Large groups of students gathered together outside of Dunham Hall on Saturday, Sept. 29 to enjoy the combination of food trucks, lively performances and beautiful weather set to celebrate President Steven Tepper’s inauguration.
These festivities began with a barbeque picnic under the Dunham Tent featuring a wide spread of dining options including brisket, cornbread and mac and cheese that drew in large crowds of alumni, students, professors and other guests. Similarily to many others, John Snyder, alumnus of Hamilton College’s graduating class of 1966, shares that when he visits “for reunions and special events like this, the food is [his] favorite part.” In addition to the food under the tent, many food trucks were available during the afternoon on the lawn next to Commons Dining Hall. These included The Cremeria, Oh Crepe and Waffles, Rockstar Ice Cream and a stand with kettle corn, cotton candy and soft pretzels.
Many were also able to join in on wearing Tepper’s iconic fashion accessory, bow ties, by picking up the free t-shirts available on the lawn.
The Hamiltones kicked off the set list for this event with the incorporation of Tepper’s classic look by also sporting bow ties themselves. Not only did the group match the themed attire, but they also brought in an upbeat energy when they left the stage during their performance and ran through the audience, creating excitement in the crowd.
These activities also featured the debut performance of Hamilton’s newest band, Lunch Meat St, composed of three members of Tumbling After. Numerous other musical groups took to the stage to provide entertainment such as Duelly Noted, Tumbling After and Special K. Jaime Chow ʼ28 and Duelly Noted, describes her experience at the event as unique because “it was my first time performing outdoors with the group, but the very enthusiastic crowd during the Tepper line in ‘Can you Feel the Love Tonight?’ definitely made up for the heat.”
John McLaughlin, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Dean of Admission, added that “it’s great to see the campus alive, and have a chance to celebrate the start of a new era for Hamilton.” This new era McLaughlin refers to appears to be optimistic as he shares that “I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Steven a little bit over the course of the last couple of months, and he is everything that he seems to be, smart, creative, funny and I think a great person to help lead us forward.”
David Rivera, a professor at Hamilton College, was a delegate for Harvard University at Saturday morning’s inauguration and agrees with McLaughlin that “I was impressed, and I think everyone should be impressed, by how many kind and clearly sincere words were expressed about President Tepper by his colleagues from institutions where he previously worked.” Additionally, he applauds how “Hamilton College carries out such functions with a high level of competence” that allowed for Saturday’s outcome to be possible.
The qualities listed by McLaughlin and Rivera came through in HEAT’s dance number in which President Tepper joined the group on stage. The positive attitude of Hamilton’s new President was definitely felt by everyone in the audience including Luiz Gandelman ʼ28, who shared that “it was awesome to see Tepper’s solo, and it is awesome to know our President has moves like that.”
Although a Presidential Inauguration may occur sparingly, McLaughlin adds that “there are moments of ritual in the work that we do in higher education, that make this environment and work special, and today was a great example of that.”
