It’s the start of another new school year, and there are plenty of bright-eyed and eager new faces walking these hallowed halls. While the university tries to impart as much wisdom as it can on freshmen during Welcome Week, certain details always seem to fall through the cracks.
ACU is all about traditions. You’ve already experienced the overly-Instagrammed Candlelight Devo, heard the Abilene Christian rendition of “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” and, unless you were hiding under a rock all week, you know all about our beloved Sing Song (it’s kind of a big deal).
What about the traditions they don’t tell you about? There are a few “unsung traditions” all real Wildcats should know.
The first tradition is specific to Bible majors. The university has a dress code policy in effect, but the beloved Bible department has taken it a step further: no shoes. It’s a well-known fact that shoelessness is close to godliness, so embrace the Flinstone inside of you and kick off your Chuck T’s. If your major contains the word “ministry,” prepare to toughen your soles.
By now, you’ve passed the GATA fountain about a hundred times, but you haven’t seen her in her true form. Several times, you’ll have the privilege to see the lovely fountain dressed in white, massed in bubbly, soapy glory, courtesy of bored students with too much time and dish soap on their hands.
Meal plans are the most sacred requirement of every underclassman. As a freshman, you are blessed with the opportunity to enjoy all of your meals in the World Famous Bean. The Bean is home to one of the greatest figures to ever set foot on campus- Annie the Omelette Lady. If you haven’t had one of her delicious omelettes, made with love and followed with her signature catchphrase, “Thank you, baby,” you’re doing something wrong. So go get some loving from Annie. It will make your week.
You’ll also soon realize ACU keeps a tight schedule. Timing is everything. There will be some days in Chapel when the speaker gets a little overzealous or the praise team decides to add in a few extra verses of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and our allotted time goes over. Don’t panic. At promptly 11:30 a.m., not a moment after, follow the example of all of the upperclassmen and make your way out of Moody. Don’t worry that the speaker is still speaking, or the singers are still singing, just get up and go.
And lastly, there are some things on campus you should keep your eyes peeled for; a campus scavenger hunt of sorts. As you stroll around the Lunsford with your new sweetheart, you may see the cult of Ultimate Frisbee players that frequent the Nelson lawn. On sunny days you may see an array of hammocks suspended in trees about campus, typically filled with book-reading, no-shoe-wearing Bible majors. And, if you haven’t already witnessed the clowder of feral cats that have taken over the university, you might want to schedule an eye appointment”¦right now.
The fact is, new places can be scary. Trying to learn the lay of the land all on your own can be incredibly daunting. So here’s your leg up, your insider information to all things ACU.
Take it to heart. Keep the traditions alive.
