Freshman caps?
I'd never heard of such a tradition, and it certainly didn't exist while I was at UW, that's for sure.
It seems they were passed out around Halloween and you were compelled to wear them, if you were a UW freshman, until the Thanksgiving break.
Based on the description, I guessed they were beanies. And in looking up the term, I found that, yes, in fact, they were. Apparently this was a widespread college tradition at the time. For example, the college paper for Ohio State reported in a 2014 article:
Freshmen Buckeyes were required to put on another hat besides their thinking cap back in the day
Just over 100 years ago, the tradition of the class cap was born, and all freshmen men were required to wear a class cap or beanie as initiation into the university.
According to OSU archives, the cap tradition began in 1912 and its look changed throughout its lifetime at OSU, including styles such as “jockey-style,” the “knitted toboggan” and the “peanut-shaped skull cap.”
And Penn State's college paper recalled the tradition in a 2015 article:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In 1906, upperclassmen at the then-Pennsylvania State College voted to have freshmen wear something to distinguish them from the rest of the students — thus the tradition of the "dink" was born.
Easily identified by the small beanie caps, freshmen were expected to know Penn State trivia and history and were often randomly called upon by upperclassmen to prove they were knowledgeable about their new school.
At least some schools preserve the tradition slightly:
RAT caps were first found on Georgia Tech’s campus in 1915. They were originally called “freshmen caps” because of the white F on the front of the cap standing for “Freshmen” rather than the traditional “T” we see today. All freshmen were required to wear the caps every day until the end of spring quarter unless Tech beat UGA in the fall quarter’s freshman football game. Freshmen caught without their RAT cap were subjected to punishment including what is known as the “T-cut”, which entailed a student’s hair being shaved into the shape of a “T”. RAT rules were enforced by Ramblin’ Reck Club and other upperclassmen. Anti-hazing policies led to the end of RAT rules. Today, out of respect for the tradition, freshmen receive a RAT cap at Convocation. Although it is now a voluntary tradition, students are encouraged to show their Tech spirit by wearing it to home football games. The marching band is a proud supporter of this wonderful Tech tradition.
A line in the last paragraph suggests something that probably is self evident. No matter what the traditional was, it'd be difficult for this tradition to be carried on today. Even though this tradition is long dead, some (student probably) commented on the Ohio State items thus:
This is flat out hazing. If we’re trying to remember this in a positive light, the entire university needs to reconsider how we look at student initiations.
Hmmmm. . . I'm certainly opposed to hazing, and I'm glad these weren't around when I was in university, but that seems a bit of an over reaction. Apparently some other reader (student?) also thought so as well, starting off with "(***), you are softer than baby thighs." and going on from there.
Well, a long gone hat related tradition. I know of a few others, but this is one that I frankly was completely unaware of.
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