SVC’s Top Scholars: The 2002 Alpha Chi Vermont Delta Induction Ceremony

Vermont Delta Chapter number 351 was installed at SVC in 1999.

Southern Vermont College was home to a active chapter of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Scholarship Society, and this 2002 program details the new member induction ceremony.

Southern Vermont College '90s Apparel: The Story of the Purple T-Shirt

Purple Southern Vermont College T-Shirt Clashes with Trademark SVC Green.

Somebody at the Southern Vermont College bookstore was feeling adventurous when placing an order for purple SVC logo T-shirts. 

While you'll have no problem finding a purple shirt in neighboring Williamstown, various shades of green undoubtedly represent SVC best. They don't call them the Purple Mountains, right?

This was another bargain-bin find from the late 1990s, purchased at the SVC bookstore when it was located in the basement of the Everett Mansion. The full retail price of the shirt was something like $29.99, which was a pretty penny in '90s dollars. 

After several subsequent price reductions, I became the lucky owner of this curious T-shirt for the cut-rate price of $5.99—which still amounted to about an hour of work-study pay.

Having no fashion sense of my own, the full ramifications of my new acquisition didn't become apparent until I received some good-natured ribbing from my wannabe fashion-police lounge mates.

Having said that, I get the last laugh every time I wear the purple SVC shirt. In this age of disposable fast fashion, how many people routinely wear clothes that are approaching 25 years old? The quality of this shirt has surely made amends for what was, at the time, a monumental fashion faux pas.

I've developed several theories about the curious history of the purple SVC shirt. Maybe the screen printer made an error. Maybe the bookstore employee who placed the order was colorblind. 

Were the purple shirts surplus from Williams College and donated to SVC? Or perhaps an SVC bookstore employee simply got a little too experimental with the color palette?

The truth may never be known. But one thing is certain: I'll proudly continue to wear the purple Southern Vermont College T-shirt—even if it means receiving a citation or two from the fashion police!

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SVC, Bennington, VT Estate - Mount Anthony