Archived copy — This is page is part of a snapshot of https://news.mst.edu captured on December 31, 2025. Its contents may be out of date.
Archived copy — This is page is part of a snapshot of https://news.mst.edu captured on December 31, 2025. Its contents may be out of date.
Comments on: A history of Miner pranks https://news.mst.edu/2021/03/a-history-of-miner-pranks/ Your source for the latest from Rolla Tue, 06 Apr 2021 14:51:42 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.7 By: Warwick W Doll https://news.mst.edu/2021/03/a-history-of-miner-pranks/#comment-249712 Thu, 01 Apr 2021 18:26:00 +0000 https://news.mst.edu/?p=36848#comment-249712 The burning of an outhouse on the intersection of the two streets in front of the Dean’s house was mentioned to me by my parents who both graduated from MSM in 1933. In 1961 when I came to campus they burned an outhouse that Halloweeen. However, the stealing of an outhouse became more difficult as rural homes moved to indoor plumbing. I do not remember the year that Mearl Baker became the dean of MSM or early UMR and moved into the dean’s residence. I do remember that the academic dean put out a memo that the outhouse burning tradition was to end and that there would be serious consequences if an outhouse was burned. However, an outhouse was located and set up to be burned on Halloween evening, and Dean Baker came out with a BBQ apron, chief’s hat, and sticks for roasting marshmallows. He told us that he appreciated us continuing the tradition and there were no consequences.

My father graduated from MSM in 1933 and he told me that there was a very strict dress code that was enforced by the upper classmen. Freshman wore beanies and were allowed to wear only one type of pants. An additional type was added for sophomores and so on. If you were caught with the wrong type of pants, the upperclassmen would depants you on the spot no matter where, and the pants would either be hung 20 feet in the air on a telephone pole in downtown Rolla, or they would be taken to a Woman’s clothing store and left in the lady’s underwear department. My dad came back to live in Rolla after WWII, and he told me that a lot of war-hardened GI’s took advantage of the GI Bill and came to MSM to study. The wimpy upperclassmen that had not been drafted attempted to enforce the pants and beanie rules, and my father told me that it was no surprise that when they confronted the veterans about wearing the wrong pants that it frequently was the upperclassmen that lost their pants.

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