It seems that “creating campus traditions” has been a phrase used at this university for a long time.
Campus traditions are crucial for students at a university to feel a sense of belonging and pride with their school. But often, it can seem like a phrase that just gets thrown around.
But in the past month, USF St. Petersburg has started a series of meaningful campus traditions: Ones that students can get behind and get excited about.
The most exciting tradition we’ve seen happening is the St. Petersburg Shakespeare Festival. The event debuted on campus the past two weekends, and it just might be the way to connect students who come to class and leave.
This year, the Festival put on a production of the Shakespeare play “As You Like It.” The actors were members of USFSP’s Shakespeare Society, students and other community members.
Lisa Starks-Estes, the play’s textual director and an English professor at USFSP, is currently teaching “As You Like It” in her classes.
We can’t think of a better way to connect English students to campus life. Drama and Shakespeare may not be something everyone enjoys, but this event was a wonderful way to involve the students who do love those things. The event was also something that both students and community members could enjoy attending.
We hope that this event continues as a tradition at USFSP.
Another event from this month worth noting is Dance Marathon. This event is a tradition at more than 250 universities around the country and raises money for children’s hospitals. Many of our friends who attend other universities embrace this event as a tradition at their universities, and it is exciting to see USFSP doing the same.
USFSP’s original goal was to raise $2,015 for All Children’s Hospital, but they raised $6,776.14, tripling the goal.
To see The Crow’s Nest coverage of Dance Marathon, see p. xx
USFSP is even creating a chant of its own, which will hopefully allow to students grow pride in the university.
In case you were wondering, traditions are not just something that USFSP considers. There are traditions at universities all over the country. To look at some other Florida universities:
On your 21st birthday at Florida State University, you get thrown into Wescott Fountain.
In 1949, George Edmondson got the fans cheering at a University of Florida game. From then until 2013, Edmondson was known as Mr. Two Bits and led a cheer before every football game. In 2013, Edmondson retired, and now other Gator greats come to every game to continue the tradition.
At our sister campus in Tampa, the green and gold guys show up at every football game. These are two people painted green and gold to get the fans excited.
At homecoming, The Crow’s Nest applauded Harborside Activities Board for its outstanding effort in creating homecoming activities that involved many students. We see the same things happening this semester. As our campus looks to expand, we believe we are well on our way to becoming a campus students can take pride in.
