Winter 2014-15
Message from the Dean
Rituals, Traditions, History
This fall, for the first time in memory, the College celebrated “Charter Day,” the anniversary of the signing of the King’s College charter on October 31, 1754, 30 years before we became Columbia College and nearly 160 years before we became Columbia University in the City of New York. We displayed historical images of the College in the Hamilton Hall lobby — ranging from our original location in Trinity Church’s schoolhouse on Rector Street to the Columbia College Alumni Association’s founding in 1825 to our move to Morningside Heights in 1897 to the first co-educational College class in 1983 — and distributed candy, commemorative tote bags and stickers to students who passed through. Charter Day gave us an opportunity to continue a recent tradition that we’ve held in Hamilton Hall, that of distributing candy to students on or around Halloween. It is a small celebration but one that students — and the Dean’s Office staff — always look forward to.
I have been thinking a lot lately about our rituals, traditions and history. This fall, the Columbia College Student Council announced plans to reinstate “College Days” in the spring, a celebration that students organized regularly between 2002 and 2012. The council’s plan is to center the event around the Core Curriculum: an opening ceremony celebrating Literature Humanities, a “Contemporary Civilization Day” highlighting College history and student service, an “Art Humanities Day” featuring student artwork and workshops, and even a “Swim Test Day” with fun activities. The Core is a defining part of the College experience — the swim test, too — uniting generations of students, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the College.
Recently, while preparing for a Columbia College Alumni Association (CCAA) Executive Board meeting in Buell Hall (Maison Française), I came across an image of the building in its original spot on lower campus, where Kent Hall is currently located, and started reading about its history. The oldest building on campus and the only remaining structure from the previous resident of this property, the Bloomingdale Insane Asylum, Buell Hall housed the College until Hamilton Hall’s construction and was later used by a variety of offices, including the Bursar, the Registrar, the Provost, the Alumni Council, Undergraduate Admissions and General Studies. As it was one of the College’s original homes, it seemed a fitting place for the CCAA meeting.
A few weeks later, when looking through Spectator’s new digital archives in preparation for another meeting, I stumbled upon a story about Clement Clarke Moore (Class of 1798), author of the yuletide poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, which later became famous as ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. I learned that Moore’s father, Benjamin Moore (Class of 1768), was president of the College from 1775 to 1776, before classes were canceled for the Revolutionary War, and again from 1801 to 1811. During his second presidency, the Philolexian Society, Columbia’s first student-run literary society and our oldest student organization, was founded. Among Philolexian’s earliest members were Benjamin Moore’s nephew and future Columbia president Nathaniel F. Moore (Class of 1802) and Alexander Hamilton’s son James (Class of 1805).
to see Charter Day images:
college.columbia.edu/timeline
I thought about the Moore family as we celebrated our contemporary Columbia Yuletide rituals — the Tree Lighting Ceremony, a tradition since 1998 and the brainchild of Charles Saliba ’00, then-president of the junior class, and the Yule Log Ceremony, one of Columbia’s oldest traditions, which dates to pre-Revolutionary War times and has been a custom since 1910, when then-University President Nicholas Murray Butler (Class of 1882) established it as a celebration for students unable to return home for the holidays. This year, for the second time, we welcomed alumni back to campus for the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and a subsequent winter celebration in Low Library with holiday treats, carols and games, including an ugly sweater contest.
Our traditions are part of our identity and part of the legacy of every College student — former, current and future — defining who we have been since our founding 260 years ago, who we are now and who we will be in another 260 years. In fact, even the lion, the University mascot, was the creation of a College alumnus, proposed by George Brokaw Compton (Class of 1909) at a CCAA meeting in 1910.
I hope that you take pride in our history and that you continue to take part in our campus traditions, returning to campus for Homecoming, the Tree Lighting, Alumni Reunion Weekend, and Dean’s Day or other festivities, or even stopping by Hamilton Hall next October to celebrate Charter Day and pick up some Halloween treats.
Happy Holidays! Wishing you all a great 2015!
Roar, Lion(s), Roar,
“Deantini”