Freshman Traditions
“The Dawgs”
| Owen Hunter Athens, GA Fall 2018 |
Informant Data:
Owen Hunter was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 8, 1999. He has lived in Charlotte for all his life with his family. He attended Charlotte Country Day School middle and high school. Owen is currently at student at the University of Georgia where he studies finance. Outside of his academics, Owen enjoys hanging out with his friends and playing with his three dogs. He is a member of the Chi Phi fraternity.
Contextual Data:
Cultural Context:
The University of Georgia, UGA, was founded in 1785. UGA is located in Athens, Georgia and is the state’s flagship school. UGA is one of the oldest public universities in the United States. There are currently has 29,680 undergraduates enrolled.
Social Context:
There are certain criteria that the freshman experience entire year. Freshman usually undergo typical traditions like freshman orientation. Being a larger state school, UGA has to make special efforts to help all the students feel welcome in the community and make the college transition easier.
Item:
The introduction to college is a little scary at first. The idea of knowing no one and having to socially start over is a bit overwhelming. Joining a fraternity helped Owen meet lots of cool people and make some friends. He gradually learned to adjust to the college schedule. It was right around the end of the first semester that Owen finally felt incorporated into the UGA community. Smaller things like socials and formals with frats and sororities helped Owen meet new people and feel the culture of UGA. The football games are a key part of the UGA community and help the students feel like they are true member of the school. Other than the Greek Life rites of passages, Owen did not experience any others through the school. The traditions give the students a reason to associate them with the school and bond them together. Other traditions at UGA include ringing the Chapel Bell, taking part in the Dawg Walk, and visiting the Arch. Initially the ringing of the Chapel Bell started as a way to signify important religious events, beginning and end of classes, and for emergencies. Now it is a way for students to mark special occasions, athletic victories and other important events. The Dawg Walk is a walk that starts two hours before every home football game where a huge crowd greets the team as they enter the stadium. The Arch is just a symbolic monument on campus where many students like to take photos. Students cannot walk through the Arch until they graduate. Both older students and orientation leaders help inform the new students of these traditions.
Transcript:
“Football is a central part of the school’s culture and going to the games made me feel a part of something much bigger than myself.”
Collector’s Comments:
Football is a much bigger part of the Georgia culture and helps bring the students together. Even though Georgia is a much bigger school than Dartmouth, I noticed a lot of similarities between the schools. The Chapel Bell reminds me of Dartmouth’s bell tower at Baker which rings every hour and the “Dawg Walk” reminds me of the Dartmouth freshmen’s lap during homecoming.
| Caroline K. Jones ’22
Dartmouth College |