STUDENT NEWS
Still Full of Spirit and Mischief Current Yellow Jackets sound off on their favorite Tech traditions. THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE wanted to know what today’s students think of Tech’s long-standing traditions. So, with some help from the Student Alumni Association, we conducted an online survey to find out. Here’s what a cross-section of students across campus had to say.
WHAT’S YOUR SINGLE FAVORITE GEORGIA TECH TRADITION?
“The Mini 500 is my favorite tradition because of how unique it is. I mean, where else could you find college students racing each other on tricked-out tricycles? It’s the highlight of Homecoming Week.” JACK WEINKSELBAUM, COMPUTER SCIENCE
RATE THE TOP GEORGIA TECH TRADITIONS
JEN ABRAMS, PUBLIC POLICY
The Wreck (Contraption) Parade fills me with love for Georgia Tech, its culture and its students. In no other college would you see such a fantastic display of engineering prowess and school pride that’s shared with an entire city.” TAYLOR VANNATTA, BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
HOW IMPORTANT ARE TECH’S TRADITIONS TO YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE?
(SCALE OF 1 TO 5, 1 BEING AWFUL AND 5 BEING AWESOME)
4.74 The Ramblin’ Wreck 1930 Model A 4.70 Ramblin’ Wreck Fight Song 4.69 Buzz
19.7% Football Game-Day Traditions (Marching Band, Gold Fellas, Swarm, Budweiser Bob, Horse, etc.) 14.8% Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech Fight Song 13.0% Homecoming Events (Freshman Cake Race, Mini 500, Wreck Parade, etc.) 11.5% George P. Burdell 9.8% The Ramblin’ Wreck 1930 Model A Ford 9.8% The Whistle 8.2% Buzz 6.6% THWG (Rivalry with UGA) 6.6% Special Student Events (Midnight Bud, Family Weekend, etc.) 0.0% RAT Caps
“Our traditions aren’t as ritualistic as a military school’s, and they’re often really goofy. That’s why the inside joke of George P. Burdell is our finest example of what Georgia Tech stands for.”
4.59 Football Game-Day Traditions 4.48 George P. Burdell 4.27 Homecoming Events
60.7% Extremely Important 26.2% Very Important 13.1% Somewhat Important 0.0% Barely Important 0.0% Not Important at All 86.9% of students surveyed said Tech traditions are very or extremely important.
4.15 Special Student Events
“Buzz is the perfect embodiment of Georgia Tech— mischievous, clever and full of spirit. Buzz is so much more than your typical college mascot!”
3.38
NICOLE ROMER, ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
4.25 The Whistle 4.18 THWG
RAT Caps
“The Whistle has become such a part of my daily life that I miss hearing it when I’m away from campus. I will always remember that sound for the rest of my life.” SHAHNAZ KASAM, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
16 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 93 No. 1 2017