Flunk Day Versus Mountain Day

Flunk Day at Knox College happens on a random day in the spring. Mountain Day at Mount Holyoke College takes place on one of those perfect fall New England Days. I suspect there are very few families who have a Flunk Day versus Mountain Day conversation whenever they’re gathered together.

Small liberal arts colleges are usually steeped in history and have unique traditions. Mountain Day is Mount Holyoke’s oldest tradition. It began in 1838, one year after the college was founded by Mary Lyon. If it’s a perfect fall day and the college bells ring for five minutes at 7 a.m., it can mean only one thing. It’s Mountain Day! Classes are cancelled, the library is closed, and the actual Mount Holyoke becomes the center of the day’s activities. Students are invited to hike the summit and ice cream is served at the Summit House atop the mountain. The College’s President often greets the students who choose to hike. For the record, my daughter, the Mount Holyoke College alumna, never hiked the mountain. She and her friends always had other plans including the day when it occurred on a Wednesday and a trip to New York City allowed them to get in a Wednesday matinee as well as an evening show on Broadway.

Flunk Day at Knox College is a raucous celebration held every year in the spring. Its date and even the organizers of the event are kept secret until the morning of Flunk Day when the campus wakes up to shouts of students running around campus. The bells of Old Main signal that classes are cancelled and the only thing on the agenda is FUN!

Other schools may have similar traditions and I’d love to hear about them.