What Are Some Common Campus Traditions Or Events That Students Look Forward To?
Some Common Campus Traditions Or Events That Students Look Forward To
Many students look forward to their college experience because of its traditions. They may be light-hearted — a food fight, say, or the annual Pterodactyl Hunt at Swarthmore — or more serious — a scholarly convocation full of Latin phrases and arcane procedures. But, whatever their tone, campus traditions create a bond between students and their university. The best traditions – those that survive — are those that make their students feel part of the school community, says Derek Drummond, professor emeritus at McGill University. Many of the traditions that have died out, he adds, were deemed sexist, class-based or crude — think panty raids and engineering students riding Godiva through libraries and engineering buildings.
Frosh week, homecoming and convocation are among the most common campus traditions – and they’re often tied to Student Life in other ways, too. At the University of New Brunswick, for example, students who are inducted into Greek organizations are crowned on Homecoming weekend. The students then wear their new honorary titles at the parade and during a ball. This, says Lisa Howland, assistant dean of students at UNB, helps to tie the alumni to their alma mater.
There’s also the Occidental birthday tradition where students celebrate their big day by having classmates grab them and then throwing them into the school fountain. Students can’t control when they’ll be dragged to the water, though. It could be a random selection, or it might be your birthday.
What Are Some Common Campus Traditions Or Events That Students Look Forward To?
If you’re looking for something a little more bloodcurdling, Georgetown University has the Healy Howl, which takes place each Halloween. After watching the 1973 fright flick The Exorcist — the film was partly filmed on campus and Georgetown alum William Peter Blatty wrote the screenplay for it – students head to the cemetery near Healy Hall where they howl at the moon (supposedly loud enough to wake the dead).
Another bloodcurdling campus tradition comes from Columbia University, where the last Sunday of each semester has students open their windows and let out a collective primal scream. It’s meant to relieve the stress of final exams and, NPR explains, “sounds like Gozer’s hysterical howl as he attacks the city.”
Other crazy college traditions include the Dragon Day at Cornell University, which has students in costumes parade a giant dragon through campus on its way to the Arts Quad, where it battles a phoenix representing rival engineering students. At Reed College, there’s Renn Fayre, a three-day spring festival where students strip down and cover themselves in blue paint.
And at Emory, there’s Dooley, the unofficial mascot who is a not-so-scary skeleton dressed in all black. Students who know his motto and his story are able to get released from classes during Dooley’s Week. The best part is that nobody knows who Dooley really is, so he’s never actually scary. It’s a win-win for the students. And they love him for it.