University of Wyoming Students Were Once Forced To Wear ‘Freshmen Hats’
Hazing is no longer tolerated at the University of Wyoming; or at least, it's not officially sanctioned. For generations, however, incoming UW students were required to wear special "freshmen beanies" at all times for an entire month.
"Fresh, just a warning. These caps are to be worn constantly until Thanksgiving. Then you may put them in your strongbox until Easter when you must don them again for the rest of the school year," the Wyoming Student announced on November 2, 1917.
Freshmen who were seen in public without the beanies risked further hazing from upperclassmen.
"It would be advisable to show your good taste and sense of beauty and WEAR THE CAPS," the editorial urged freshmen (in all caps).
Forcing freshmen to wear funny hats was a longstanding tradition at several colleges and universities around the country. At Penn State, the freshmen beanies were called "dinks". At Ohio State, the caps were designed to resemble a peanut. At Georgia Tech, generations of incoming freshmen were required to wear beanies with the letter "F".