Today was E-Plant day here on the University of Saskatchewan campus. This is one of the big events during "Hell Week", the week of engineer events.

The two most visible groups of students on campus here are the Agriculture students who sport blue coats, and the Engineering students in their red jackets. At some universities, I understand that the engineers are the only noticable bunch, but the Ag program here is large enough to provide somewhat of a foil for them.

During Hell Week, some member of the Ag Student Society Executive (often the president) is kidnapped and boozed up by the Engineers. On Friday at noon, the victim is duct-taped to a large "E" on top of a red pole (see below). The geers march to the small rise just in front of the historic Thorvaldson building (it's maybe a 3' elevation, a hill by Saskatchewan standards) and "plant" the pole in the middle of the hill. Hence the name, E-Plant. The geers proceed to link arms and bunch around the pole, chanting all of their three or so songs.

The Geers prepare the "hill".

Meanwhile, the ags are painting themselves blue and finishing up plans of attack. Their task is to liberate their fearless and drunken leader from the pole. Once ready, they march across campus from their building to the site.

The Ags part the crowd.

The Ags now have 20 minutes or so (there are some sort of official rules . . .) to try to get their exec member back.

Carnage ensues.

And when I say try, don't think that I imply any measure of success. In all of the years they've been up to this, the Geers win every time. Consider: they have the advantage of higher ground, and often soak the hill in dish soap to make it very difficult to run up. They are also strong as a group, while the Ags can only try in small groups. And the Ags never win, despite creative efforts like throwing mattresses on top of the crowd to climb over. This leads to acts of frustration like throwing buckets of manure on the Geers during the attack (the Ags do have access to such things, though the throwing of animal feces was eventually declared illegal in the rules . . .).