The University Archives would like to welcome back all returning students, and welcome for the first time the class of 2026!

The flurry of activity during the first week of classes is always exciting, and can be overwhelming too, especially for those of you new to campus. But at least no one is being dragged into a giant mud puddle! Back in the 1960s, a popular rite of passage for new first year students involved an epic tug of war battle between freshmen and sophomores over a pit filled with water and mud. The beloved rope pull was a mainstay activity for a few decades. Check out some photographs of the event below, and if you’re interested in learning more about what this first week of classes use to be like, check out the Archives online exhibition, The Freshmen Experience!