I was perusing the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, interested in the history of Northern Michigan University since it has its quasquicentennial this year. Looking through the display my eyes locked on an item most interesting, little goofy hats. 

Upon reading the clear history laid out by the workers of the Heritage Center, great job by the way, and the history was really interesting. For those who haven’t read it, let me inform you. 

In the 1950s NMU’s student council wanted to raise school spirit with freshmen. It took a few years because the big wigs of NMU were worried about hazing, but their idea eventually passed in ‘53. This freshman initiation required all freshmen to wear cute little beanies, but not the kind we have today.

These hats are the kinds one would picture with a spinner on it, worn by a little kid with a comically large lollipop. Eventually, it evolved into the freshman wearing the hats from the first day of school until the end of homecoming week, and then it progressed that they had to wear it the whole semester unless they won some school game. 

The crazy thing is that this worked in boosting school spirit. Eventually, more rules were added for Homecoming week. Freshman had to give up seats in the cafeteria, and to enter the cafeteria they had to yell out, “I’m a little wildcat!”

Freshman ‘beanie violators’ would be subjected to various punishments by NMU groups (and tried in front of the student body in something called ‘Kangaroo Court.’) Punishments included carrying school books in a pillowcase, not wearing makeup on a specific day or volunteering at a homecoming event. 

Eventually, in the ‘60s, students started protesting this tradition. Then in ’71, it was finally ended, due in part to a strongly opposing newspaper article printed from the Northern News. 

I am going to start off by clarifying that I am opposed to hazing. However, this entire beanie-wearing idea seems to be good fun. There is something sibling-like in these antics, embarrassing each other and being goofy. Not to mention, students gain a sense of community with their fellow freshman and build up friendships. Then, when they would come back next year, they could look at the freshman being goofy and think back to when that was them and their friends. 

I think campus could really benefit from bringing something like this back, to help raise school spirit. The Dead River Games is a lot of fun, so is building a float and parading it around. But what we need as students is some fun in our day to day lives, something to break us out of the monotony of classes. 

Side note- really, what is Kangaroo Court?