College Traditions have always been a great way of connecting students with their school pride. The key for these traditions is to have something that has been done for many years and have something for every student’s interests. Traditions can range from a daily, weekly or even monthly event to a football ritual, even scavenger hunts get the students pumped. For example, the University of Chicago has many traditions listed on their website that just make you want to go there! Besides the fact of them being an excellent academic institution, they keep their campus activity on the rise with some of these exciting traditions:

-Blues and Ribs- a great event to kick off the year where blues music is being played and delicious ribs are handed out to students in a facility on campus.

-Kuvia/Kangeiko- Kuviasungnerk, meaning “happy times,” and Kangeiko, a Japanese word meaning “calisthenics,” joining for an awesome weeklong festival in January. Students wake up early, like 5am early, every day and practice calisthenics or do sun salutations by the lake. In the afternoon they enjoy fireside chats with faculty, ice skating, and s’mores. The Council on University Programming funds this and the festival ends with near-naked run across the quads on Friday afternoon.

-Dance Marathon- if you like to dance, put on your boogie shoes and participate in Dance Marathon, the biggest college philanthropy in the nation. Students get together and dance for 12 hours to raise money for people in need. It originated at the University of Chicago in 2001.

-Scavenger Hunt –Students get pumped about this event every year. A scavenger hunt list of about 300 items is given and students go all out, some of them going across the map to get these items.

-Summer Breeze- This is a fun and great way to end the year. Students get together for free food, bands and a carnival that the Council on University Programming provides.

Check out UChicago’s other traditions at https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/studentlife/activities/traditions.shtml

Beloit College has something called “The Beloit College Mindset List of University Freshman.” This list is a compilation written by Faculty members Tom McBride and Ron Nief. The list contains facts about the upcoming freshman that teachers should know. It is a way for them to connect and better understand their new pupils through a humorous and very entertaining list!

Look up the list at: http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2014.php

College Football has a number of traditions as well. Clemson University’s team huddles around a rock known as Howard’s Rock  and rub it for luck before each home game. Then, they all run down “The Hill.” These exciting moments are what makes people feel connected and keep coming back. Clemson also has something called “First Friday Parade.” This is a parade that happens the day before the first home football game and has been a tradition since 1974. Students follow the parade to a pep rally to get everyone ready for the first Tiger game of the season!

Information on Clemson’s traditions can be found at: https://www.clemson.edu/about/traditions.html

Again, a key thing with traditions is making sure you have something for everyone and their interests, beliefs, hobbies, ect. New York University does a great job with this in dedicating time for students of all diversities. They have Pride month celebrating Gay pride with social events, lectures, and performances the whole month. They also promote women’s awareness through their Women’s Herstory Month. Agape week is a time dedicated to appreciating being a Christian. Greek week is another weeklong activity to participate in that includes service and leadership opportunities. International Education week goes on throughout the world that promotes global awareness on campus and encourages international partnership between nations. Students need these outlets to express themselves and figure out their interests.

For more information on NYU traditions, check out: http://www.nyu.edu/diversity/events.traditions/more.html

Traditions are a huge part of the college experience. Without them, an institution would not feel as united. So what are other ways or traditionalizing? What events do students love the most?