Sophomore Year
Fall 1964

Sophomore year brought out the boisterous, fun-loving and sometimes arrogant spirit of the Class of 1967. Because of the ban prohibiting sophomores from the Street during the fall, classmates joined together in huge rooming groups that resulted in extemporaneous shenanigans and wild parties throughout the year. The two most raucous groups were in the 13th entry of Little and fourth entry of Joline. The Little group had a large athletic element and boasted men like Phil Handy, Searle Field, John Faggi, Guy Woolston, Dave Hilgendorf and Doug James. The Joline group had fewer training requirements to keep, and sparked by the likes of Stew Marr, Doug Kelbaugh, Phil Ammerman and Jay West, the entry was the noisiest on campus.

The first news that hit the class when it arrived back on campus in September was that the chapel rule had been abolished. Everyone thought it was a good move, but on the other hand it seemed inequitable to let the Class of 1968 off scot-free when we had been forced to suffer the rule. To vent its frustration the class launched an all-out head-shaving campaign against the freshmen. None of the yearlings liked it, and in Cane Spree competition they almost had complete revenge and came within five points of upsetting the overconfident sophomores, 330-325. With the help of a senior the freshmen swimmers illicitly obtained the sophomores’ lineup, and by setting their strategy accordingly they came with a point of knocking off the sophomores. In addition, the freshmen captured both basketball games and took the tennis competition. The outcome of the entire competition was decided in the cane wrestling. Bruce McLucas, Roger Phillips (in record time) and Nick Adamson each took their bouts, but it was Steve Brown who finally won the day by defeating his opponent in the very last bout.

Once classes began, everyone settled into the routine. But now it seemed much harder to finish all the school work, or at least it seemed to wrankle less when we didn’t finish it. It also seemed a lot easier to cut lectures in the morning and flick out at night.

Since it was an election year, there were also more late-night debates and interesting speakers on campus. Neither Johnson nor Goldwater could make it in person, but they both sent their right-hand men. Humphrey received an exceptionally warm welcome, and his speech in Dillon gym was largely drowned out in cheers. On the other hand, Miller’s reception was more subdued, and his speech received mostly polite applause. The two different receptions were only natural. A straw poll conducted by the Princetonian during the fall revealed that 66 percent of the undergraduate body supported Johnson, while 27.3 percent supported Goldwater and 6.7 percent were undecided. However, the poll also revealed that of the four classes the Class of 1967 was the most conservative: 62.5 percent favored Johnson, 29.9 percent liked Goldwater, 7.6 percent were undecided.

Largely outweighing national political issues in immediate undergraduate concern was the question of the Friday night dorm rule. In the middle of October Bob Grant began circulating a petition requesting that the curfew on women in the dorms be extended to midnight every Friday night. Many criticized the movement and argued that Grant was acting out of hand and not following the proper formal procedure. Others agreed with Grant and by the time he presented the petition to the Undergraduate Council he had obtained 800 signatures – and the cry “Friday night’s a party night, not a grind night” was legendary across the campus. After studying the proposal for a month in committee, the UGC approved it and sent its request to the faculty. But the faculty refused to recommend it to the trustees, and so it died.

The fall had its happier moments, however. In contrast to the extravagant plans for the Freshman Prom, Soph Prom was an especially simple affair. By saving money on decorations and other frills the planners were able to keep the price of tickets down. But the economy measures didn’t keep anyone from enjoying himself and the dance was a success. But the social event of the fall was Prince-Tiger. Featuring Bo Diddley and Frogman Henry, the blowout in Dillon satisfied for at least a month everyone’s desire for an exuberant blast.

© 1997 by The Class of 1967, Princeton University. Reprinted from the 1967 Nassau Herald.