There are a lot of benefits to attending college, but there’s one thing that helps a school leave a lasting impression on a student: traditions. 

Colleges around the country have traditions that bring students together, whether that be the Spirit Splash at the University of Central Florida or the University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt, which holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest scavenger hunt. 

UCA does its best to get students in the spirit; there are tailgates for football, the annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes where frat boys stumble around in high heels, and tons of Artist in Residence programs. 

Despite the efforts, nothing has the same effect as a good old-fashioned, no-sense-to-it-whatsoever tradition, like rubbing a statue for good luck on a test or having a big parade where students compete for some little prize they don’t really care about. 

UCA held a homecoming parade last year, but due to low participation and attendance, they aren’t doing it this year.

That’s a real shame, but most students don’t even know what they’re missing out on. 

UCA needs that special thing that excites incoming first-year students to finally be a part of — that long-awaited homecoming week that everyone and their mothers talks about and prepares for. 

Traditions aren’t just fun; they’re comforting. They bring a sense of belonging and connection to not only students but faculty and community members as well. 

There’s no better feeling than knowing that no matter who you are or what clique you belong to, you can come together with your peers and have a good time. 

UCA would benefit highly from starting something like this for the students.

Imagine if, in October when homecoming rolls around, everyone was talking about what theme or design they want to do for their parade float.

All the late nights and Hobby Lobby runs to build a remarkably elaborate — or a not-so-elaborate — float with your friends, picking out your favorite UCA-themed outfit and seeing it all come together.

No one will care whether their float wins or loses because that’s not the point. It’s about the memories and the enjoyment found in the process and in the tradition.

Shared practices bring people together and create a feeling of acceptance among community members. They are one of the only things in the world with the power to unite people of all types, especially the ones who don’t usually run in the same crowd.

UCA is arguably one of Arkansas’s most diverse and inclusive college communities, but it needs to catch up regarding campus traditions.

If the school can host extravaganzas often like tailgates and alumni events, then it should consider something more significant to do annually, like previously mentioned, a Homecoming parade.

Throw a contest in there for students to engage with each other, and it’s a golden opportunity to start something that could last another hundred years or more.

It could even be why alumni’s great-grandchildren beg to come to UCA in the future.