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10 odd college traditions you might find hard to believe

Jessica Pawlarczyk
Vanderbilt University

College culture revolves around age-old traditions, and it just so happens that some of these traditions are downright strange.

From naked quad runs to driving backwards around campus, every student body has its own set of graduation "requirements."

Check out the crazy list of traditions below— although they may not be dean-approved, they sure are entertaining!

Florida State University's Sod Cemetery

Believe it or not, FSU has a small cemetery (with headstones and all) for dead pieces of sod. Dating back to 1962, this bizarre cemetery was born when professor Dean Coyle Moore dared the football team to bring back sod from Sanford Stadium's football field.

Gene McDowell, the team captain, followed through with this challenge, and when Moore was given the chunk of grass, he buried it at the FSU practice field to commemorate the team's recent victory. The practice of sod stealing continues to this day, where captains are expected to bring back a piece of the opposing team's field.

Don't worry though; FSU only takes turf from the University of Florida, teams they are expected to lose against, and teams they face in the ACC championship and bowl games… Yup, that's it.

Yale University's Foot of Good Luck

Rumor has it that rubbing the brozen foot of a statue of former university president James Dwight Woolsey will ensure good luck, especially for high school prospects that are hoping to be accepted.

Some more squeamish Yalies say, however, that no one "really" rubs the foot. "It's covered in bacteria," pointed out one undergraduate to the student newpaper. But if bacteria isn't you're thing, neither will be the second, less-than-appealing tradition: In order to graduate, some upperclassmen are rumored to urinate on the foot at night. Gross!

University of Virginia's Homer Statue

Speaking of statues, the University of Virginia has an equally bizarre tradition that revolves around its statue of Homer. Students streak at the Rotunda steps, run across the lawn, either kiss or smack Homer's bum (depending on what the streaker's height permits), and then runs back to the Rotunda.

Besides the possibility of slipping on the grass, streakers risk being caught by campus police who are rumored to slap students with a "sex offender" title. So if you ever visit the university, be sure to keep your clothes on!

Sewanee: The University of the South's Guardian Angels

Situated on high land in Tennessee that reaches towards the Heavens, some say that the university's campus is full of angels. Students naturally seize the opportunity to "borrow" a guardian angel whenever they leave campus; all they have to do is tap the car roof as they exit through the campus gates, and in order to return the angel, they tap the car roof again to release it. As for students who leave campus by foot or other alternatives, I suppose they are fresh out of luck (and guardianship)!

The green space area surrounding Mirror Lake at Ohio State University

Ohio State University's Mirror Lake Jump

This unwise, somewhat dangerous tradition began in 1990 when about 100 students jumped into Mirror Lake two nights before the football team faced off against Michigan, the school's greatest rival.

Nowadays, thousands of students make the jump the night before the Ohio State-Michigan game. Although it may seem like harmless fun, the tradition takes place during a frigid time of year, causing some students to experience hypothermia… How fun!

Reed College's Seventh Annual Nitrogen Day

Apparently, Reed College believes that nitrogen is highly undervalued and unappreciated element. Consequently, the college commemorates the special element every year with its Seventh Annual Nitrogen Day. (Notice how every year is labeled as the "seventh." This is because nitrogen is seventh on the periodic table. How clever!)

It seems that the holiday is more of an excuse for students to have fun though; the day is spent attending a campus festival with free food, entertainment, and, of course, a haiku recital.

Murray State University's Shoe Tree

It is certainly a sight; in the middle of Murray State's campus stands a tree decorated with over 50 pairs of shoes. Though its origins are unclear, tradition states that college sweethearts who fall in love and marry must come back to the tree and nail two shoes (one from each partner) to it. The shoes are often marked with the couple's anniversary, and sometimes, couples return to the tree to post baby shoes once starting a family.

You've got to admit that the whole idea is pretty adorable… yet kind of weird. Can someone explain to me why a shoe is the object of choice?

Columbia University's Orgo Night

This twice-a-year event is ultimately motivated by the desire to annoy organic chemistry students. Each semester the night before the org. chem. final, the marching band bursts into the library playing the alma mater at full volume in order to distract students. (Check out a video of last year's Orgo night!) I'm sure organic chemistry students just love this tradition.

Cornell University's Dragon Day

Every St. Patrick's Day, freshman architectural students design an intricate dragon structure that stands several stories high. Students from the architecture college dress in crazy costumes and parade the dragon around campus. As a dramatic finale, the students (used to) set the dragon on fire in the Arts Quad. (Crazy video, as you can imagine.)

Throughout the ceremony, engineering students verbally harass and insult the architectural students because there is a huge rivalry between the two majors… Super cool.

Carleton College's Primal Scream

In an attempt to relieve stress the night before finals start, all Carleton students stick their heads out of a window at precisely 10 P.M. and scream. (Similar traditions also exist at Columbia University and Stanford among others.)

After the cringing period of shrieking and wailing, the students go back to studying as if nothing ever happened. Hey it may be a bizarre ritual, but it sounds like more fun than a stress ball!

Does your college have an odd tradition that rivals those mentioned above? Let us know in the comments.

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