I arrived at Gest Hall one unassuming Spring morning to find a student dressed as Yoda taking their usual seat. When asked by the professor to what we owed this dramatic pleasure, said individual performed a speech in Yoda’s distinctive accent for the class. Thus began for me what I soon learned is known as Hell Week, an opportunity for a playful introduction to Bryn Mawr College orchestrated by older students. The ritual is a spectacle witnessed by everyone across the Bi-Co, either voluntarily or entirely by chance.
I left the classroom thoroughly bemused and met friends at the dining hall. Soon the gossip began rolling out: stories from the battlefront, also known as the Bryn Mawr College campus. Some friends had condoms bestowed upon them at the bus stop, others were visually assaulted by large blow-up duck costumes and one particularly notable Sexy Lord Byron. Other interactions between us Haverfordians and Hell Week included a delightful pop-up chai latte stand in front of the Pembroke Arch, and tales of a one-woman performance of Les Miserable.
Now, I won’t go into lurid details of the somewhat nefarious activities which I witnessed in these seven days. Though I am a Haverford student, I am certainly not a tattletale. Indeed, I would be frightened for my life if I spread to the general public what secrets I do know concerning the cultish behaviors I heard of being performed. What I will say is this: the weekend Instagram stories flooding in from BMC were a sight to see. The party scene in these parts tends to repeat itself, but what a refreshing vision of Bi-Co nightlife presented itself over those 48 hours! Graphic description would be tasteless, but swing by Bryn Mawr College next year and you’ll find yourself tripping like Alice in Wonderland.
What, in a nutshell, do we Fords think of Hell Week, you might ask? Well, since it was ruled that the event be confined primarily to the campus of our sibling school, it has evidently become easier to avoid the disturbing affair. However, rules are made to be broken, and more than once did we catch out of the corner of our eyes an attempt at a shenanigan on our turf. Opinions on BMC tradition at HC range from vague distaste to unbothered exhaustion. One senior Ford who wishes to remain anonymous observed that it always seems to be the Bryn Mawr students who bring the topic of Hell Week up in conversation. “But then,” she notes, “they always say ‘Oh, no, we can’t tell you, it’s a secret.'” So it seems that the joy of perceived mystery is an integral part of the process, a particularly bothersome aspect for Haverfordians who are drawn into discussion on the subject.
In my (admittedly limited) discussions on the topic, not many students have desired anything similar to emerge at Haverford campus; and not to stir the pot, but more than one Bryn Mawr student mentioned to me their relief at taking refuge in a Haverford class during the week. Indeed, one Ford who, interestingly, also wishes to remain anonymous, has expressed his deep-seated discomfort at the thought of being alone in a room with a Bryn Mawr student during Hell Week.
Some Fords might truly believe that the Bryn Mawr student body can only be described as a band of impish yet academically inclined cult members. I agree with the consensus. But, as a first year, I find joy in seeing that traditions remain alive across the Bi-Co. It’s always a nice change in the class schedule to see someone in the prime of life chasing geese in their undergarments.
