USU has a rich history and has culminated plenty of traditions over the years. You’ve probably heard of the more famous traditions like True Aggie, but there are many students that aren’t aware of some of the oldest traditions at USU. During your time here, I encourage you to participate in as many of these traditions as possible, they will enrich your Utah State experience.
False Aggie
To become a “True Aggie” is an age-old tradition at Utah State. Back in 1967, on the first full moon of the school year, students flocked to the Block-A. A group of about 20 brave, pioneering students lingered behind, either having no one to kiss or being too shy. Not wanting to seem uncool to their friends and become social outsiders, these students just told everyone that they had kissed someone on True Aggie Night. Thus, a tradition was formed that lives on to this very day.
No one dares to ascend the fated steps
Passive-Aggressive Chants
Here at Utah State, we are well-known for our rowdy student section and creative and in-your-face style chants. At our basketball stadium commonly known as “The Spectrum,” our students love cheering on our Aggies. While there are more common chants, our lesser known chants are often the ones that really get the job done through psychologically toying with the visiting team. This is accomplished through subtle mockery and passive-aggressive comments. We use chants like “I believe you could do better,” to drive the point of the other team’s inadequacies. There are a number of chants of this kind. Among them are the chants: “Those shoes are… cool,” “At least you’re doing a really good job passing,” and “Your parents are proud of you no matter what happens tonight.”
Finals Week Group Cry
During finals week in the Merrill-Cazier Library, you may be sitting down trying to study when suddenly you see students silently dancing. You may feel the impulse to join them. Feel free to join this popular Utah State tradition, but be aware at the same time there’s another classic tradition happening. If you’re very quiet, you may be able to hear the soft sobs of students venting their frustrations. These students are participating in the finals week Group Cry. Students gather in one of the group study rooms and let loose all their emotions about studying, school stress, and their lives in the form of tears. This tradition has proven to be just as effective for relieving finals stress, and much more cathartic.
Quit Week
Students at Utah State love being involved in extracurricular activities. Many students here at USU have many other things going on in their lives besides school: jobs, internships, clubs, ect. It was recognized that some students might be doing too much with their time, so the school came up with a solution: Quit Week! This week is designed to encourage students to quit anything they can’t handle, or just don’t want to. Since it’s inception in 1974, students have become very on-board with Quit Week. Taking place in mid-October, students tend to quit jobs, drop classes, and stop going to clubs. Some students go so far as to end relationships during Quit Week. It’s a very exciting and special time of year.
The Loud Hours Annual Underground Party
Utah State is home to many exciting on-campus events. These events, including parties such as The Howl, or dances like our 80’s Dance, are put on by the Utah State Student Association. You may ask yourself if these mainstream events are all the school has to offer you. What other dances or parties are there for you to attend? The answer: The Loud Hours Annual Underground Party. The Loud Hours is possibly the craziest, and least famous party on campus. Located in one of the utility closets of the Taggart Student Center, LHAUP has been known to draw as many as seven people. As insane and fun as it is, gaining entry to this exclusive party is quite difficult. Organized by a student named Chris, you can only gain entry via personal invitation. This year, it has been rumored that the party will feature balloons, glow sticks, and flickering lights (not strobe lights, they’re just broken). The special guest musician of the year is the famed DJ Pandora, playing as many as four different stations. I highly encourage you to try to gain entry, just ask everyone you meet named Chris if they know anything about Loud Hours. And gentlemen, I have been guaranteed that there WILL be girls there this year probably.
Skyler Higley
Specialty Editor – Aggie Radio
