The Offending Banner
The Tank Scrap was not unique in the history of class rivalries and the hazing and pranks associated with them. Period literature mentions other class on class scraps at other universities and colleges during the same time period. What made the Tank Scrap stand out was its size, violence, and the target. There were other pranks at Purdue University, both on and off campus, undertaken by Purdue students at the very beginning of the school year. Class numerals were painted on such things as the fence surrounding the football field and even the tower of the Mechanical Engineering Building. Class flags and banners were hung from the towers of University Hall, the Electrical Engineering Building, and the flag pole next to John Purdue's grave. Once these were seen the rival class felt obligated to remove the offending banner and replace it with their own.
Class of 1903 flag.
