Although football fans and returning alums dominate the Homecoming spotlight, Dartmouth's newest students are looking forward to taking part in the traditional weekend, with one event dominating their horizon: the bonfire. The bonfire hype generated by the upperclassmen is partially why many '12s cite running around a big flame as their top priority for this weekend.
"I'm looking forward to the bonfire because you hear all the upperclassmen talk about how it was such an amazing experience," Stephanie Picon '12 said.
While the bonfire is the central experience of Homecoming for many freshmen, the extent to which they plan to participate varies. Cole Sulser '12 said he hopes to run all 112 laps because of his school- and class-pride, while Michelle Lee '12 said 12 laps would be enough for her to fully appreciate the Homecoming tradition.
"It's a half-marathon," Ryan Tincher '12 said. "Running around the bonfire 112 times is about as smart as touching the bonfire when the upperclassmen tell us to."
Many '12s also see the run around the bonfire as their initiation into the Dartmouth community. Jack Driessen '12 said he is willing to put up with the harassment of upperclassmen chanting "touch the fire" and "worst class ever" as part of the longstanding tradition.
"I know it's all in good fun. Is it obnoxious? Yes, but it just means that we're going to do exactly the same thing to the freshmen next year," Lee said. "Plus, we need to take into consideration that about 75 percent of these upperclassmen will be drunk, so I'm not going to take it personally."
Despite recent controversy over the freshmen's willingness to "rage" in light of Gabrielle Tudin '12's "Take Back the (Saturday) Night!" Opinion column, freshman opinions on partying covered a wide range of possible approaches. While some expressed a desire to "not be sober for 48 hours," as one '12, who wished to remain anonymous, said, others did not see alcohol as a necessary part of having fun for Homecoming.
"You do the same things as though you were drinking, just without alcohol in your system," Jason Goodman '12 said. "I plan on dancing, running around the bonfire and having a great time."
Several members of the Class of 2012 also said they are anticipating the Homecoming football game, which in addition to the bonfire would offer another opportunity to come together with the rest of the school.
"I just love the Dartmouth spirit, and Homecoming is even more of a reason to be expressive about it," Michelle Shankar '12 said. "I'm really excited for the football game. Everyone is going to be out having a blast."
The large number of parties taking place on campus during Homecoming will offer an opportunity for freshmen to relax after the first three weeks of classes.
"It's going to be out of control," Jay Kraska '12 said. "It's a big weekend and people are looking to blow off some steam."
While several members of the Class of 2012 hope to fully participate in Homecoming events and parties, approaching midterms and mounting workloads took the place of fun in the minds of many students. For those '12s with a busy academic calendar, fears persist that the distractions afforded to them by the weekend could have a negative impact on their work.
"The unfortunate part [of the weekend] is my math exam the following Monday," Sulser said. "And since I want to make it a special weekend, [Homecoming] will affect my ability to get things done."
Even though they may be concerned about the potential for distraction, freshmen generally said participating in the weekend would be worthwhile, in order to join with the alumni on campus in becoming part of a Dartmouth tradition.
"I'm excited about the bonfire because Dartmouth freshmen 50 years before us did it and it's a unifying experience for Dartmouth students," Tincher said.
