October 10, 2014

When did the blue and gold dinks first officially make their appearance at Drexel? An 1938 article from The Triangle, pictured below, announces the Inter-fraternity Council's plan to require all fraternity freshmen 'wear dinks of the same make, color and design.'

Excerpt from The Triangle, October 11, 1938

While the wearing dinks was a mild form of hazing, it was met and embraced with great enthusiasm by the fraternity freshmen. In the following year, another article 'We Want Dinks' was published in The Triangle, where it questioned why the wearing of dinks should be limited to only freshmen living in fraternity houses. As dinks were desired by other freshmen as well, it's no wonder that it later became a tradition for all Drexel freshmen to don the dink!

 
Article from The Triangle, October 13, 1939

Later in the 1950s and 1960s, the tradition of wearing of dinks still served to foster a collegiate atmosphere. Dinks and name buttons were worn by freshmen during the first week of the term during Freshman Orientation where they met faculty, student leaders, and fellow classmates. Freshmen wore dinks to attend the football game and the mixers. 

Four students wearing their Drexel dinks and name buttons while playing the piano (pictured at below).

Three freshman at Drexel Lodge with their dinks at the Drexel Lodge enjoying hotdogs (pictured at below).

Football and dink donated by George E. Piper (class of 1957) and dink donated by Paula Milmon Hutt (class of 1955).

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