在西北州立大学期间, 学生们成立了新的俱乐部,如枢机钥匙和蓝钥匙, 国家荣誉服务社. A swim team developed and the football team grew to more than 100 prospects. Memorial Stadium was renamed Rickenbrode Stadium in 1961 after longtime registrar William A. Rickenbrode. Northwest also switched from a system of quarters to a semester system with students starting classes after Labor Day. 注册课程对每个参与者来说都是一种折磨, taking two full days and allowing little flexibility for freshmen and sophomores.
By 1962, the student population increased to 2,500 and freshmen outnumbered upperclassman. 1961年以前,所有的新生都必须戴绿色的无边帽. 当被学长或m俱乐部的成员命令系上扣子时, a freshman was required to place a finger on the button on top of the beanie and bow, 行屈膝礼或跪下. Walk-Out Day signaled the end of freshman beanie hazing and marked the end of the new student initiation (hazing) period. Hazing of freshmen was formally abolished in 1961 when freshmen began to resist the tradition. 到1962年,返乡节已经成为一个更加精心策划的活动, 用薄纸和铁丝网做成的精致花车.