<P> Over the years engineering departments at universities in Canada have come up with various songs, some now obscure but others, such as the Engineers' Hymn, still in frequent use . </P> <P> The color purple plays a significant role in the traditions of engineering schools across Canada . The tradition of purple representing engineering is commonly cited to the story of the sinking of the Titanic, in which the purple - clad Marine Engineers remained on board to delay the ship's sinking, though the legitimacy of this origin is questionable . </P> <P> Purple is also the colour of the Engineering Corp in the British Military . It is common for engineers across schools in Canada to dye themselves (and their leather jackets, in the case of Queen's University engineers) purple using the medical dye Gentian Violet, especially during events such as Frosh Week . </P>

University of waterloo engineers dye themselves this colour for frosh week