Bluffton is saying goodbye to a 112-year tradition and is replacing it with something new.
FareWelcome Week will replace the campus’ past celebrations of May Day. The event will be held during the week of commencement and serves as a transition for seniors to alumni status.
“It is the time for us to say ‘farewell’ to the students being students and ‘welcome’ to the alumni community,” said Jessi Samuel, alumni relations and annual funds manager.
Jessi Samuels at The Kiva in Marbeck Center. Photo taken by Olivia Daugherty.
FareWelcome Week will have events and activities dedicated to the seniors, such as a senior toast, a faculty speaker, an adopt-a-senior letter, and a senior send-off before graduation.
“You all are our future alumni base,” said Samuel. “This new senior week is to celebrate you all and all you accomplished on campus.”
May Day has a long history at Bluffton, with the first celebration dating back to 1910. The May Day traditions most alumni know started in 1914 when the first May Day Queen, Viola Welty, was crowned.
Starting in 1917, the event was held during the week of commencement and had events such as a 50th class reunion, a choral blessing, the coronation of the May Day queen and king and the Maypole Dance. The spring musical was also held during the week.
Maypole dancers of 2018. Photo provided by Kayla McSwords.
The Maypole Dance was an event where 16 freshmen dressed up in German-style costumes and wove ribbon around a pole. It is based on pagan, European traditions and represented the weaving of old and new traditions.
According to Samuel, many of the May Day aspects will be moved to Homecoming and Alumni Weekend. The Maypole dance and crowing of the queen and king will be discontinued.
“We have spent a lot of time listening to what the students and alumni have to say about May Day,” said Samuel. “We have determined that the dance is not something the current students see as a tradition they want to hold on to.”
May Day Queen of 2020, Leslie Beasley. Photo by Olivia Daugherty.
Leslie Beasley was Bluffton’s last May Day Queen. She was crowned in 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony was held online in response to the pandemic.
“Honestly I was not expecting to get it,” said Beasley, ’20 and current graduate assistant of the multicultural student organization. “Getting that title reminded me that I was still being seen even if I was not in the front.”
Beasley was also a Maypole dancer her freshman year, being paired up with her brother, LaJohn Beasley.
“It was a fun time for everyone to get together and celebrate,” said Beasley.
(From L to R) Leslie and LaJohn Beasley as Maypole Dancers. Photo provided by Leslie Beasley.
FareWelcome Week will start on May 3 with the final campus event of the semester, voted on by the seniors.
