Traditions are an essential component of any college experience. From special events, to sports games and strong rivalries, to rubbing a statue of a mascot, traditions create a sense of heritage, school pride, and cohesive unity amongst the university community.
Another tradition found at many most colleges and universities in America is the singing of a school song, called at colleges as an “Alma Mater” tune. By this, I’m not writing about a fight song that is played at sports games (I will save my opinions about the “Bobcat Roar” for another time). I am writing about a school song that generates pride for the university as a whole, and evokes a sense of history, heritage, and overall college spirit. These tunes are generally slower, and reflect on what it truly means to be a part of a specific college.
Take, for example, some alma mater tunes at other Connecticut universities. The first one I’ll give is from Yale, entitled “Bright College Years.” Sung to the tune of an old German patriotic march, the second verse reads:
“In after years, should troubles rise / To cloud the blue of sunny skies, / How bright will seem, through mem’ry’s haze / Those happy, golden, bygone days! / Oh, let us strive that ever we / May let these words our watch-cry be, / Where’er upon life’s sea we sail: / ‘For God, For Country, and for Yale!’”
Imagine being a student at Yale and singing these words; being so proud of your university that you proclaim your love for it and how you will cherish your college friendships for the rest of your life. This song is not just a happy tune – it is a pledge to the university and what it represents, alongside a representation of tradition and heritage. Another example comes from the University of Connecticut.
“Once more, as we gather today, / To sing our Alma Mater’s praise, / And join in the fellowship strong, / Which inspires our college days. / We’re backing our teams in the strife / Cheering them to victory! / And pledge anew to old Connecticut, / Our steadfast spirit of loyalty. / Connecticut, Connecticut, / Thy sons and daughters true / Unite to honor thy name, / Our fairest White and Blue.”
There are many references in the lyrics that generate a reverence for “Old Connecticut.” It references “fellowship” amongst the UCONN community, “backing [their] teams in the strife” during game day, and pledging their ‘steadfast spirit of loyalty” to their university, its values, and what their institution means to them. In short, alma mater tunes generate pride, unite the entire university community through tradition and the unified statement of values, and generate heritage.
Quinnipiac should have this type of tune. The University was first founded in 1929, which means that we are ever so closer to reaching our centennial in 2029. Over a short period of time, we’ve gone through a lot of history: from the days of Samuel and Irmagarde Tator, to our phase in New Haven as the C.C.C., then J.C.C., and then Quinnipiac College, to our expansion into Hamden and national exposure under the successful tenure of President Emeritus John Lahey, and the further improvement of our school under the collective work of its current administration and leadership under President Judy Olian. We can reference things in a tune which are special to Quinnipiac and make it a college unlike any other, such its location “Underneath the Sleeping Giant” (which I recommend as the title for a potential tune), its amazing hockey teams (Go Bobcats!), and the ambition that is unleashed through every student on this campus.
Quinnipiac has the history, the tradition, and the collective experiences amongst its community. What we need now, more than ever, is a culture of pride. If we’re proud of our University, we will be further driven to work together, as a whole, to better it. Pride not only unifies, but is a strong enough force to create the culture shift which is needed to create the University of the Future we so desire.
Here’s my grand idea: we should have an Alma Mater tune created before our University centennial in 2029. That way, we can all sing it collectively, as one Bobcat Nation, together at whatever large event will be planned for its celebration. We will be able to reflect on Quinnipiac’s past, what the institution means to us, and where we’re going in the future.
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