Founder's Day Brings Tradition to WPI
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by Lee Caron
Advertising Manager |
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There weren't any fireworks. There weren't any celebrities. There wasn't any T.V. coverage. The guest list consisted of some of the best up and coming leaders and inventors of tomorrow. This celebration is known as Founders Day, and the entire student body was invited.
Founders Day, a day in which we celebrate the "birthday" of our fine institution, came and went last Monday, December 4th. Alden Hall was the center of the festivities, playing host to food, fun, and learning.
Founders Day is celebrated by WPI students, past or present, and though most of the activities are geared towards the current enrolment, it could not have happened without the support and help of the alumni. Many former students and professors rummaged through their attics, garages, and sea chests to find small bits of WPI history and tradition to donate to the artifact gallery. The gallery was open to the public for most of the day, and always had an SAS member on hand to answer any questions anyone may have had. Later that night, food was supplied for an "Artifact Social" where people could gather to discuss and peruse the artifacts.
One of the first activities of the day was the birthday cake, available to all in the entryway of Alden. The vanilla or chocolate sheet cake was the perfect snack, whether between classes or on your way to see what other activities may be occurring in Alden. Also occurring all day was the Founders Day "pop up" video. The video was made several years ago and it has become tradition to show it all day on Founders Day. Another Founders Day tradition has become the presence of a live goat on the quad. The goat paraded around the quad for several hours and got to meet a large part of the student body.
Nothing about Founders Day is better enjoyed than the Goats Head Rivalry Event. The event that occurs on Founders Day is celebrity squares. It is played just like Hollywood squares, where teams from the Freshman and Sophomore classes chose squares with figures from WPI history in them, and must decide if the answer they give to a question is right or wrong. Some of the celebrities making appearances at this year's event were the Goat and his keeper Gompei. By a narrow margin, the freshman came away victorious, which puts them in the lead 2 to 0 in the rivalry events. What will the winter carnival hold?
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