On the day of the Big Game, thre is no such, thing as being fashionably late to the game. Both rooting sections are filled half an hour before the game begins, and a cheering battle is staged. One year, the Stanford section unrolled a huge paper finger, about 15 rows long, and made obscene motions with it in the direction of the Cal section.

The rooting section itself is not the haphazard affair of an Ivy League school. There are two oblong sections, one for roughs, the other for coeds. All the roughs wear white shirts and rooters' caps. These caps are red on one side and white on the other. Certain designated people wear the red side of their hats up; everyone else wears white. The result of this folderol is a red S on a white background. Meanwhile the girls' section is com- Pletely equipped with pompoms. These are sticks with a lot of red and white confetti on the and, Whenever anything exciting happens, a mass of pom-poms waves madly in the air, and whenever the band plays, all the red and white confetti moves in time to the music.

Once the game begins, the noise really starts. The head cheer leader has a P.A. system to give instructions to the rooters. Every time the team comes out of the huddle, the rooting section omits a mighty rear. On a close play, everyone stamps his feet, creating thunder before the rear. Cheers are frequent, and one tradition soaked cheer, the venerable "Axe Yell," is reserved all year long for a crucial point in the Big Game. When it finally comes, the whole stands fall into a hush as 7000 rooters boom out the tones of this famous chant. The inspired team immediately rushes to some great deed such as a first down or possibly a TD.

Half-Time

During the half-time, activity stops on the field but not in the cheering sections. Each rooter removes some colored cards tacked to his seat, and card stunts begin. Card stunts picture beautiful scenes and humorous scenes, spell out words--anything the ingenious minds of the rally committee can think of.

At the end of the game, its symbol, the axe, is presented to the winning team by the Governor of California. Forged in 1899 in the shape of a medieval battle axe, this weapon has had a stormy career. One month after its unveiling on the Stanford campus it was captured by California and carried off to Berkeley. Many years later, when it was beng removed from the vault of an Oakland bank, it was seized by a group known as the immortal six and brought back to the Farm. Another theft returned it to Berkeley until 1930, when 21 stalwarts from Stanford stormed a rally and captured it. Three years later, by mutual agreement, the Axe was made a Big Game trophy to be displayed in the student union of the winning team until the next Big Game. During the game, it is waved vigorously by the school which last won it, and after the game it is regularly presented by California's Governor.

PaJama Party

Another quaint outlet for the Stanford spirit is the pajamarino. The freshmen men annually put on pajamas for the rally before the game with Southern California. The festivities begin with the freshmen parading down fraternity row. The frat men line up on both sides of the street with stale fruit and water hoses. Freshmen survivors of this-proceed to the basketball court where they become the feature attraction of the rally. Then they march over to Roble Hall to serenade the freshmen women. This serenade usually turns into an attempt to storm the sacred Roble Halls. Up fire escapes and through windows stream the pajamaclads, running through the corridors and gathering souvenirs on their way.

On the serious side of student life, there is a strongly organized government. The administration stand is that the college should provide a full extra-curricular life which should be run by a student organization. This organization is the ASSU, the Associated Students of Stanford University. With a budget of $150,000, the elected executive committee of the ASSU does not try to influence publications' editorial policies, it has a controlling had on their finances and supports an unwritten law that the Daily prints no sex or crime stories. Once the Daily editor himself trial, but no mention of it was made on the newspaper's pages.

Fraternities

Fraternities play a key part in this student government. Although about one third of the men live in fraternities, most of the student offices are held by Greek letter men. Sometimes, appointive positions are by custom considered the permanent property of a certain fraternity.

In spite of the broad powers given this executive committee, most students feel that it is a do-nothing organization. A move to put some 'new life" into the ASSU was started in one election when a non-fraternity man, who had never held an office before, entered the ASSU presidential campaign with a brass band and guitar playing campaign. Under a preferential balloting system, he had a large majority on the first count, but lost in the end by three votes.

The College's housing plan consists of dormitories, fraternities, and small living groups for women--no sororities. All freshmen live in dorms. Sophomore men have the choice of frats, a dormitory, or the Village, a former Army hospital. New dorms are being built.

Sororities used to play a strong part in Stanford social life--so strong a part that the university decided to abandon the sorority system during the thirties. The houses were bought by the College and now constitute a small residence living plan. Fraternities were abandoned during the war, and many thought that they would go the way of sororities. But the system returned after the war and now flourishes.

Social life at Stanford is completely different from Harvard's, for Stanford is coed with no strings attached. The radio is three males to one femme. "Why wait for weekends? is the motto. Picturesque couples dot the campus, longing on the lawn in front of the library or strolling to the Cellar for a cup of coffee. It is virtually a university policy that there be at least one open dance on campus each weekend. The aim is to provide a complete life for each student right on campus. This is almost accomplished except that Mr. and Mrs. Stanford insisted that no liquor should ever be allowed at their college.