▁annual ▁tradition ▁of ▁E aster s ' ▁parties , ▁which ▁began ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 0 0 s ▁as ▁formal ▁d ances ▁spons ored ▁by ▁the ▁rib bon ▁soci eties , ▁had ▁evol ved ▁into ▁a ▁week end - long ▁celebr ation ▁where ▁frat ern ities ▁would ▁flo od ▁Mad ▁Bowl ▁and ▁the ▁surrounding ▁areas , ▁creating ▁huge ▁mud ▁p its ▁for ▁the ▁event . ▁By ▁ 1 9 7 6 , ▁it ▁was ▁estimated ▁that ▁ 1 5 , 0 0 0 ▁people ▁had ▁come ▁from ▁up ▁and ▁down ▁the ▁East ▁Coast ▁to ▁fill ▁the ▁Mad ▁Bowl . ▁Stud ents ▁was hing ▁off ▁mud ▁led ▁to ▁c log ged ▁d rain age ▁systems ▁in ▁the ▁university , ▁and ▁entire ▁d orm s ▁were ▁flo oded . ▁Event ually ▁the ▁event ▁became ▁so ▁un man age able ▁that , ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 2 , ▁the ▁university ▁terminated ▁E aster s . ▁ ▁African ▁Americans ▁African ▁Americans ▁were ▁originally ▁admitted ▁to ▁the ▁university ▁in ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 5 0 s , ▁but ▁few ▁attended ▁until ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s ; ▁frat ern ities ▁at ▁this ▁time ▁were ▁generally ▁ra cially ▁and ▁religious ly ▁seg reg ated . ▁Although ▁a ▁student ▁frat ern ity ▁committee ▁emphas ized ▁the ▁frat ern ities ' ▁re jection ▁of ▁ra cial ▁disc rim ination , ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 9 ▁only ▁ 5 ▁of ▁ 5 7 8 ▁frat ern ity ▁p led ges ▁were ▁black . ▁African - American