Kangaroo Court

The Kangaroo Court was a mock court created to punish freshmen who violated the mandates of upperclassmen.  The court was first convened in 1939 alongside the birth of the requirement to wear beanies.  If a freshman was found not wearing a beanie—or in later years, not carrying the Signpost—he or she faced sentencing by the Kangaroo Court. Early punishments sent offending students for a dunk in Lake Michigan or forced them to eat standing up. As the ritual aged, punishments like shaving cream pies to the face and wearing silly outfits became the norm. The court disbanded in the 1970s as beanies and other hazing rituals were retired.

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A tame Kangaroo Court, from The DePaulia 09/29/1950, published by DePaul University, Chicago.

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A student getting covered in shaving cream at Kangaroo Court, from the Signpost 1958, published by DePaul University, Chicago.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/42474333/Fall 2013 Exhibit - Retro Fall at DePaul/Documents/Item 20 p1.JPG

Kangaroo Court section of The DePaulian 1971, published by DePaul University, Chicago.

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Kangaroo Court section of The DePaulian 1970, published by DePaul University, Chicago.