GYRAD
GYRAD = Get Your Roommate A Date. This event is mostly seen from floors in female residence halls. How this works is that a floor will first decide on an event (I’ve heard of things from scavenger hunts to barn dancing, so it’s hard telling what the event could be). Once the event is decided, students begin the search for a date for their roommate. Then after all dates have been chosen, the fun begins as they venture out to experience the event that has been planned.
“Unpickable” tulips
You can ask any current student about the tulips and you will almost always hear the same response – “Don’t pick them!” The tulips at Evangel are very special to our campus and you’ll only see them around during a small window within the spring semester. They pop up all around campus and disappear just as quickly as they came. It’s been said that there is a fine for picking a tulip, but I personally have not known anyone to have gotten a fine. At the same time, however, I have never personally known anyone to have actually picked a tulip either. The tulips are such a beautiful part of our campus, so there’s really shouldn’t be a reason to pick them.
S1N, K2S, L1N, etc.
If you’re unfamiliar with the residence halls on Evangel’s campus, when you hear all these letters and numbers being thrown together you’ll probably be confused. Every hall at Evangel is split up into two sides (the south side and the north side), some with four floors per side and some with three. Each floor is classified by the hall they live one, which floor it is, and which side of the hall they are on. For example, L4N is the abbreviation for Lewis (Residence Hall), 4th Floor, North side of the hall. Many floors have their own identity and floor theme and so with these abbreviations comes a lot of tradition. It’s easy to get confused by these abbreviations, but it does get easier as you get used to all of them.
Dead Day
No, this isn’t what you’re thinking it is. Dead day is the one day that stands between the end of the semester and final exams. It’s the day where all classes are canceled and the day is set aside for studying for finals. While this day is set aside for studying, I know that a lot of people use this day to relax and have some fun with their friends. For example, Scott Hall always tries to set aside a few hours during the evening of Dead Day to have a hall-wide dodgeball tournament. And as the name may suggest, many students do use this day to catch up on some much-needed sleep.
igNight
igNight is an event that takes place once a year, the night before classes start in the fall. To begin this event, students across campus gather with their halls decked out in Evangel gear and Evangel colors. Then the halls gather outside their halls looking into the direction of the clocktower. With the marching band playing and the cheerleaders cheering, halls begin making their way toward the center of campus – giving high-fives to professors and various people along the way. Halls then gather together behind Riggs Administrative Hall and surrounding a soon-to-be lit cauldron. Each hall president followed by Evangel’s president, Carol Taylor, then make their way down towards the cauldron bearing torches. They gather on the stairs of Riggs and prepare to light the cauldron. Each president lights the cauldron with their torch, followed by President Taylor and then a speech is given by the Student Body President as well as President Taylor. The night concludes as the entire student body turns around to face the clock tower as a spectacular fireworks display kicks off the new school year.