An Untraditional Campus

I recently visited my friend who goes to the University of Michigan. As we were walking along, we came across a large letter “M” etched onto the ground. My friend and all the other Michigan students walking by actively avoided walking over the letter. “Only seniors can walk on it,” my friend explained. “If underclassmen step on it, they’ll fail their first exam.” After hearing this, my first reaction was to jump around on the “M” and make fun of my friend for refusing to do the same. After that, though, I couldn’t help but feel a little jealousy. Why didn’t Conn have anything like that?

I’m a senior now, and I still feel that same jealousy. In my three-plus years at Conn, I’ve felt a little deprived of traditions. In truth, when I began to write this article I could not name a single one (aside from Fishbowl), so I went to The College Prowler for assistance. Seeing the website’s list of Connecticut College’s so-called traditions ended up being redundant (we all know about Floralia), and it did little to sway me.

Of course, I already knew about most of the events that made the list (although, what the hell is Camel Cabaret?), but I don’t really think most of them count as traditions. I think a more accurate name for things like Harvestfest, Camelympics and Festivus is “annual event.” If I were to describe for you my family’s traditions, odds are I wouldn’t just say Christmas. Rather, I would describe the things my family does which are uniquely our own. (First, my mom wakes us all up at exactly six o’clock. Then it’s off to the den for eggnog and figgy pudding…not actually, but you get the idea.) As I see them, traditions are those special little rituals shared among a group. I don’t think that we have those here.

Next to each event listed on The College Prowler is a little description of said event which more closely resembles what I think of as traditions. Unfortunately, while everything The College Prowler lists is interesting, it’s not entirely accurate. Sure, we all celebrate Festivus, but when’s the last time you “started the night by exchanging gifts with your ‘Secret Snowflakes’ at a dorm party…”? They’ve gotten enough right that I don’t think that they have us confused with Wesleyan like in other sections of the website. (I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t think that the worst part about going to Conn is getting caught in the Middletown bubble.) I don’t think that the Prowler is making things up about our fair school. I think it’s much more likely the traditions that made our school unique have been lost to time. I mean, think about all of our major school celebrations—how many of them stray from the formula of dress up, have a couple of drinks and go out somewhere to dance?

Now, some of you may be wondering why I’m complaining. After all, it’s a fun formula, but I see Conn’s lack of traditions as a part of a much larger issue: as a school, we don’t have a very strong identity. We certainly have a very special school, but I don’t know that I would call it unique. I don’t think that this is necessarily our fault. We’re only now celebrating our centennial which in college years is the equivalent of entering adolescence. Just like most adolescents, we are still developing our sense of self. It’ll come eventually; I’m sure of it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help the process, and I think that it will be much more productive if we learn how to make the things we already have truly unique to us, rather than just slapping a camel on it and calling it a day. Traditions must start somewhere, so why can’t they start with us?

Anyway, I should probably wrap this up. I have a quiz tomorrow, and I’m going to go rub the wings of the angel statue down south. I hear it brings you good look on school  work. •