Cayuga's Waiters

Cornell University a cappella group

The Cayuga's Waiters were an all male collegiate a cappella vocal ensemble at Cornell University from 1949–2017. Cornell University permanently dismissed the group in 2017 as the outcome of an investigation into hazing incidents.

The Cayuga's Waiters formed in 1949. The name is a play on Cornell's alma mater, "Far Above Cayuga's Waters". :239 Although dressed in standard Glee Club attire (a tuxedo), they distinguished themselves from other Glee Club members by draping towels over their arms—a visual pun on their ensemble's name. Their repertoire included such popular songs as "Mood Indigo," "Mandy," "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," and "Lord, If I Get My Ticket." Despite the shock of disassociation, both organizations went on to enjoy enormous success throughout the remainder of the 20th century.

In 1974, The Waiters performed their first annual "Spring Fever" concert. The Waiters performed this show annually until 2016. The show was mentioned on various blogs, including Slope Media, which described the show as "taking [ ] A Cappella to another level." In the early 1990s, the Waiters added a December Holiday Show to their yearly concert repertoire. The Holiday Show was performed every December through the 2000s.

In 1990, The Waiters wrote and performed "We Didn't Go To Harvard," a parody of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire." The song has received over 152,000 views on YouTube, and has inspired other college singing groups to create their own parodies based on Billy Joel's 1989 #1 hit song.

In 2000, shortly after its fiftieth anniversary, the ensemble uploaded much of its material to the Internet.

The 2012 sleeper hit movie "Pitch Perfect" was based on Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory, a non fiction book written by group alumnus Mickey Rapkin ('00) and published in 2009.

In 2016, the Waiters were temporarily suspended by Cornell's Office of the Judicial Administrator for possible violations of the Campus Code of Conduct. Cornell University announced on April 25, 2017 that the Waiters were permanently dismissed from campus for their history of hazing infractions.