Academic attire confusingly coded
Twice last week the pomp and pageentry of a traditional academic procession highlighted the Inter-Century Seminar portion of KU's centennial celebration.
Twice the deans and professors gathered to march in pairs into Hoch Auditorium to the solemn strains of the organ processional.
To the more facetious mind, the whole affair might have seemed like a conclave of so many academic batmen swooping down the aisles in long, black, flowing gowns, yet perhaps that same mind could not dismiss the curiosity aroused by the colorful symbolism of the garb.
TASSEL COLORS, style of cap and gown, length of hoods and color of hood linings are coded to indicate the wearer's degree, major field of study and the university where he obtained his degree.
But why all this symbolism and how did it start?
Just before the 20th century in America, colleges and universities were developing an academic costume that was a confusing hodge-podge of caps, gowns and boods—each had to be memorized separately if distinctions were to be drawn.
Finally, in 1895, American universities awakened to the problem and responded by sending delegates to a commission which set out a uniform code for academic wear. The decisions are followed even today, although with modifications made by succeeding committees. The latest council met in 1959.
The code is basically in three
parts—each dealing with caps, gowns, and hoods. Of these, the caps are by far the simplest. Most academians wear the familiar Oxford style cap or mortar board. Exceptions to this rule are women scholars and high university officials. They have the option of wearing the Cambridge style or soft cap which resembles an over-large beret.
CAPS ARE ALWAYS black and may be made of any suitable fabric. Velvet, however, is reserved for those holding a doctorate.
The tassel may come in three variations. It may be black, signifying any college degree or gold, indicating a doctorate degree or status as a governing university official. Finally, it may be colored to represent a field of learning. Tassel colors range across the spectrum. The most common are: light blue, education; orange, engineering; drab, business; brown, fine arts; olive green, pharmacy; pink, music; yellow, science; scarlet, theology; dark blue, philosophy; peacock blue, public administration and foreign service; cream, social science; and green, medicine.
A problem that arose over tassels was which was the proper side on which to wear it? Some schools made a ceremony of having graduates switch the tassel from right to left at the moment the degree was conferred. Frustrations developed in this system, for the first stray breeze often deprived the graduate of his new degree. Therefore, the 1959 conference decided to let the tassel lie where it will.
THE CUT OF the gown is the deciding factor in determining the degree. A bachelor's gown is relatively simple, falling in straight lines from an elaborate yoke. It is distinguished by long pointed sleeves and has no adornment.
The master's gown until 1960 had a peculiar design in which the wearer's arm protruded from the sleeve through a slit at the elbow. The rest of the sleeve dangled and often reached to the knees of the wearer. This style was uncomfortable for no matter how hot the day, a coat had to be worn underneath to cover the arms. Disregard of this rule let to the style which is in general use today. Now, the slit is at the wrist instead of the elbow.
DOCTORATE GOWNS are elaborate costumes marked by velvet panels down the front and around the neck plus three velvet bars on the bell-shaped sleeves. The cut is much fuller than the others, and has the option of being ornamented in color. As a matter of practice, however, too much color is considered garish and is rarely seen.
Of all the components of the academic costume, the hood has the most symbolism and is the most accurate.
Only on the hood are all bits of information recorded. The level of degree is shown by the size of the hood and the width of the velvet trim. Bachelor's hoods are three feet long, master's are
TRYOUTS YELL LEADERS
Allen Field House
Tuesday, April 19, 7:00 p.m. (Practice)
Thursday, April 21, 7:00 p.m. (Practice)
Tuesday, April 26, 7:00 p.m. (Tryouts)
ELIGIBILITY:
Freshman, Sophomore and Junior Men.
1.0 cumulative KU grade average.
three and one-half feet, and doctor's are four feet. Trim along the hood is two, three, and five inches respectively for the bachelor, master, and doctor.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Call Vince Bilotta, Alumni Office
127 Strong
UN 4-3821
in number of schools throughout the country.
The velvet trim also identifies the major field of study by colors, which are coded the same as tassels.
Finally, the hood tells the school of graduation through color. The original commission in 1895 naively said that each school was to use its school color. It did not anticipate the sharp increase
Later, double and triple chevrons were introduced to provide more schools with symbolic combinations.
Even multiple colors failed to be enough to distinguish some schools so chevrons were attached to the hood to insure uniqueness. The basic pattern was simply one chevron; the variations were two and three chevrons characterized by bars with the background color between them.
'Funny Girl' expects baby in December
LONDON—(UPI)—Funny girl Barbra Streisand is expecting a baby in mid-December, it was announced today.
spokesman said she would keep her contract to appear in the show here until July 16 but will have to cancel her American concert tour scheduled for the late fall, which would have brought her more than a million dollars.
Miss Streisand, who will be 24 next Monday, opened in London last Wednesday with "Funny Girl" to rave reviews. The
A spokesman said the sultry gamin and her actor-husband, Elliott Gould, were "thrilled and have been hoping for a baby" since their marriage on Sept. 13, 1963.
10 Daily Kansan Monday, April 18, 1966
ARENSBERG'S 819 Mass. VI 3-3470