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College freshmen tend to celebrate “getting in,” but soon feel uncertain about the path that lies ahead. During campus orientation, they are reminded that being a college student is nothing to be afraid of, or that life on campus is not only about getting a degree but also about the social experience. However, the underlying assumption, drawn from the lore, is that a college degree holds power. Campus life is complete without the humorous stories and the sexual or social symbolism underlying campus humor. This chapter describes years on campus as a distinctly situated time of life, the academic culture in campuses, the students’ desire to be accepted both by the university and socially within campus life, and campus tradition. It also examines the historical context of contradictory political and economic systems in higher education in the United States and considers how scholars view the cultural life of college students.

The college campus can be a rude awakening for freshmen, who are probably made to feel like mere babes as they try to endure rituals and pranks that are part of the campus tradition. As they make the transition—and transformation—in the old-time college, the newbies are separated and humiliated before gaining passage to the higher status of upperclassman. The persecution of the freshmen can be traced to the master-servant relationship established between upperclassmen and first-year students, who were perceived as “novice apprentices” in early American colleges. The freshmen could vindicate themselves by beating the sophomores in a roughhouse competition known as scraps or rushes. Rushes have become rarer, although they still exist in tamer forms in some modern campuses. Another festive campus event is the tug-of-war, which is more often associated in the mega-university with fraternity and sorority competition than interclass contests. College students can also make their presence felt on campus by using their artistic abilities.

After four long years of intellectual and social journey, the moment that college students have been working, waiting, and suffering for arrives: graduation. Commencement symbolizes death and rebirth as the student enters a new life after symbolically leaving behind the “senior” status of his/her collegiate maturation. The recognition of graduating senior status begins at the end of the junior year, with many campuses holding a special occasion known as Moving-Up Day. The official countdown to graduation typically begins 100 days before commencement. A commencement tradition at several notable institutions is the ritual use of building steps. Another campus tradition is leaving wills and gifts to the college, in line with the spirit of “moving to the great beyond.” The best-known pregraduation tradition for women is “Daisy Chain.” The college degree’s value after graduation often becomes a subject of folk humor.

One way for college students to show their loyalty to their alma mater is through the “college spirit.” Many students and alumni consider college spirit to be more than cheering on their institution; it is also a means to express their fondness for one another living in community that is the campus. As part of the campus tradition, college spirit is evident in homecoming celebrations, fight songs and alma mater songs, and sports. Spirit is also evident in collegians’ self-deprecation and certainly in organized stunts intended to quash the spirits of rival institutions. Indeed, college spirit is driven by loyalty and rivalry, but it also gives many students in the mega-university a sense of social belonging. Whereas spirit in the old-time college arose spontaneously on campus, it was institutionalized by many universities with the organization of student “spirit clubs.”

For many fraternity and sorority members, Greek letter societies are a traditional place on campus where “me” becomes “us.” Fraternities and sororities often view themselves as leaders of the college spirit and upholders of the campus tradition. Defenders of the Greek system argue that it is intended to foster lifelong benevolent values of fellowship and service, yet fraternities and sororities are viewed with suspicion and subject to restriction, reform, disparagement, suspension, and worse, banishment. There is a public, and often administrative, apprehension of the exclusivity of the fraternities and sororities on campuses. In contrast to their publicized activities as big-hearted service organizations, campus boosters, and well-mannered socialites, fraternities and sororities are equated with hazing, rowdy singing and pranking, pledging, initiation, and partying.