included humiliating wardrobes, impromptu opera performances, absurd rules enforced by abrasive penalizations, and the annual showcase, “The Freshmen Follies.” While the freshmen were struck by terror, the rest of the school gleefully enjoyed the entertainment.
San Francisco College For Women Yearbook, El Faro
Below are a collection of scans from the 1948 Lone Mountain Women's College Year Book, El Faro. The first months of the school year were the primary periods of freshman hazing as these new students attempted to orient themselves in college life. The clipping of the September-October calendar of events describes these activities and include a photo of the 1948 "Freshmen Follies." The class spreads seen below represent the victims and perpetrators of 1948 hazing. While the freshmen endured "Freshmen week," "Freshmen Follies," and their first college exams, the junior class directed their initiation and enjoyed field trips and date dances. The hierarchy of classes instilled a sense of dedication and investment in the students because one day, the green freshmen would be organizing circuses to tame the next crop of students.
The Tower as the Public Forum on Hazing
In addition to yearbook evidence, students at the San Francisco College for Women turned to their student newspaper, The Tower, to express their mix of emotions. Freshman published diary entries, as seen on the right, documenting their life of uncertainty and pandemonium during their first few weeks at university. Older staff writers documented the festivities and reveled in the chaos. In these newspaper clippings, the specific aspects of hazing are clearly outlined. The freshman were forced to carry juniors' books, act like circus animals, and were even on one occasion forced to wear rotten sardines as necklaces.
It is all over! At long last, what seemed like three years instead of three days has ended. No more knowing looks from Juniors, no more curious and amused looks from teachers. But it really was fun—kind of—even if it did take two years off my life. In a way initiation helped. I don't feel as "green" in college anymore, and though the Juniors can be very firm ringmasters, they can also be very nice." -"Life is a Three Ring Circus...For Everyone but Freshman," The Tower, Vol. 7 No. 1(October, 1947)
The "Freshman Follies" were a crucial aspect of freshman orientation. They seem to have begun in the 1920s with the inception of the university and continued throughout the 1960s. The follies were also a tradition at other colleges across the country like Oklahoma State University or Baylor University to name a few. At San Francisco College for Women, the showcase was perceived to be a largely joyous occasion, especially for those sitting in the audience. The junior class usually made up the producers and directors of the showcase and focused the event around a particular theme. For example, in 1948 the theme was the circus. The freshman were forced to perform in animal costumes where they were tamed or ordered around by the junior ringmasters. One freshman was forced to push a peanut across the gymnasium floor using nothing but her nose. The activities may seem harmless, if not amusing, but articles in The Tower explain the mixture of emotions. Taking the stage seemed far from optional and freshman nerves plagued even the most confident of students. To this day, universities and Greek Life continue to put on follies with the same intention of fostering community and breaking the ice. The question, however, is if the humiliation remains.
The University of San Francisco
At the foot of Lone Mountain, The University of San Francisco employed their own forms of freshman initiation. The University of San Francisco student council was typically tasked with assigning a list of rules to the freshman class to initiate them into campus life. One tradition involved a small beanie, called a dink hat or "Frosh Hat" which was to be worn by freshman at all times. Besides these caps, the freshman were required to assist in various student activities, often assigned the most demeaning tasks or even forced to act as entertainment.
The Freshman Dink Hat
The dink hat was a key feature in freshman hazing at universities across the country. At The University of San Francisco, there is evidence that the school used these hats beginning around the 1920s. Besides clashing with your outfit or ruining your hair, the dink hat worked to mark these students as inexperienced and new to campus life. In a way, they placed a target on their backs, allowing upperclassman to easily identify new students and target them with various forms of hazing. Furthermore, if a freshman forgot, lost, or simply refused to sport their cap on campus, they could face penalties. While the caps were pitched as humorous or light hearted mockery, this visual distinction between freshman and the rest of the student body extrapolated their vulnerability and exposed them to more dangerous forms of hazing.
Beyond wearing dink hats, freshman students were assigned a wide range of chores designed to help them adjust to campus life and earn their place within the university community. These menial tasks included washing cars, carrying books, aiding in various student projects, and acting as entertainment.
Hazing as of 2025
As of 2006, hazing has been outlawed at the University of San Francisco per California Senate Bill 1454, also known as “Matt’s Law." According the law, "'hazing' or 'haze' is conduct which causes, or is likely to cause, bodily danger, physical harm, or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm to another person in the course of the other person's pre-initiation into, initiation into, affiliation with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization." Additionally, in 2024, the Stop Campus Hazing Act was signed into law, requiring universities to report hazing in hopes of preventing further harm.
Works Referenced:
"Hazing Policy." University of San Francisco. https://myusf.usfca.edu/sites/default/files/default/student-conduct/Hazing%20Policy.pdf
"Stop Campus Hazing Act." House of Representatives. December 23, 2024. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5646
The Foghorn - USF Student Newspaper Collection. Gleeson Library Digital Collection. https://digitalcollections.usfca.edu/digital/collection/p15129coll8/search
"The History of Follies." Oklahoma State University. https://campuslife.okstate.edu/fraternity-sorority-affairs/follies-history.html