In 1914, James Herty Lucas wrote an editorial in The Yellow Jacket Magazine proposing that all new students wear a RAT Cap, a common practice on many campuses at the time. The editorial proved persuasive: RAT caps made their debut at Georgia Tech in the fall of 1915, emblazoned with a white “F” for freshman. (It was later swapped out for the more familiar “GT.”) Eventually, the short-brimmed caps became more personalized: Students had to write their last names on the front bill, their graduation year, and the phrase “To HELL with georgia” on the back. Students also received detailed instructions on other written requirements: hometown and state, and scores of football games. Those who didn’t wear the cap risked a variety of punishments: among them, being listed on the Freshman Slacker List in the Technique, or appearing—and often being punished—through “RAT courts.”
Today, all incoming first-year students receive a RAT cap as a keepsake at Convocation, though typically only members of the band wear them regularly to practice and band camp. “They are the stalwart keepers of traditions,” says Living History's Marilyn Somers.
Facts about RAT Caps
- Introduced in 1915 by ANAK.
- Freshmen were required to wear them every day and everywhere on the campus until the freshman football team beat the Georgia freshman team on Thanksgiving. If Tech lost the game, the caps were worn until the end of the school year.
- The entering Class of 1917 was exempt because they were all in uniform.
- To be caught without a RAT cap was to face varying degrees of hazing from upperclassmen. This could be mild and administered quickly or more severe and require a hearing from the RAT Court.
- T-cuts were often administered by the RAT Court.
- When women enrolled, their punishment was to rat their hair and tie on ribbons for a period of time.
- There was a standard procedure for writing on the cap.
- The tradition died out in the mid-to late 1960s.
- Today, RAT caps are given to incoming freshmen as a symbol of Tech traditions and are often kept by alumni as treasured memorabilia of their college experience.
- The members of the Tech marching band continue to wear RAT caps.