Wesleyan University

Between South College and Memorial Chapel sits an empty gun mount that once held the Douglas Cannon. Throughout Wesleyan's history, the cannon itself (which is currently among the missing) has since disappeared and reappeared, often in very bizarre places. The tradition of stealing the cannon is a long celebrated rite of passage in the Wesleyan community. In the past, the Douglas Cannon has surfaced in the office of the managing editor of Life magazine, baked into an enormous cake, and presented as a gift to Richard Nixon.

The Cardinal was adopted as Wesleyan's mascot and team name in the early 1930s. The Cardinal was originally inspired by a baseball captain named Walter W. Fricke, class of 1933, who purchased a baseball jacket with a Cardinal stitched on the breast pocket. Wesleyan, which was looking to replace “the Methodists” as its official school nickname, soon adopted the Cardinal.

Hoping to woo the cream of the pre-frosh (freshmen) crop, the University admissions department hosts WesFest every April. WesFest is designed to give admitted students firsthand exposure to the academic and social features of Wesleyan. Incoming freshmen are often pampered, exposed to trendy art exhibits, taken on scenic tours of campus and the surrounding area, and are lectured to by some of today's brightest intellectuals.

ZHD is a fun-filled day of activities during WesFest, created “by students, for students.” Some consider it the more “eclectic” segment of WesFest.