Greek Games

The Greek Games were started in 1903 as an informal competition, when Alice Rheinstein Bernheim and Cecil Dorrian, members of the Class of 1905 challenged the Class of 1906 to a competition loosely modeled on Ancient Greek athletic competitions, including both athletic and lyrical competitions. The early years of the Games were very informal with a greater emphasis on the athletic contests, which consisted of wrestling, archery and tug-of-war. Although other colleges and universities held similar athletic contest based on the Greek model, Barnard’s was unique in becoming more “Greek” in nature, with a greater emphasis placed on the costuming, poetry, pageantry and performance. In 1908, the class of 1910 presented a chorus and dance as part of the competition. The athletic events also changed to reflect the greater emphasis on historical accuracy and evolved to include such competitions as the discus throw, hurdling for form, hoop rolling, torch races and chariot presentations. A panel of judges awarded scores to the participants in the various competitions, including the poetry and costumes. In 1909, the Games were dedicated to a specific patron deity, which from that year forward became part of the competition.

Starting in 1912, tickets were offered for admission to people other than students, faculty and alumnae; in 1913, men were allowed into the audience and shortly thereafter, notable women and men of the day were invited to be judges of the competitions. Christopher Morley, from the Saturday Evening Post attended as a spectator in 1923; W. H. Auden was a Judge of Lyrics in 1947. As the Games became a staple of Barnard College campus life, they became more formalized and better organized. Initially organized by two small committees from each class, the increased extravagance and size of the Games required greater oversight. This was reflected by the creation of a centralized Greek Games Committee, formed from members of both competing classes, that oversaw everything from finances to lyrics to musical selection. Faculty oversight was also necessary, and professors from the Physical Education, Classics, English, Dance and Music Departments were key members in the organization of the Games. Of particular note are Edward Delevan Perry, Professor of Ancient Greek; Agnes Wayman, Marion Streng, Lelia Finan and Marion Philips, Professors of Physical Education; and Bird Larson and Mary Porter Beegle, dance instructors. Dean Virginia Gildersleeve was also instrumental in providing support to the Games.

By the 1920s, the Greek Games became an elaborate pageant based more on aesthetic performance than on athletic skill. Having been established as an essential part of campus life, there was great interest in the Games for the first half of the 20th Century. However, in the 1960s, interest in the Games began to wane. They were seen as an antiquated tradition of campus life that had little to do with the concerns of the students. This feeling culminated in 1968 when, in conjunction with the student strikes at Columbia University, the participants in the Greek Games voted to cancel the Greek Games in solidarity with those students.

There was an attempt to re-establish the Greek Games in 1969 as part of a more general music and arts festival, but it was unsuccessful due to lack of interest. Other attempts were made to remount the games in later years, but were also unsucessful. The McIntosh Activities Council (McAC), a student-led group, restarted a different version of the Greek Games in the 2010s.