Challenge encourages students to participate in classic Panther activiites

The Traditions Challenge is a friendly competition which Connecting Alumni to Students (CATS) started as a way to help students get involved on campus and keep traditions alive. 

Attending a UNI volleyball game, visiting the granite Panther, and snapping are a few pictures with T.C. and T.K. are a few of the traditions encouraged by the UNI Traditions Challenge.

When students accomplish these traditions they must take a picture of themselves doing the activity and upload the picture onto a prepared presentation provided by Traditions at UNI. When students have the required amount of traditions completed, students can submit it to UNI Traditions through email. 

If students complete the traditions challenge, they can earn a pin or medallion for graduation. To earn a pin students must complete 25 of the traditions, and to earn a medallion they must complete 45 of the traditions. Seniors who have completed the challenge can attend a celebratory ceremony, and are officially considered a Traditions Keeper. The celebratory ceremony happens each semester and has speakers from different departments on campus. This year’s ceremony will be held Nov. 30. 

For Colette Sanford, vice president of Traditions, “The goal of the Traditions Challenge is to keep the spirit and history of UNI alive. The Traditions Challenge also gives students a way to look back at all of their memories at UNI. Some of our traditions here at UNI are very special to us and keep our Panther pride alive- like Campaniling and the superstition that if you don’t kiss someone at Campaniling by your senior year a brick will fall on your head. Use the Traditions Challenge to make the most of your college experience!”

Traditions at UNI started in 2010 through the Alumni Association. At the time students would print pictures and put them in their Traditions Booklet scrapbook. According to Sanford over 100 people completed the Traditions Challenge last spring. Students can still complete the 25 or 45 traditions by November. Sanford says students can complete the challenge in a semester, but it is meant to be completed throughout multiple semesters. 

To view the traditions and to access the presentation visit: https://alumni.uni.edu/traditions.