Something that (hopefully) hasn't changed too much over the years is the average Jumbo's dedication to his or her schoolwork. I think it's fairly safe to say that Tufts has seen generations of hard-working, intelligent students during the course of the university's history.
It might be slightly less common knowledge, however, that Tufts students have always had a knack for throwing pretty sick parties.
Now, don't get me wrong: I love the music at Fall Ball and Winter Bash, music which pulses through my entire body and leaves my ears ringing for a full day afterwards. I love our classy dancing. I love the crowds of well-behaved students sitting pleasantly on the President's Lawn for Spring Fling. But a part of me wishes I could have partied with Jumbos a century ago during what seems to be a Golden Age of school-sponsored festivities.
The real force behind these glamorous shindigs of yesteryear was the Evening Party Association. According to the 1925 Tufts Yearbook, this club was "composed of a group of students whose purpose it is to promote the social life of the college by holding a series of formal dances." Although it is sadly defunct, the club was active until the early 1940s and created some pretty amazing events. In fact, we could probably learn a thing or two from their party-planning skills.
Take, for example, all of the football rallies we have nowadays. Oh, wait … that's right, we don't have football rallies. However, 1926 was a banner year for football and school spirit. The Tufts Weekly, the precursor to the Tufts Observer, reported that a "large and enthusiastic football rally" took place in November of that year in which students were treated to live music "furnished by the band," numerous speeches by professors and coaches, as well as the expert cheers of "Harry O'Brien '22, former Tufts cheerleader." (I get the feeling the definition of "cheerleader" has changed over the years).
After these indoor festivities, rally-goers took their celebration to the streets and "about 200 students formed behind the band and paraded over the Hill and to Teele and Davis Squares, singing and cheering." As if a mob of college kids gallivanting around Somerville wasn't enough, the students created a massive bonfire upon their return "in anticipation of the next day's game." I know we're all busy with schoolwork and clubs, but Tufts students from the 1920s totally school us in terms of Jumbo pride. Plus, I think current residents of Medford and Somerville would really appreciate us bringing our newfound school spirit into town every night before a football game.
If crowds of crazy football fans aren't quite your cup of tea, the Evening Party Association also planned events that catered to a more sophisticated crowd. For the sophomore class's Annual Banquet in 1938, the Weekly reported, "a roast turkey dinner will be served… [and] this year, instead of holding just a banquet, the committee has planned a smoker to be held in conjunction with the dinner." What, you may ask, is a "smoker"? The Weekly clarifies: "Pipes, tobacco, and cigarettes will be distributed during the evening."
It's sort of amazing how little things have changed over the years. Yes, the university no longer distributes tobacco to students, and no, I don't expect to see a turkey dinner at Winter Bash next year. But there's always that electricity when the whole student body gathers for an event, whether it's storming the streets of Somerville before a football game or collectively obeying Taio Cruz's command to "throw our hands up in the air sometimes" at Fall Ball. No matter the century, one thing is certain: Tufts students will always know how to party.
