Over the years, the Pergola bore silent witness to many activities on campus, but one annual tradition held there was far from silent! The annual Pergola Party, held in the beginning of each fall semester, was the one activity that came even close to hazing on campus.
The Pergola Party was a tradition popular in the 1980s-early 2000s, but it had its roots in an earlier tradition. Sometime in the late night hours, freshmen were rousted out of bed and brought to the pergola, where they would have to sing the “Nun Song,” a Hood song that lamented the fact that men weren’t to be found on the campus, describing students as the “nuns of Hood College” without a “damn man in this nunnery.”
The Pergola Party expanded on the Nun Song tradition by introducing shaving cream, whipped cream, silly string and water. The freshmen were decorated with foam and water by the upperclassmen, but the upperclassmen were not immune to getting doused themselves—everyone managed to get soaking wet and covered with foam. Often, after the party, food was provided for the party-goers, and while the freshmen didn’t appreciate waking up, they had a great time at the party. The Pergola Party celebrations went on for more than two decades but were eventually stopped when the antics became too rowdy.
