By Vaughn Bui & Travis Wu
Throughout the world, many universities host their own unique and exciting traditions. These one-of-a-kind events often strengthen the sense of community students experience by serving as a breather from the extensive studying, researching and working jobs. Taking a look at various traditions from a handful of colleges, we can begin to understand just how outlandish these traditions can be.
Take a jog at the University of California, Los Angeles’ “Undie Run”
Serving as the ultimate stress reliever—if you can believe it to be— the University of California, Los Angeles’s (UCLA) Undie Run takes place during the school’s finals week at midnight. The tradition had begun in 2002 where former UCLA student, Eric Whitehead, alongside a group who had protested the prohibition of the Midnight Yell—another tradition in which students screamed at midnight to relieve stress—ran around the streets of Los Angeles in nothing but their underwear. The university had banned the legendary Undie Run in 2009, although both the Undie Run and Midnight Yell still take place annually regardless. If you ever participate, make sure to at least be ready for the midnight cold; you’ll have nothing except underwear!
Make some art at Northwestern University’s “Painting the Rock”
A tradition lasting for more than a century, Northwestern University’s Painting the Rock is a tradition held throughout the entire academic school year. The specific rock in mention, located at the heart of the school’s campus, is painted on during important events such as graduation days, move-in days and other celebrations like Earth Day. The rock isn’t unrestricted however, as whoever wants to paint it must “stand guard” of the rock for 24 hours in order to earn the “right” to paint whatever they’d like! The university has even set up a camera in order to watch the beloved rock to see if anyone is guarding it, or just to see if it might be another person’s time to paint.
Eat donuts at North Carolina State University’s “Krispy Kreme Challenge“
North Carolina State University’s (NCSU) Krispy Kreme Challenge is a challenge not for the faint of heart. It’s a challenge that consists of running two and a half miles to the nearest Krispy Kreme, eating a dozen donuts, then running back to the university’s campus in only one hour! The tradition is meant to fundraise for the University of North Carolina Children’s Hospital and has impressively raised more than two million dollars at the cost of more than a million donuts eaten. The tradition is not for everyone, but being called a “Trailglazer” for completing it in itself is worth competing for!
Horsing around at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology “Hacks”
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Hacks are a fancy term for an elaborate prank meant for other campus students or staff. The hacks must follow certain rules and guidelines but in the end it’s primarily a way to demonstrate the creativity and cleverness of MIT students. The university has a dedicated website to track hacks done throughout the years. A notable one is the “Harvard Duck Heist” in which students of MIT stole an inflatable duck from Harvard’s campus and brought it to MIT’s computer science lecture halls. Hacks like these are truly what makes MIT a great school!
Become a purple engineer: engineering students dye themselves purple in Canada
Many engineering students at Canadian universities like Queen’s University and the University of Waterloo have a common tradition in which they dunk themselves in a basket of purple dye, turning them purple. The tradition is usually held during Frosh Week—the week freshman students begin their introduction to the school. Legend has it that the reason why the color purple is symbolic with engineering is because Marine Engineers who worked on the Titanic wore purple. These engineers fought till the end in order to keep the Titanic to stay afloat. The purple dye tradition serves to commemorate those engineers while also serving as a fundraising event. In the meantime, what’s there not to love about becoming Barney for a little while?
Final thoughts
Though it may not seem like it at first, the majority of universities throughout the world have a handful of unique traditions. It only takes a quick search to figure out whether or not the college that you’re going to has one too!
