DISCLAIMER: Article part of Old Black & Blue

By: Georgina Washington

Have you ever wondered what being a Wofford student would have been like when the college was started? Now, with the introduction of 1854 Week, a week where Wofford will operate just as it did over a century ago, all current Wofford students will be able to understand why alumni keep complaining about the modernization of the school.

“There have been multiple comments made in the past few months about how Wofford has gone downhill as time goes on,” says Joe King, dean of student life and event coordinator for 1854 Week. “We think that this event will give the students a way to connect with the alumni that they believe are ‘out of touch’ and ‘old.’ Hopefully, the alumni will feel like they are being heard and will stop writing letters to the school.”

“I saw Hamilton when I was on vacation in New York,” says Holly Wood ’17, student body president. “It was really good. I think that it will be cool to see what Wofford was like years ago. I’m very excited, but I will say that nobody has told me yet what female students are supposed to do during the week.”

Students are expected to dress accordingly during 1854 Week, and classes will be tailored to subjects that would have been offered when Wofford first became a school. For example, students that would typically take German or Chinese will instead take Latin. Also, all classes will be held in Old Main.

“I don’t know anything about Latin,” says Warren Peace ’19, history major. “I don’t care about what a bunch of dead guys were talking about. There’s no way I would use any of this in real life. It doesn’t even have anything to do with my major.”

As many students know, Wofford began as an all-male institution, established before the Civil War began. To replicate the original student body and address any concerns that Wofford cares too much about gender or racial equality, any female or minority students will attend classes in Olin, Milliken and the Phase V classrooms, separate form the while males being educated in Old Main.

Another concern frequently brought up by alumni is that Wofford promotes “promiscuity” and ignores its history as a Methodist-affiliated school. In order to appease this criticism, male and female students will not be allowed to interact, and any public displays of affection from any student will be reprimanded.

“We want students to be able to understand Wofford’s history,” says King. “If alumni believe that the school has become too modernized, then we’ll take it a couple steps back. Gone are the days of smartphones and laptops. Also, students won’t have to worry about parking anymore- they won’t be able to use their cars at all! I think this event will catch on and solve a lot of problems. Maybe we will start to use Hillsdale College as our example.”

DISCLAIMER: Article part of Old Black & Blue Issue