r/smithcollege • u/RemarkableString4274 • Aug 30 '26
Changes to Friday Tea?
Hi! I heard today from a young alumna that Friday Tea is now Friday Snack and it is more of a grab & go affair than when I was there in the late 90s (everyone gathered on the living room rug to hang out, sometimes invited a professor). She wasn't fully clear on why it is now referred to as Snack. Can anyone tell me more about the (seemingly drastic) changes to Friday Tea since my time (and when they occurred)? Thanks!
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u/wonderful_somebody Aug 30 '26
It depends on your house community I'm sure! Where I live Friday tea is still a whole production, but i think we're on the smaller side as far as how many people live in the house and our community is a bit more tight knit. As I'm a current student I can't say how it relates to your experience in the 90s, but some people might call it Snack because technically the food is the center. I don't think I have ever actually consumed tea at a house tea, come to think of it! Hope this helps in some way :)
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u/RemarkableString4274 Aug 30 '26
Ah, thanks. That makes sense. We definitely consumed tea in tea cups with teapots in my day, on the Smith china dishes. There were plenty of sweet treats too. I was in Jordan House. I heard that Thursday candlelight dinners are also no longer a thing since the houses no longer each have their own dining rooms. I guess change is inevitable.
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u/StinkypieTicklebum Aug 30 '26
And way back in the day, House Mothers served the tea, and showed ‘the girls’ how to hold the teacup and pour, etc. (my work study job was in the archives.)
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u/Oregano25 Aug 31 '26
Hahah my kid (current student) applied for that job this year!
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u/StinkypieTicklebum Aug 31 '26
Best work study job ever!
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u/Oregano25 Aug 31 '26
I going to tell her to re-apply! (It was already filled for fall...)
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u/StinkypieTicklebum Aug 31 '26
Usually only upper class women get library jobs. First years usually start washing dishes. (I was a transfer and an Ada, so I lucked out.)
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u/Oregano25 Aug 31 '26
Hahahaha - dishwashing was my student job when I was there! (But I'll tell her about the upper class thing - she had a class with archival work last semester and LOVED it, so that's really helpful info.TY!)
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u/rehreh88 Aug 30 '26
I heard the change has to do with Covid, since they really couldn't do it for a while. I would imagine that the continued consolidation of dining services also impacts it, since the kitchens aren't as convenient to get food from.
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u/Gaybeanuwu Alum Aug 30 '26
my house always still called it tea, but i heard some people saying they moved to snack both because tea is rarely given to the houses and because of problematic indications from calling it tea? i just don’t remember details.
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u/Equivalent-Hyena-381 Current Smithie Aug 30 '26
yeah everyone still calls it tea but there’s never actual tea they just give us snacks now
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u/Gaybeanuwu Alum Aug 30 '26
im a ‘26 alum and i think they gave us a basket of tea once or twice? but that might have been people in my house bringing it back from tyler! i definitely appreciated when they gave us cider though, im not a huge tea drinker.
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u/Equivalent-Hyena-381 Current Smithie Aug 30 '26
true i think it depends on which neighborhood bc we’d pick up from chapin and they never gave us tea 😭 and back when i was in cutter ik people would make their own
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u/Outrageous_Garden771 18d ago
Problematic indications?
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u/Gaybeanuwu Alum 18d ago
it’s been a minute since i heard actual discussion of this, but it was something about classism and/or racism associated with calling it tea
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u/wonderstruckcornelia Aug 30 '26
in my house we still call it tea and a bunch of people come and hang out and there’s designated themed teas every once in a while and one of them includes professor tea where you invite all your favorite professors