Cane Rush

In the waning days of the nineteenth and early days of the twentieth century, an annual cane rush was held on campus, which usually resulted in a broken arm or two and many black eyes. In the cane rush, a representative of the freshman class and one of the sophomore class met in the center of the parade field and gripped a cane between them—usually a hickory hoe handle, since a broomstick could not stand the strain. Each class lined up behind its representative and, at a signal, all rushed forward to get possession of the cane. In order to win, one side had to get the cane into the entrance of Humes Hall. The rush was divided into two phases: full possession by one class of the cane and a last-ditch stand at the entrance of Humes Hall to prevent the cane’s being delivered into the hall. After the particularly vicious 1909 event, the faculty halted the practice.