Everyone at Le Moyne is familiar with the iconic “Dolphy Day”: a long day of day drinking, skipping classes, and partying outside. There are many rumors as to how this tradition was started, but I am here to tell you the real, untold story of how Dolphy Day came to be.

It all began back in 1969, when one group of the rowdiest students on campus decided they wanted to do something unforgettable. They wanted to plan a day when the whole campus would just stick a giant finger up to all their professors, responsibilities, and anyone else who cared about Le Moyne. And who were these students? The most popular club on campus: Chemistry Club.

The night of April 20, 1969 the seniors in the club just finished creating a new hallucinogenic drug they had been working on for the past four years, and they thought it was about time they try it out. They called it “Dolphy Dope.” They all ingested the drug, and not more than 25 minutes later, they were running around the campus like a group of wild animals.

The men’s rugby team heard of the partying and couldn’t sit idly by and watch the Chemistry Club get all the attention, so everyone on the team decided to shotgun 10 beers each and join the Chemistry Club in their storming of the campus. This party carried on into the next day, which just so happened to be the nicest day of the spring semester. Slowly but surely more and more students joined in on the day drinking and trying the “Dolphy Dope.” That day only three commuter students ended up going to their classes while everyone else was partying outside, much to the administration’s dismay.

This party day was named “Dolphy Day” after the drug that started it all. Chemistry club was temporarily banned. Since using school equipment to invent a new drug, “Dolphy Day” has yet to resurface again after that day, for reasons that are illegal to discuss. Because Chemistry Club brought public shame to the college, the men’s rugby team so generously agreed that they would take all credit and lead the festivities for all future Dolphy Days for years to come.