Becoming a Cyclone includes experiencing Iowa State’s best traditions. Listed below are five traditions you won’t want to miss out on as a student. 

The Zodiac and The Fountain of the Four Seasons

As you enter the Memorial Union, you will notice zodiac symbols on the surface of the floor. It is rumored that stepping on the icons will cause students to fail their next exam.

Students are rumored to have started this tradition to preserve the raised effect of the motif.

If you step on the design, you can reverse the curse by throwing a coin into the Fountain of the Four Seasons, which is in front of the north entrance of the Memorial Union.

The Fountain of the Four Seasons was created as a gift from the 1937 Veishea committee, and in 1942, Christian Petersen created the four sculptures.

Each sculpture depicts a season: North represents winter with a woman nursing a child, east is spring with a woman planting corn, south represents summer with a woman sheltering corn and West is Fall with a woman holding the harvest.

Campaniling:

Campaniling involves taking your significant other under the campanile and kissing them at the stroke of midnight. The tradition states that until this act is performed, you are not a true Iowa Stater.

Hundreds of students gather during homecoming to complete the tradition as fireworks light the sky.

This tradition has its roots in the love story of Edgar Stanton and his wife Margaret. Edgar graduated from Iowa State in 1872 and worked as a faculty member. He spent time as vice president and president of the university.

His wife was the first dean of women, and when she died in 1895, Edgar wanted to create a monument in her honor so that she would never be forgotten by Iowa State.

Edgar had a tower installed with 10 chiming bells. When Edgar died in 1920, his will required that residue of his estate be donated to Iowa State to create a memorial for himself.

Edgar’s second wife and his children decided to have the university install 26 more bells to create the musical instrument which is now known as the Edgar W. and Margaret MacDonald Stanton Memorial Carillon.

Homecoming:

In 1912, it became a tradition for alumni to return to Iowa State for Homecoming. The celebration now includes traditional events such as tailgating, fireworks, a cheering competition, and campaniling. Homecoming events are planned by the Student Alumni Leadership Council.

Lancelot and Elaine and Lake LaVerne:

Lake LaVerne has been home for two swans named Lancelot and Elaine since 1935. During a VEISHEA celebration, a float shaped like a swan carried four swans to be placed in the lake.

A student won $10 for naming two of the swans Lancelot and Elaine. There have been many more swans to replace the previous ones, always keeping the traditional names, and in three different years, baby cygnets were born.

The lake was created through the $10,000 donation by LaVerne W. Noyes in 1916. Noyes graduated from Iowa State in 1872.

It is said that if you walk around the lake with your love three times in silence, you are destined to be together forever.

Getting hit by a CyRide equals free tuition?

Many students believe that if a CyRide bus hits you, you will receive free tuition. Sorry to burst your plans for getting through college without a job, but this is one myth that is definitely not true! So please refrain from throwing yourselves in front of any CyRides.