Photo Essay

Photo Essay: Are traditions a big part of student life on Clemson University's campus?

My thesis for my photo essay was Are traditions a big part of student life on Clemson University's campus? From the photos in my essay I hoped others would be able to tell that yes, traditions do play a big part in student life on Clemson's campus. The first picture in my video is a picture of Calhoun Mansion. The tradition behind this particular house is that students who want to graduate should not walk through it. It is said that if you are to walk through this house before graduation you will not graduate. The second picture is a picture of the cannon fired at every Clemson football game. The firing of the cannon has become a tradition because it is fired everytime the Tigers score and when they run down the hill. Football games would not be the same without the firing of the cannon. The next picture depicted in my video is a picture of students holding a banner. This picture shows the tradition of the First Friday Parade at Clemson University. The parade has been around since 1974 and the parade is always held on the first friday afternoon before the first home football game. The next picture shown in my video depicts the tradiiton of homecoming. The picture is of a float made during Clemson homecoming. Homecoming at Clemson has been a tradition since 1914 and since that date Clemson students have always gathered on Bowman field to construct Homecoming displays that are judged on gameday. The next picture is of the Military Heritage Plaza that overlooks Bowman Field at Clemson. Military excellence has always been a proud tradition at Clemson since Clemson was first founded as a military school in the 1880's. The plazza overlooks Bowman Field and is a rememberance of the tradition of military excellence at Clemson. The next picture depicts a football player rubbing the rock. Rubbing Howard Rock has been a tradition since September 23, 1967 when coach Frank Howard let the team rub the rock for good luck . Ever since that game the tradition has been continued and the rock is supposed to bring good luck to the Clemson football players. The next picture in my video is of the Clemson football team running down the hill. This tradition first started when Clemson football players dressed in Fike Field House and were forced to run down the hill to enter the field. Now, players dress on the opposite side of the stadium but still run down the hill for good luck and to keep Clemson traditions alive. Clemson students and fans alike have learned to love the running down the hill tradition. The last picture in my video is of the Thomas Green Clemson Statue. Students uphold the tradition of not reading the plaque on the front of the Thomas Green Statue. Overall, all the pictures depicted in my photo essay are very symbolic and important images around Clemson University's campus. I believe all the pictures can definetly represent that fact that traditions are an important part of student life on campus!