Head-to-Head: Tradition Mustn't Die

Homecoming at MSU is a tradition. There’s the football game, the lighting of the ‘M,’ the parade, and of course, homecoming royalty. The new Bobkittens have been around just long enough to call their dorm home-sweet-home, and Bobcats of all ages return for this one special weekend, which has been celebrated for more than a century. They come to see what has changed and to relive what has always stayed the same: tradition. Tradition is that spark between people when a T-shirt or baseball cap summons a conversation over their team, their school, their business, or simply something they love. We are connected to the places not because we lived there, but because those life experiences have been woven by association into our memories.

Some look forward to the football game or the tailgate party. It’s these things they remember the most. But for me, it’s the whole enchilada: being with friends, watching the parade, eating free burgers at the homecoming BBQ and voting for homecoming royalty. I love seeing black-and-white pictures of MSU students in the student section, in front of Montana Hall, and of course on the wall of past homecoming royalty. Who hasn’t stopped in the hallway of the SUB to look at the wall of MSU homecoming king and queens to make light of the old-school hairstyles and collar lines? Every time I walk by, there seems to be someone looking at the past in these frames, and many of those are alumni. This wall alone symbolizes tradition.

Last year when the titles “king” and “queen” were removed, I felt a mix of emotions. Will alumni be able to share a replaced tradition with us? How come the titles have to be removed? Can’t we add an ambassador to be more inclusive? Why was this whole tradition scratched without thinking of MSU alumni who gave us the tradition or even polling the student body first? The categories of leadership, service, and involvement are impressive, but the past royalty were students who embodied all three. I see the point of being more inclusive, but how did three women win last year? Was it not more equal to choose a man and a woman? This year there were two female winners and one male, so that was nice. I am confused because I believe that words and societal expectations don’t change who you are, yet the strongest proponents for this argument were excited to change a big part of what made MSU homecoming... well, MSU homecoming.

After studying abroad for a semester, I can only laugh at some of our American traditions. When I was abroad, people asked me if students actually had house parties with red solo cups. Yes, we do. They teased us for loving schools and teams so much. A pep rally? That seemed a bit too much. Loyalty to a high school? Americans are crazy. It’s funny because even as I saw these things in their light, I still felt pride for my schools and my teams. We have comradery in ways they never will. I can’t even count how many times people abroad mentioned that they’d love to experience college in the United States. Every single one of my friends who had studied abroad in the United States said they never felt so welcomed by strangers in the community as they did after playing on high school teams. These silly things we do are American, and they don’t make sense. However, they make us who we are, and for that simple reason, tradition must not die.