Connecticut College

In an effort to curb drug use and underage drinking, the Student Activities Committee created Alternative Highs Month, a series of nearly daily events in April. At each substance-free event, students collect raffle tickets for a drawing at the end of the month. Past prizes have included a skydiving lesson and a whitewater rafting trip.

Batch Blast was established in 1988 as part of Freshman Orientation in honor of Esther Batchelder ‘19, the founder of the Connecticut College Alumni Association. The incoming class enjoys a program of comedy acts, bands, and other festivities, culminating in the presentation of the class banner that will hang in Cro for four years.

Camel Cabaret is Conn’s spring talent show. Each dorm sends one act and is allowed to include their adopted faculty and staff. A panel of faculty, student, and staff judges award cash prizes and bragging rights to the top competitors.

On the first Sunday in December, faculty, staff, students, and their families gather together to meet each other and have fun at Camel Connection. There are events for children of all ages, including arts and crafts and hay rides around campus. Jazz acts throughout the day provide a great place to hang out with your family and watch your professors cut a rug.

Every fall, over 1,000 students compete in a two-day dorm competition, Olympics style. The events, which include everything from a footrace to a Scrabble tournament, strike a good balance between athletic and intellectual. Each dorm makes team T-shirts and bands together for a weekend of dorm unity and school spirit. On second night, there is a dance where the winners of the coveted gold, silver, and bronze medals are announced.

Nicknamed D-Day, this is the all-time favorite tradition at UR. Held on spring weekend when classes end, an all out fiesta will ensue on the main quad in front of Wilson Commons, the student union. Security is lax on this day, and students are allowed to be on the quad with alcohol without much of a second glance. There are rides, games, and a band each year. Everyone mingles on the quad and has a good time. Deans may also be spotted walking around during the day as well, joining in the festivities and keeping an eye on everyone.

Begun in 1975 and traditionally held in the first weekend of April, Eclipse Weekend provides an opportunity for alums of color to return to the college. Students, staff, and faculty join together to welcome the alums back and participate in the weekend’s festivities.

Like its assumed Seinfeld namesake, Festivus is a nondenominational holiday in December for “the rest of us” (although sadly there is no Festivus Pole). Students start the night by exchanging gifts with their “Secret Snowflakes” at a dorm party then dress up and head over to Cro, which is quite possibly the largest venue ever to celebrate Festivus. Typical events there include a dance and live music. Each year, students get to take home personalized souvenirs, like snow globes or ornaments with their pictures in them.

Toward the end of the year, seniors are ushered into Cro for an all-night, wild party. After consuming copious amounts of alcohol, body image is thrown out the window as they streak across the campus in various states of undress to the amusement of gawking underclassmen. The ultimate destination is Castle Court where (amid furtive glances at each other) seniors ring the giant gong to celebrate their soon-to-be alumni status.

Floralia is the mother of all Conn parties, and without a doubt the most anticipated event of the year. The night before the festivities, students reserve spots on Library Green with blankets, chairs, couches, and tents. Drinking starts with the traditional beer in the shower and doesn’t stop until early next morning. The campus closes itself off to the outside world except for students’ guests, and for one glorious spring day, the minimum drinking age, applicable everywhere else in the country, becomes null and void at Connecticut College. Campus bands and regional acts take the stage all day in front of the library and rock until the sun goes down.

Part of Fall Weekend (when parents and some alumni come to visit), Harvestfest is an outdoor sales bazaar on College Green. Each dorm gets its own booth to peddle its wares and services. Although there is some healthy competition in vying for customers’ dollars, few dorms make a killing. The real focus is on the campus guests and the weekend’s events, which include guest speakers, art shows, meet-and-greets, banquets, sporting events, musical performances, religious services, and the arboretum plant sale (a parent favorite).

The largest celebration on campus, this fall event includes Alumni Reunions, Parents Weekend, Homecoming and the Stonehurst Regatta. Parents, students, and alumni descend onto the campus, increasing campus population by thousands. Celebrities, graduates and national figures fill the weekend with speeches and presentations. The crew’s regatta rounds out the weekend on Sunday, bringing the three-day fête to a close.

The tunnels are well used in the winters, when no one wants to spend much time outside. The tunnels connect students in heated, lighted walkways to the main academic quad and the student union. As tradition, one hallway is painted by student groups or fraternities/sororities to advertise activities and current events throughout the year. Everyone should take part in the painting of the tunnel at least once in his or her undergraduate career.

Senior Week marks the culmination of four challenging and (hopefully) successful years at Connecticut College. Themed parties, some on campus and some off, are thrown every night, and there are various trips and functions during the day. A one-time payment ($100 for past Senior Weeks) is necessary to take part in the festivities, but the memories are well worth it.

This is a day during Orientation where students are sent off with people from their hall to do various community service activities in the surrounding area. Some projects may include re-painting buildings, outside maintenance, or clerical work, but mainly manual labor activities. The program is meant to allow students to participate in community service activities but also to bond with hall-mates while out doing their Good Samaritan civic duty.

To celebrate what Connecticut does best, the winter, this carnival is a day filled with student performances, free food, and a comedian or musical show. It occurs at the beginning of the second semester, to give students a pick-me-up as they head into another round of classes.