Purdue Traditions

By -
           There are several fun Purdue traditions to take part in during your time on campus! One of the most famous examples is a fountain run, which primarily take place in the fall at the beginning of the school year.  Students run through the fountains on campus, including Loeb fountain, Memorial fountain, the lion’s head fountain, and the engineering fountain.  Fountain runs are great ways to cool off in the summer, bond with friends, and prepare yourself for a new year at Purdue!  The lion’s head fountain is one of the stops on the fountain run, but also presents another Purdue tradition in and of itself.  According to legend, drinking from each of the four lions’ heads will grant you good luck on your next exam.
Another important tradition is associated with the bell tower.  Supposedly, if a student stands under the bell tower before they graduate, they will graduate in more than four years.  As such, most Purdue students can be seen walking around the bell tower – but never under it.

Not far away, in the sidewalk, there’s a replica of the train tracks that used to wind through what is now the center of campus.  These are associated with a Purdue tradition called “Crossing the Tracks”, which is done by jumping across the replica train tracks, traditionally before freshman year and after graduation senior year.  Freshman year, students jump from the north side of the tracks to the south, symbolizing their entrance into the Purdue community.  Following their graduation, new alumni jump across the tracks from the south to the north side to signal their departure from Purdue and entry into a world of opportunity.
Finally, there is the Purdue Hello Walk.  This is a stretch of pathway across Memorial Mall where, as stated in the plaques on the ground, pedestrians are encouraged to “smile and say hello to everyone you meet.”
These are just some of the traditions here at Purdue!  These and more are introduced to students during Boiler Gold Rush (BGR), a week-long orientation for freshmen that takes place the week before school starts.

- Cassandra Marie McCormack
WE Link Recruitment Project Committee Member
IE 2019


Stay Connected With WIEP!
Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering
Twitter: @purduewiep 
Instagram: @purduewiep
Blog: http://purduewiep.blogspot.com/
Email: welink@purdue.edu

Use the hashtag #PurdueWIEP on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

Purdue Women in Engineering

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Purdue Housing

By -
Image
One of the many concerns incoming freshmen have is what to do regarding their housing options. In addition to the roommate selection process, you may be interested in seeing your on-campus options in terms of amenities and the communities available within the building. For example, when I accepted my admission to Purdue as a freshman, I knew I was interested in a standard double that I had experienced at a summer college program. To ensure my University Residences housing, I applied to Vertically Integrated Projects so that I would be able to pursue a research project as a freshman while also guaranteeing my housing within Earhart Hall through the connected learning community. For more information on learning communities, read our previous blog! Many freshmen will live in a residence hall, even if they are not in a specific learning community. Now, as a Resident Assistant or RA in Earhart Hall, I have been trained on the term “residence hall”; our halls go beyond a traditional “dormito
Read more

A very (sub)objective review of dining options at Purdue

By -
Image
Jenn and her friends after the Thankgiving dinner Food is an integral part of our day. For some people, the very first thing they do in the morning is eat breakfast. I personally prefer my cup of coffee to a stack of waffles. Nonetheless, food has the power to pick up a bad mood, enhance a good mood, and even ease the stress you are feeling about exams and homework. The awareness I have of how food impacts my mood is recently found since I started college in August. at home I usually came home to my mom or dad making something delicious in the crockpot. Suddenly I arrive at college and there are so many options that it can get overwhelming at times to figure out what to eat. Navigating the dining options at college did not seem like something I should have been worried about, yet it was something that took a month of experimenting to perfect.  The key is knowing where to go and what is consistent. I decided to help you out and give you some insight into how I view each dining option on
Read more

Top 10 Extracurriculars Purdue Students Want You to Join Outside of Engineering

By -
Image
1. Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM):  The biggest student-run organization on campus! You can join as a dancer, where you get to fundraise leading up to the 18-hour long event or be even more involved and join a committee! Some of the committees include Riley Relations, where you fundraise to sponsor events for the Riley families throughout the year & are paired with a Riley family for the night of the event, Special Events Committee, where you organize 5K’s and other events around campus throughout the year, and so much more! 2. Boiler Gold Rush (BGR):  Whether it be as a new student, a team leader (TL), or even a Supervisor, there are so many ways to get involved with BGR! This week-long event is held the week before classes start in August. As a new student, it is your first chance to meet your new colleagues and participate in many games, fountain runs, and other fun activities throughout the week. It is also a great way to familiarize yourself with the campus an
Read more