Student Social Life

17 members of the student organization Skull and Key, known commonly as the "Black Hats", received suspensions in May 1981 for the fall semester as punishment for throwing a beer keg through the windows of four fraternity houses on April 17th. College officials modified their decision after an appeal revealed more concrete information of the event. This revealed that 2 of the organization members were not present, and received social censure. Six others who were present did not throw the keg, and received disciplinary probation for the summer session and fall semester.

Kappa Alpha Theta's 101st chapter, and Dickinson's fifth sorority arrived on campus. The creation of the Kappa Alpha Theta chapter came from a decision by unaffiliated upperclass Dickinsonian women, who created a special council designed to invite a national sorority to campus. The resulting decision by this council led to the establishment of Kappa Alpha Theta at Dickinson College.

A student organization of Dickinsonians who call the Garden State home, formed on campus.

After a meeting, Dickinson students wrote and sent a petition to Washington D.C. that asked the US Army to send a drillmaster to Dickinson.

On the first Saturday night of "Rushing" in September 1953, Phi Delta Theta Pennsylvania Epsilon held their "Early Autumn Dance." The decorative theme was multicolored Fall leaves and trees, and even featured a waterfall in the living room with real running water. 

The newly initiated members of Phi Delta Theta Pennsylvania Epsilon were introduced at their first formal in the Fall of 1953. For this occasion, Brother Frank Reichle and his social committee turned the house into a medieval castl, complete with suits of armor that stood guard around the dance floor. 

After finding out about the existence of secret fraternity Phi Kappa Sigma, the Faculty invited members of the organization to sign a paper promising to disband it, which all members did.  The fraternity held a final meeting at 9:00pm and formally disbanded before some of the newly initiated members "then reorganized, admitted some of the old members, who deemed the Φ.K. oath more binding than the promise, and were willing to lay aside a few conscientious scruples," according to the journal of Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858).

A number of students hired a team of horses and drove out to Papertown, a town which would later be renamed Mt. Holly Springs.  The students mostly "loafed around," paid a visit to the paper mill there, and ate supper in the town.  Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858) described his trip with his friends further: "Got pretty well warmed up, and discussed politics, thereby pleasing some rustics who happened in.  The democratic principles seemed to be especially pleasing to them.

Students held a debate on the question "Is civil liberty more indebted to physical suffering than to mental culture?" between the Belles Lettres Society and the Union Philosophical Society.  The Belles Lettres Society won the debate.

At 3:30pm, a party of thirty students traveled to Harrisburg to hear Henry Ward Beecher deliver a lecture titled "Christian Commonwealth."  The students traveled in a caravan of two omnibuses, a carriage, and a buggy.

The Dramatic Association met and decided to rehearse and perform Romeo and Juliet so as to improve skills in oration.

At the end of the Fall 1856 session, students from the Junior and Senior classes gathered to bury Asa Mahan's Intellectual Philosophy, a book which students found an "abominable bore."  The copy belonged to Prof. Herman Merrills Johnson (tenure 1850-1868) before students stole it from him and conducted the ceremony.  Horatio Collins King (Class of 1856) described the processions in his journal:

At 11:oopm, a group of students put together a band and went about Carlisle playing on "tin-pans, bones, horns, flutes, &c. &c."  Student and involved party Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858) described playing outside some townspeople's houses, then continued, "Were chased from there— met again at the German Reform Church Corner, whence with loud music marched to Wilson, thence to Marshalls, thence to Johnsons, thence to Grammar School where we sang 'Dismal Swamp', when we quietly adjourned, highly pleased with our fun.

The Cumberland County Agricultural Fair opened in the morning.  Student Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858) described the fair in his journal: "Very good exhibition.  A fine show of home manufactures, and such like.  Vegetables were necessarily very scarce.  Agricultural implements, fancy inventions, fine horses, cows, oxen &c. also chickens with Shang-hair and prilled, white, black and speckled adorned the premises."  King also related seeing some equestrian shows at the fair. 

Students and faculty collected money to buy fireworks, which they later set off.  Additionally, some students held a political meeting on the college steps, with several students giving political speeches.  Fireworks were also set off by the town of Carlisle.

Phi Kappa Sigma, at the time a secret society two years in age unknown to Dickinson faculty, initiated Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858) as the seventeenth member of the Epsilon Chapter.  King described the initiation ritual in his journal: "At 9 P.M. Messrs Hulsey [Jennings Marion Clark Hulsey, Class of 1858] and Bird [Gustavus Claggett Bird, Class of 1857] came to my room and escorted me to I.D. Clarks [Isaac Davis Clark, Class of 1856] room at Mrs. Armstrongs.

Nine men of Dickinson, along with ten of their female friends from around town, took a four-horse omnibus and a two-horse carriage to Sterretts Gap, about eight miles from the college, for a picnic.  Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858) reported on the day's events: "Company assembled at 9 o'clock.  I ran around considerable: bought lemons, sugar, pine-apples &c.  All aboard and started at 9 1/2 [9:30am].  Arrived at our destination about 12.  Boys walked up the mountain.  Pic-nic place on top the mountain.  Fine spring &c., &c.

Student Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858) related a Saturday night spent with friends: "Had a dance in No 47 - West College, Baldwin's [Rignal Woodward Baldwin, Class of 1856] old room.  Danced about 1 1/2 hours.  Good fun for— variety.  At 7 1/2 [7:30pm], took a game of whist and several of euchre in W.Griffiths room, 3d floor, 2d section East College.  After which went to Dukes Room at Mrs Millers.  Stole a couple of pies from Aunt Del and had a nice supper."

Student Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858) began taking painting lessons on "ivory tint" on Mondays and Tuesdays from 2:00 to 3:30pm.  The lessons cost King "$3.00 for three pictures," according to his journal.

Students Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858) and William H. Harkness (Class of 1858, non-graduate) hired a horse and buggy to take a trip to Mechanicsburg.  King reported that the trip covered a distance of 10 miles and took one hour and ten minutes.

Some students, including Francis Asbury Awl (Class of 1858, non-graduate), Thomas C. Hughey (Class of 1859, non-graduate), Edward B. Newman (class of 1858, non-graduate), and Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858), went to Harrisburg to attend the state fair.  Awl, Hughey, Newman, and King stayed overnight, exploring the town on Tuesday and enjoying the fairgrounds and the circus on Wednesday.  

The Spalding & Rogers Circus was in town.  There was an apparent altercation involving some soldiers, according to attendee Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858).

A group of students and faculty including Jacob F. Stoek (Class of 1858, non-graduate), James E.D. Jester (Class of 1856), William Henry Effinger (Class of 1857), Professor William Carlile Wilson (tenure 1854-65), Tutor Benjamin Arbogast (tenure 1854-56), and Horatio Collins King (Class of 1858) hiked to neighboring Boiling Springs beginning at 10:00am.  King wrote later of the excursion in his journal: "We went to Churchtown, about 6 miles from here.  From thence to the mountain, about 3 1/2 miles.  Went in swimming in the "Yellow Breeches" (a creek).

After waking up early and attending a market in town, some students spent a Saturday at a creek in town, near the cave.  Horatio C. King (Class of 1858) wrote that he and other students "laughed, talked, played, romped, eat [ate] and fished during the day."