Tradition

[Volante Article - Issue 4/27/05]
Opening weekend of pheasant or deer hunting season is practically sacred in our country. Teenage boys and grown men, both of whom often insist on sleeping until noon on Saturdays, arise at the crack of dawn to walk around the woods in a 20-degree drizzle. It is an important tradition. And who can forget the activities around the house at Christmas? Activities like cutting down your very own tree, baking cookies with your mom and all the rest of that mushy family stuff is pretty fun and in the spirit of things.

Our society puts a high value on tradition. We all like to participate in activities that are fun and important to us. Even in Verm-town, USA, we have our own little traditions that everyone gets excited about. Ask a USD student what the best week of the year is, and many will say Dakota Days (not counting spring break, of course). With random weekly activities and the football game, D-Days puts excitement in the air.

Yet, it seems that even this campus activity has lost some of its importance. Though I've only witnessed one D-Days week, which was not my favorite week of the year, I bet it used to be different. Have we forgotten what's behind this week of Coyote pride? I think some of us have. The D-Days committee put in a lot of work months in advance. I think we need to appreciate this work and ask ourselves: Is this week about partying or school spirit?

As I sit and watch the local news, I am reminded of yet another tradition that has turned sour. University officials plan to meet with Strollers' leaders to determine the show's fate. I can see why many students involved are upset. Strollers is an 82-year-old tradition. But what's the point? Another popular activity on campus seems to have lost some of its meaning.

Tradition becomes so important that we often forget what's behind it. I think this could be due to the fact that we like the feeling of comfort it gives us. Tradition gives us security because we know what to expect. How often have people gone to church against their personal wishes because they knew it was "right?" Is this another activity that we are just participating in because of the sense of security involved? Do we attend church because we feel guilty, or because we really, truly want to?

The Strollers competition could be gone, but we shouldn't complain. We should be thankful we still have D-Days. We have to be careful to keep in mind the importance of the activity we are involved in. If we don't, it becomes as routine as any of our normal daily activities. When this happens, we lose more than just another campus activity.