BSD: A history lesson

By Scott Strasser

Bermuda Shorts Day, or BSD as it is commonly known, is an annual tradition at the U of C that has been around for over 50 years. Every spring, on the last day of winter semester classes, U of C students gather to blow off some steam and celebrate finishing their classes in the form of a campus-wide party.

In 1961, U of C student and Gauntlet editor Alan Arthur bought his first pair of Bermuda shorts. Wanting to celebrate spring, Arthur wrote a message on the main hall blackboard, stating that everyone should show up wearing Bermuda shorts. Many of the university’s 250 students did, and a tradition was born.

Nowadays, BSD is an SU sanctioned event, with live concerts, beer gardens and other organized events. BSD has achieved national recognition, and has become one of the U of C’s most time-honoured traditions.

So if you don’t know, now you know.

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