Class & Charter Day is one of the College’s premier traditions, a day in which students can rest and have fun, at least temporarily, before the onslaught of final exams begin. It is also one of the College’s oldest traditions, with the first Class & Charter Day having taken place in 1950. Today, the celebration encompasses everything from faculty and student awards, to a large assembly, to a concert put on by the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and Student Assembly.
Class & Charter Day is actually the combination of two separate occasions: a celebration of the end of classes, “Class Day,” and a celebration of the official granting of the College charter. Class Day was originally the last Wednesday of classes, in which students were given the afternoon off to spend playing games and competing in contests, such as a singing competition between the class years, which in the 1940s was judged by Professors Saunders and Wallace B. Johnson, whose names now appear on different residence halls. Sporting competitions, which involved competition between the various classes, were also very popular.
A Class Day official ceremony was also held, with a typical program from 1865 including an “oration, poem, history, and a prophecy.” Separately, the College also held celebrations to mark the anniversary of the day the College was granted an official charter by the State of New York — May 26, 1812.
In 1950, the 138th anniversary of the College’s founding, then-President of Hamilton College, Robert W. McEwen, noted the closeness of the two celebrations and proposed combining them, thus creating Class & Charter Day. The tradition has continued ever since.
President McEwen intended Class & Charter Day to mix merriment with a celebration of Hamilton College’s history. Celebrations would revolve around a convocation held in the chapel, where, at the time, the entire student body could sit, during which an address about Hamilton’s history and traditions would be given.
On the first Class & Charter Day, this address was given by Professor Wilard Thorp ’20, Professor of English and Chairman of the American Civilization Program at Princeton University. During his address, the professor traced the beginning of the College back to life under its first president, Azel Backus, who served from 1812 through 1816. Thorp described Backus as “a man in middle life whose face […] was strong and smiling […] a vigorous man.” Backus was also known for his “witty words and actions, his humanity, his sensibility, and his eloquence.”
The professor further added: “So fat indeed was President Backus that his sleigh had to have an unusually wide opening at the side so that the doctor could ease himself in and out without getting pinched everywhere.” Since this first Class & Charter Day nearly 70 years ago, other addresses have included topics ranging from “Let’s Drink to Frisk,” marking the founding of the English Department, to a lecture on “The Hamilton Quality.” Faculty members, historians, alumni, and trustees typically give these remarks.
Class & Charter Day has evolved a great deal since its first celebration. Though the historical element of the day is no longer as prominent, the College has over time sought to add more entertainment options for students, including the addition of an annual concert in 2010. This concert has featured such performers as Macklemore and Passion Pit in past years.
This year, Class & Charter Day will take place Monday, May 7, the last day of spring semester classes. The celebration will feature a performance by Charli XCX and an opening set by Moxie Raia, as well as a presentation of awards to students and faculty of almost every discipline.
Ultimately, it is fair to say that President McEwen accomplished his goal to have “started an annual tradition.” If history is any indication, it is a tradition that will likely continue for many years to come.
