that tradition alive. Participating in the ceremony were Lowell Herron, dean of the College; Bill
King, director of student affairs; and Frank Gutmann, director of residences.
Freshman Hazing.
On their arrival on campus, freshmen were introduced to the "traditions" of
Clarkson. They often had to carry five or six extra books to classes, to wear their clothes inside
out and backwards, and other "practical" assignments. The sophomores constantly reminded
them of the Alma Mater and had them sing it loudly and clearly at the slightest provocation.
And, to make certain the freshmen were keeping up their physical conditioning, the
ever-vigilant sophomores instructed the freshmen to play leap-frog in groups of 10 or 20 or
even 50, and to skip and hop along merrily on their way to and from classes downtown.
New Regulations.
Following two years of study by the faculty, the College revised its
regulations to become effective on October 1. The primary changes involved rules and
regulations governing a student's progress toward graduation.
Of paramount importance to the faculty was the objective of keeping a student
progressing successfully toward graduation. To that end, a student who failed to maintain
graduation requirements could be placed either on "warning" or on "probation" depending on
his class status and the quality level of his grades.
To give quality-point status to all passing grades, the faculty changed the three-point
system to a four-point system in which students receiving A's received four quality points per
credit hour; B's, three quality points; C's, two quality points; D's, one quality point. Under this
system, the quality-point average needed for graduation was 2.00.
Chadwick Basketball Coach.
Former Ithaca basketball star Alden Chadwick, Clarkson's
assistant varsity and freshmen basketball coach, was appointed varsity basketball coach at the
beginning of the 1959-60 season. He replaced Henry Hodge who had been coach for 24 years,
Director of Athletics for 15, and baseball coach since 1929.
In those 24 years, Hodge-coached teams had won 193 games and lost 176. His best
teams were his 1942-43 and 1943-44 teams which compiled 14-1 and 12-1 records,
respectively.
Freshman Expelled.
A first-semester freshman was expelled by President Van Note after
firing a shotgun in his dormitory room. At the time of his expulsion, he had kept two shotguns
in his room, neither of which was registered with the College.
Construction Equipment Distribution.
Set up in conjunction with the ID program, this new
construction distribution curriculum began in September 1959. Leading to a BS degree which
trained students to market the giant earth-moving and road-building machinery and other types
of equipment which had revolutionized the American construction industry, this curriculum
offered courses revolving around the equipment itself. Students took courses in soils
engineering, transportation and public service facilities, construction organization, and then,
during their junior and senior years, courses in engineering.
