As many things associated with Michigan, its traditions were great and long lasting. One of the more visible University traditions was the daily painting of 'the Rock.' Located on the corner of Hill and Washtenaw, by what is informally known as Frat Row, the Rock was always covered in paint with symbols of Greek Houses, campus organizations, or birthday wishes. "I painted the Rock last year, and we'll make our pledges do it again this year. And yes, I felt 'brotherly' while doing it. But most [fraternities] do it either for publicity or as an official thing each year. Mostly it's just to get the word out about them," said Dan Rice, an LSA sophomore and member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Along with painting the Rock, many fraternities and sororities took part in the painting of the front gates of Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, which also sat on the corner of Washtenaw and Hill.

Another campus tradition was kissing under the old engineering arch in the southeast corner of the Diag. The story has it that if you kissed your sweetheart under the arch, you would end up marrying that person one day.

There were also other more formal traditions on campus. Every year at summer orientation, soon-to-be freshmen walked through the fountain next to the MLB. After they graduated, they walked back through the fountain in the other direction, symbolizing their arrival and departure from the University.

Another walking spot subject to folklore on campus was the brass "M" in the center of the Diag. The myth was that if a student stepped on the "M" before taking his or her first blue book exam, the student would fail. The only way to undo the myth was to run naked from the Graduate Library to Rackham while the bell tower struck midnight. "I am a very superstitious person and ever since I heard the story about the "M" on the Diag I have not stepped on it. Even though I took my first blue book during my first semester freshman year, I still refuse to step on it until I graduate," said sophomore LSA student Amber Graddick.

by Katrina Deutsch