Coolest college traditions....

[Think_Different_1]

<p>Okay, this isn’t about the best school or the best football team (unless you wish to include, of course, a football tradition- e.g. Saturdays at the Big House, the 12th Man, etc.). </p>

<p>It can be anything- academic, athletic, or anything in between. It has to be specific for a university.</p>

<p>Name the school and a brief description of the tradition…let’s see what we can come up with.</p>

<p>Cheers!</p>

[Think_Different_1]

<p>I’ll start:</p>

<p>UCLA’s Undie Run (which may or may not be continued due to safety concerns):</p>

<p>The largest Undie Run in America, it is comprised of up to 10,000 students (and creepers) running through campus and neighboring Westwood every Wednesday of finals week. The run begins just off of Frat Row and culminates on the intramural fields.</p>

<p>Others: Princeton’s eating clubs, Duke’s Cameron Crazies, Jim Tressel’s sweater-vest (Ohio State)</p>

[IBclass06]

<p>Women’s colleges have by far the coolest traditions. </p>

<p>Smith: [Smith</a> College: Smith Tradition](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/collegerelations/traditions.php]Smith”>http://www.smith.edu/collegerelations/traditions.php)</p>

<p>Hollins: [Hollins</a> University: Life at Hollins](<a href=“http://www.hollins.edu/campuslife/traditions/traditions.htm]Hollins”>http://www.hollins.edu/campuslife/traditions/traditions.htm)</p>

<p>Bryn Mawr: [Student</a> Activites | Bryn Mawr College](<a href=“http://www.brynmawr.edu/activities/traditions.shtml]Student”>http://www.brynmawr.edu/activities/traditions.shtml)</p>

<p>An example:

@May Day

All-day celebration that occurs the Sunday after the last week of classes. The entire college community comes together for a day of medieval festivity and a general good time. May Day begins with the seniors rising to go wake the President of the College; followed by class breakfasts. Following breakfast, May Day gets kicked off with a parade that begins at Rockefeller Arch and ends on Merion Green. After the parade, there is Maypole Dancing. Each class gets a Maypole in its class color, and the McBride/Graduate Student Maypole is in the McBride color of purple and the college color of yellow. There are many events throughout the day, including Scottish dancing, Morris dancing, the traditional King Arthur Play, the sophomore class play, the Robin Hood Play, a cappella concerts, various cultural dancing and music displays, and there is always a large concert in the afternoon on the Merion Green. May Day is concluded with the traditional showing of “The Philadelphia Story,” starring fellow Mawrter Katherine Hepburn. The last step sing of the year is held on this night.

</p>

[modestmelody]

<p>Walking through the Van Wickle Gates as a graduating senior at Brown was by far one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life, and I honestly was expecting very little until the month before it happened when I got super excited. It then surpassed my expectations.</p>

[skateboarder]

<p>Eating clubs just seem pretentious.</p>

<p>Tufts naked quad run!</p>

[vinceh]

<p>Back in olden times - you know, dinosaurs, no globes because the Earth was flat - when today’s politicians were only students: University of Michigan Hash Bash.</p>

<p>[Hash</a> Bash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_Bash]Hash”>Hash Bash - Wikipedia)</p>

[bayvcroberts]

<p>chicago’s polar bear run and ucla’s undie run</p>

[ag54]

<p>I’m a total Lonhorn, but I have to give a shout out to Texas A&M - Aggie traditions. Some are really corny (IMO- don’t say that to an Aggie), but some are absolutely beautiful - especially Silver Taps and Muster, where they honor alumni and students who have died. </p>

<p>[Aggie</a> Traditions at Texas A&M University](<a href=“http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/]Aggie”>http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/)</p>

[LakeSuperior]

<p>The “M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A! Minnesota! Minnesota! Goooooo Gophers! Wooooo Woo!” chant at U of M sporting events after they score a goal or a touchdown or make a three pointer.</p>

<p>Best Chant in Sports.</p>

[indiana25]

<p>Little 500 at Indiana University…for sure the coolest college tradition. </p>

<p>[Little</a> 500 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_500]Little”>Little 500 - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>“The greatest college week of all time. Where a campus of 40,000+ students celebrate a seemingly ordinary bike race by engaging in a week of mind blowing, wasted beyond your wildest dreams, non stop parties. Where class shuts down and drunken students stumble from bar to bar, frat to frat, street to street, drinking everything in sight and no amount of alcohol poisoning can stop them. Where it is more than acceptable to start drinking the moment you awake and SlipNslides, mud wrestling,Beer Pong, Rap concerts, and power hours are a daily occurrence. the Greatest College Week in America.” - Urban Dictionary</p>

[sgtpepper08]

<p>um…bladderball by far</p>

<p>[Bladderball</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bladderball]Bladderball”>Bladderball - Wikipedia)</p>

[lynxinsider]

<p>My favorite at Rhodes is the champagne toast to the graduates during commencement rehearsal. They’re sitting in the garden where they’ll graduate in caps and gowns, staff members who volunteer serve champagne to the grads. The president of the alumni associate offers a toast welcoming them to the alumni society. The glasses are etched with the college logo and “Class of XXXX”, and the grads keep the glasses. The sound of 50+ bottles of champagne being popped in about 2 minutes time is really cool.</p>

<p>I really like that tradition just because I remember that as a graduate myself - it was the first champagn cork popped in celebration of my graduation. And now work here and I volunteer to serve the champagne.</p>

[Cuse0507]

<p>UNC has several great traditions…
-Storming Franklin Street after a national championship
-Storming Franklin Street after we beat Dook
-Streaking through the library every semester before finals
-Halloween festivities/street party on Franklin Street
-Library flash rave (new tradition that is just getting started)</p>

<p>And pretty much every college with a good football program has the pregame flyover, one of my favorite traditions in all of sports. Last year we had the B-2 stealth bomber flyover before the Notre Dame game, and had Harriers, F-16s, F/A-18s, and T-38s for our other games.</p>

[noimagination]

<p>The University of Waterloo (Math faculty):</p>

<p>[Legend</a> of the Pink Tie](<a href=“http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/navigation/About/pinktie.shtml]Legend”>http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/navigation/About/pinktie.shtml)

A long time ago in a land not so far away, a Mathematician had a vision. He dreamed of a place where Mathies could roam free, uninhibited by societal pressures to study Arts or Science. He dreamed of a separate Faculty of Mathematics. And he chose Waterloo to realize his dream.</p>

<p>Professor Ralph Stanton, the visionary behind the Faculty, also dreamed of ties. Striped ties. Dotted ties. He loved outlandish ties and his colleagues favoured his pink one. The pink tie soon came to be the unofficial symbol for Math at Waterloo.</p>

<p>When the Math & Computer Building celebrated its official opening in 1968, a giant 85 foot pink tie appeared on the outside of the building as a tribute to Professor Stanton and his valued contributions. Every year, Math Frosh learn to worship the tie and all it symbolizes.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, the pink tie has been subject to sabotage and kidnapping over the years. A ruthless terrorist sect formed, calling itself The Tie Liberation Organization. The TLO stole the math’s icon in 1984 and travelled across Ontario, snapping photos of the famous pink fabric in such exotic locations as Sudbury, Ottawa, and Toronto.</p>

<p>A new tie – 40 feet long and 11 feet wide – was promptly purchased when it became obvious that the TLO would not return the original. This purchase cost the MathSoc $540.35.</p>

<p>The second pink tie was not stolen but rather destroyed during an Engineering-induced attack in 1986. The enemy Engineers launched a barrage of paint bombs at MC, covering the pink tie with gallons of white paint. Yet another tie was purchased in 1989 but urban legend has it that should this tie be lost or damaged, it will not be replaced.</p>

<p>Thus, the Tie Guard came to be. These intelligent, courageous, and loyal subjects have a specific job: to protect the sacred pink tie. Pink Tie Preservationist, Marco Koechli, a UW math grad, established the first Tie Guard by organizing a 24 hour watch during Frosh Week. Rival Faculties and terrorist organizations were no match for the Tie Guard and the pink tie miraculously survived. The Tie Guard is now a permanent fixture every Frosh Week and has evolved into a central information point for incoming math students.</p>

<p>These students take the legend of the pink tie very seriously and some 1000 pink ties are distributed during Frosh Week to new Mathies. Over the years, the tie has seen various styles, ranging from an historical wide version popular in the 60s, to the skinny style favoured during the 80s. (A collection of photos and pink tie memorabilia can be viewed in the MathSoc office.)</p>

<p>Since 1968, the pink tie has become a sign of strength and unity in the Faculty of Mathematics. The Faculty was the first of its kind (having originally been part of the larger Faculty of Arts) and UW currently has the world’s highest full-time enrollment in mathematics. UW students, staff, and faculty members alike are proud of the Faculty and especially the Legend of the Pink Tie. Long live the Tie Guard!

Caltech:</p>

<p>[Caltech</a> Undergraduate Admissions: Traditions and Pranks](<a href=“http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/techers/traditions_pranks]Caltech”>http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/techers/traditions_pranks)

Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” is played at the highest possible volume at 7 a.m. each morning during finals week (but playing the piece at any other time is forbidden);

</p>

[popnpoper]

<p>I think the Rock Chalk Jay Hawk is pretty cool.
The UCLA 8-Clap
The UTenn T formation for their football games.
Notre Dam Touchdown Jesus haha</p>

[jotajota218]

<p>Ohio State marching band dotting the “i.”</p>

[lynxinsider]

<p>^^ I have to admit, that is pretty cool, and I’m a Penn State alum…</p>

[Think_Different_1]

<p>Okay, here’s a few more:</p>

<p>“jump around” at U-Wisconsin
Frisbee cheer (followed by 8-clap)- UCLA [YouTube</a> - “Frisbee Cheer” students (The Den) @ UCLA Bruins Basketball](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHFsVUvXyRU]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHFsVUvXyRU)
Tightwad hill- UC Berkeley [Tightwad</a> Hill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tightwad_hill]Tightwad”>Tightwad Hill - Wikipedia)</p>

[Star_1]

<p>MIT’s hacks are legendary.</p>

<p>[IHTFP</a> Hack Gallery: Best of the Gallery](<a href=“http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/misc/best_of.html]IHTFP”>IHTFP Hack Gallery: Best of the Gallery)</p>

[pierre0913]

<p>Clemson:
-Running Down The Hill “The most exciting 25 seconds in college football”
-Football players rub Howard’s Rock before the game (unlike the other team which has to rub a gamecock, you get the point haha)
-Welcome Back Festival, was there yesterday, downtown Clemson gets jammed pack for that one
-Also, it’s cool that we stole everything from Auburn, their colors, their head coach (who brought all that stuff over) and their mascot haha</p>