During each big College weekend, a green light shines down on the Green from the heights of Baker tower. This weekend many freshmen will see the light for the first time and wonder what it is.
Bill Corrette, the foreman of the electrical shop at Facilities, Operations and Management, said the College's events office directs when the electrical shop should turn the green light on.
"We will turn it on at whatever time [the events office] says," Corrette said. "It can be turned on and off by timer but it is usually turned on manually and turned off by a timer."
The green light itself is an incandescent 500 watt light bulb with a green shade over it, Corrette said.
He said the history of the "green lantern" includes sabotage attempts by students.
"A few years ago someone took out the green curtain and put a red piece of plastic over the bulb," Corrette said. "Luckily it was checked, because the plastic would have melted and maybe could have caused a fire."
"The light bulb itself has been taken a few times," Corrette said. "When the green light was supposed to go on there was no bulb."
Corrette explained that it is difficult to purchase another bulb because of it's unusually large base.
"The bulb can't be purchased from a regular hardware store," Corrette said. "We usually have a spare on hand to prevent any disasters."
Although the green light has been lit on all the major weekends for as long as most people can remember there is no official mention of the light in college records.
The College has only one document mentioning the light. An October, 1975 hand-written note by Jack Slawer, who remains unidentified, lists occasions it will be lit in Baker Tower.
The lists of events include Convocation, Dartmouth Night, Winter Carnival Weekend, Green Key Weekend, Trustee Meetings, Club Officers Weekend, Freshman Parents Weekend and Commencement.
Many students refer to the "money light," as a symbol of all the money they assume pours into the College when alumni return.
Tim McCann '97 said the first thing he thinks of when he sees the green beacon shining from the top of Baker is "big money weekend."
"Homecoming is when all the big time [alumni] are up so that's when the money comes rolling in to the College," he said.
