Lines of students wait for an all-campus picnic lunch during Outfly in 1954. Photo from archives
PHOEBE GYAMERA STAFF WRITER
Wartburg’s Outfly tradition has transformed drastically during the past century. While students once snake danced through Waverly, this year they will be competing for a 42-inch plasma television. A lot has changed since the inception of Outfly, but it is still a break from the college’s everyday routine. Outfly is a literal translation of the German word, Ausflug, which is an excursion or outing.
The first documented evidence of Outfly was recorded in German Script in the Wartburg College faculty minutes of October 5, 1892.
However, it is believed that the tradition began at one of Wartburg’s first locations, Mendota, Ill., in 1883. Students took a Friday-Saturday excursion to nearby Starved Rock Park.
“The intention of Outfly was that it would be called by faculty, a complete surprise to students,” Suzanne Torkelson, professor of music and alum, said.
The student initiative and spontaneity of Outfly that current students experience did not begin until the college moved to Clinton, Iowa, in the 19th century.
“During my time, in the late ‘70s, most people stayed up all night thinking, ‘Oh! We are going to have Outfly’ and when it didn’t, they regretted it,” Torkelson said.
When the college relocated to Waverly, Outfly occasionally took place two times per year, one each semester. For a few years, Outfly marked the end of freshmen initiation.
“I remember my freshmen initiation came on Outfly where the upperclassmen had a bunch of us kneel at the fountain,” The Rev. Larry Trachte said. “We got pushed head-first into the ice cold fountain water. It wasn’t much fun because the weather was pretty cold.”
Although it is no longer an initiation ceremony, some of the early Outfly traditions have survived. The picnic atmosphere has characterized Outfly through the years.
Early on, Outflys included all-school picnics for students and faculty. In the 1960s and 1970s, Outfly became less organized and groups of students frequently picnicked off-campus.
“We used to go up north of Waverly, where the tracks are, to a park to have a lovely picnic and enjoy ourselves,” said Trachte.
Still, some sort of campus activity generally took place and evening activities were frequently planned for students returning from a day outdoors.
When the college became more permissive in the 1970s and beer was allowed at all-campus parties, the Outfly party on campus featured beer, a tradition that ended with the change in drinking age from 19 to 21. Now, students, faculty and staff enjoy a noon picnic on the Campus Mall.
Terry Letsche, associate professor of computer science and alum, said the drinking age was 19 during his first Outfly.
“The Trumpet ran a lead story with a photo of the crowd at Luther Hall. One of my friends was in the front of the crowd holding a beer,
he said. “Her mother had ordered a subscription to the Trumpet, and she didn’t know how she’d explain it. We had a good laugh at her expense in my CS 120 class.”
Outfly was originally declared the night before, but excessive drinking that night led to Outfly being a secret until the day of, especially since the drinking age went up to 21 in July 1986.
“Campus groups would routinely have beer in front of Old Main as a fundraiser. An area would be fenced off, and you’d pay to get in and could drink what you wanted. I, of course, was too studious to take advantage of this,” Letsche said.
Outfly has changed over the course of a century. Now, even though it is secretive, a lot of planning and organization is done in advance.
Faculty is also in on the guessing game since authority over the date of Outfly has been given to the college president and student body president.
“Wartburg values tradition and heritage,” Letsche said. “I think Outfly will be around a long time.”