Fleming Culture

From the moment freshmen join Fleming House, this motto becomes a way of life. One of the original four Caltech houses, Fleming is a tightly knit group with a strong sense of pride and tradition. Our strength comes from teamwork and support for one another. Members of Fleming House are called Flems. The Fleming House color is a fierce bold red that we Flems wear and display often. Typically, other houses know when Flems are approaching by the sea of red marching towards them.

Even though Fleming is currently displaced from its original house due to a restoration project and is living in a trailer park (affectionately referred to as South Park), the Fleming spirit is still strong and ever-present. Upon moving into the modest living quarters, our first order of business was to paint the railings red to make our fellow Flems feel more at home.

Adding to Fleming’s sense of community are the weekly social events, organized by the Soc Team. Traditionally, Fleming has activities such as broomball, pies and ice cream, and bowling. Also, Soc Team leads in building Fleming’s interhouse party, BFP (Big F Party). A tradition that combines Fleming’s preference for sports and sense of community is the annual trip to the Rose Bowl. For an entire afternoon, Fleming members and alumni play football, ultimate frisbee, and other games inside the famous stadium. Finally, on special occasions, Flems gather near the Fleming Cannon to watch the Cannon Master fire it.

Flems also pride themselves on their athletic prowess. Fleming House dominates in the annual interhouse sporting events, and while Flems are on the court or the field displaying their skills, even more Flems are standing on the sidelines cheering, “Go Big Red!”

Fleming dinners are also rich in tradition and house pride. Flems eat together as one large family. Academic discussion is strictly forbidden, to provide reprieve from the intense Caltech experience. The dinners are waited by upperclassmen who are both feared and respected (yet sometimes mocked). Paper napkins are used to make densely packed balls which are then thrown almost constantly throughout dinner by all participants. Often hundreds of napkins will be flying across the great dining hall. Pitchers (or buckets) of ice-cold water are poured onto the heads of those who may have misbehaved.

Each of us live and experience the Fleming tradition, our strong sense of community remains even years after leaving both Fleming and Caltech. That is why we remain Flems for life.