This photo—Freshman Freak Day, 1956—elicited all kinds of silly and creative entries. A few themes emerged: mostly fire drills, fashion faux pas, and sorority pledging. There were also two entries, apparently from observant geeky types—referencing UX, or user experience. We didn’t even notice that book cover partially tucked under the towel! Did you?
Definitive history about Freak Day was hard to find. The 1947 Grist described that year’s Freak Day as “the biggest the campus has ever seen,” with over 200 “first year coeds … costumed in everything from a football suit to a barrel.” What we know is that Freak Day lasted for many years and involved first-year women students dressing as outrageously as possible.
These days, URI’s Greek organizations sponsor Freek Day, giving first-year students a chance to learn about fraternities and sororities. Is there a connection between Freek Day and Freak Day? Please write in and share your stories if you can help fill in the missing history!
In the meantime, thanks for the captions, and please keep sending them! •
Summer winners: Freaky Fashion, 1956
Winning Caption
“When the fire alarm went off, we dressed as fast as we could!”
Bruce Zimmerman ’51
Runner-Up
“These 8 a.m. classes don’t give us enough time to coordinate our clothes.”
Ronald J. Rabczak ’75
Honorable Mention
“Early morning power outage creates collective wardrobe malfunction.”
Jill S. Mason ’82