Purdue Whimsy
Purdue, being a Big 10 University, is home to a lot of school spirit. Besides pride in our sports from basketball to volleyball to football, Purdue students are also passionate about the campus history and traditions that have been forged over the past 150 years. In this post, the blog team is highlighting some of the Purdue spirit traditions you might not have heard about.
Purdue Traditions and Orientation
One of the unique things about Purdue is the various traditions practiced by students, alumni, and families. One such tradition or architectural wonders of Purdue is the Clapping Circle. Located in the common green space between the Wetherill Chemistry building, Stewart Hall, and Purdue Memorial Union, the Clapping Circle is a common stop on tours. The Clapping Circle consists of brick and elevated grass and tree sections and when one claps, a squeak can be heard echoing around the space. Now graduated, intrigued students have done analyses on the location to discover that the squeak is due to the orientation of the bricks and elevated green spaces.
Another tradition is the fountain run. The fountain run circuit starts at the Engineering Fountain and moves to the Lions Fountain, then to the Loeb Fountain near Beering Hall. The fountain run path is not concrete though, with some runners making stops in the Sinninger Pond located near the base of the Bell Tower and the Class of 1894 Fountain found in Memorial Mall. Students will often complete this run during orientation, graduation, or whenever the heat gets to be too much here in Indiana.
As previously mentioned, many of the Purdue traditions and superstitions are covered in the Purdue orientation program, Boiler Gold Rush (BGR) or Boiler Cold Rush (BCR) in the Spring semester. Freshman, transfer, international, and exchange students are all encouraged to join the program. Prior to the starting of classes, students will get organized into groups with 1-2 current Purdue students as leaders and will cover important topics related to student life at Purdue including Purdue history, completing the traditions mentioned here (and more), and learning about Purdue’s campus. Incoming students will be introduced to the campus, dining system, student clubs, and Purdue programs. As someone who participated in and has friends who have acted as team leaders in BGR, I can attest that it is worth coming to school early for - it is a great opportunity to learn about Purdue, meet other students, and make college life seem a little less scary.
Perhaps not a tradition, Purdue students can be very superstitious whether it be a sip of good luck for exams from the Lions Fountain or avoiding walking underneath the Bell Tower. Students seem to avoid walking underneath the Bell Tower like the plague, taking longer paths to avoid crossing the barrier. It is said that walking underneath the Bell Tower will ensure that an undergraduate student will not graduate within 4 years. Never fear though, I, myself, walked under the Bell Tower at least 5 times while first visiting campus and am still on time to graduate by this Spring!
Lily Brodiznski, Senior in Chemical Engineering
Food, Food, and More Food!
Whether you’re finishing up an assignment, watching some Boilermaker basketball, or just hanging out with friends, you’re almost always going to want something to eat! Luckily, Purdue has tons of options. While dining courts and Purdue retail locations are great choices, sometimes it’s great to step just off campus and explore. Some of my personal favorites include Triple XXX, Mad Mushroom, and Nine Irish Brothers. Triple XXX, a classic root beer stand (do yourself a favor and get a Triple XXX rootbeer) was even featured on the Food Network! It’s a great stop for a burger or some great breakfast food. In the mood for some pizza? Head over to Mad Mushroom and treat yourself to their famous cheese sticks. If you’ve got more of a sweet tooth, take a trip to get some ice cream at the Silver Dipper or some cookies at Insomnia! No matter what you’re in the mood for, there are plenty of options for great food at Purdue!
Whose House? Our House!
Purdue may be known for its high-class academics, but here we take our sports just as seriously! No matter the sport, whether it’s basketball, football, volleyball, soccer… (the list goes on) boilermakers show up to support our teams. One of the reasons is because Purdue makes it so easy to get tickets as a student. Current students (and sometimes incoming students, depending on availability) have the option to buy what is called a “Boarding Pass,” a sports pass for students. With the Boarding Pass, students receive tickets to all home football games, the ability to enter a lottery for basketball games, and the opportunity to claim tickets to volleyball games and other sports. There are also ways to buy the boarding pass in advance and purchase add-ons like Paint Crew, Ross-Ade Brigade, and Block Party. Paint Crew, the “official sixth man” of Purdue basketball, not only allows you to get tickets to ALL of the home basketball games, but also the opportunity to enter Mackey Arena early and sit closer to the court. Similarly, the Block Party comes with tickets to all of the home volleyball games, even the ones that took place in Mackey Arena this year! Ross-Ade Brigade gives you the chance to enter the football games early to get the best seat possible. Purdue makes it easy for the Boilermakers to always feel the support of our fans!
Gabi Layman, Junior in Biomedical Engineering
Seen Around Campus
On a campus of 40,000 students you see something new everyday. Here are some of the whimsical things you can expect to see on Purdue’s campus that make it unique:
Every Friday, a small group of fellow students dress up in morph suits and dance around campus to boost morale before the weekend. You can even find them at events around campus like football games.
Purdue’s Pet-A-Puppy Club and the aviation program bring dogs from local shelters on to Memorial Mall and other locations around campus so students can stop in to pet a friendly animal and de-stress between classes.
Purdue’s own official mascots are very active around campus as well. You can often hear the Boilermaker Special tooting its horn or see Purdue Pete posing with students.
Purdue has over 1000 clubs and organizations and you can often find them selling things on campus like bundt cakes, pumpkins, stickers, and even the opportunity to pie their members in the face.
Madison Meunier, Sophomore in Chemical Engineering
Boilermaker Pride
At Purdue University, pride runs deep, and one of the most notable symbols of that pride is the Boilermaker Special, the university’s official mascot. The Boilermaker special was made in the 1930s. Since then, it has become an admired tradition, representing the university’s history, values, commitment to engineering, and more! It resembles a steam locomotive recognizing Purdue's industrial and technical skills. The Boilermaker Special is often seen at football games, parades,and at school events, where it helps the school show their pride. The “Boiler up” chant highlights what Purdue stands for. Students at Purdue push through boundaries, work together, and celebrate achievements.
For most students and alumni, the Boilermaker Special is more than a mascot, it's a connection to the past, a symbol of pride for the present, and a guide for future successes. The pride I have in Purdue will stay with me always because at Purdue we cultivate a sense of belonging, perseverance, and excellence. At Purdue, we don't just learn but we innovate, challenge, and leap into the future.
At Purdue, we are not just proud of what we achieved but we are also excited about what we will accomplish next. The pride of being a Boilermaker will always be with me, fueling my passion and innovation for engineering.
Grace Fuller, FYE student
Midnight pancakes + Others
Before football and basketball games, around the holidays, during finals week, and just because, various organizations on campus host midnight pancake nights. Resident halls, religious institutions, and student organizations offer a variety of flavors – sometimes even a build-your-own customization – as well as coffee or soft drinks. Anyone is welcome to attend, and these events typically run somewhere in the ballpark of 10 at night to 2 in the morning. Especially before finals weeks after a long stretch of studying, midnight pancake nights are a wonderful opportunity to destress, refuel, and spend time with friends.
Purdue Student Union Board hosts pop-up What’s Up Wednesday events throughout the year that feature free food and other giveaways. These are often themed around the time of the year or notable recent events (i.e. apple cider and Halloween candy in October, cookies and hot chocolate when it’s snowing). What’s Up Wednesdays take place in the lower level of the Union at the Hail Purdue Stage (next to the Starbucks) and are open for all Purdue students to attend.
Natalie Anderson, Sophomore in Industrial Engineering
With so many options for fun outside of the classroom, it is hard to find a weekend with nothing to do. The blog team has only shared a portion of the Purdue “Whimsy” that is there for students to explore and encourage you to come make your own traditions on campus with friends!
Boiler Up!
Comments
Post a Comment