Georgia Tech traditions
Encyclopedia
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
legends and traditions have been established since the school's opening in 1888, some of which have persisted for decades. Over time, the school has grown from a trade school into a large research university, and the traditions reflect that heritage. One of the cherished holdovers from Tech's early years, a steam whistle
Steam whistle
A steam whistle is a device used to produce sound with the aid of live steam, which acts as a vibrating system .- Operation :...
blows five minutes before the hour, every hour from 7:55 am to 5:55 pm. It's for this reason that the faculty newspaper is named The Whistle.
Some of the traditions are well-known, the most notable being the now-banned tradition of stealing the "T" from Tech Tower. Tech Tower
Tech Tower
The Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Administration Building, commonly known as Tech Tower, is a historic building located at 225 North Avenue NW in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and a focal point of the central campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology...
, Tech's historic primary administrative building, has the letters TECH hanging atop it on each of its four sides. A number of times, students have orchestrated complex plans to steal the huge symbolic letter T, and on occasion have carried this act out successfully. One especially well-known tradition that has existed nearly since the school's establishment is Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate is the nickname given to an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia. The two Georgia universities are...
, Georgia Tech's heated, long-standing and ongoing rivalry with the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
. The first known hostilities between the two schools trace back to 1891.
Several legends originated at Georgia Tech. George P. Burdell
George P. Burdell
George P. Burdell is a fictitious student officially enrolled at Georgia Tech in 1927 as a practical joke. Since then, he has supposedly received several degrees, served in the military, gotten married, and served on Mad magazine's Board of Directors, among other accomplishments. Burdell at one...
, Tech's ever-present fictional student, was created in 1927 when a student filled out two application forms. Burdell went on to lead a long life; he earned several degrees, fought World War II, and almost won Times 2001 Person of the Year
Person of the Year
Person of the Year is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine Time that features and profiles a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year."- History :The tradition of selecting a Man of the Year...
award. Georgia Tech is also known for the largest margin of victory in a football game, achieved in their 222-0 thrashing of Cumberland University
Cumberland University
Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842, though the current campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.-History:...
in the 1916 Cumberland vs. Georgia Tech football game.
Stealing the T
Tech Tower
The Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Administration Building, commonly known as Tech Tower, is a historic building located at 225 North Avenue NW in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and a focal point of the central campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology...
, has the letters TECH hanging atop it on each of its four sides. Since 1969, students on several occasions have orchestrated complex plans to scale Tech Tower and steal the huge symbolic letter T off the building. The 'T' was first stolen in April 1969 by a secret group of Georgia Tech students calling themselves the "Magnificent Seven." The students, who were inspired by a similar prank that had taken place in 1968 at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, planned the theft as a means of commemorating Institute President Edwin D. Harrison
Edwin D. Harrison
Edwin Davies Harrison was the sixth president of the Georgia Institute of Technology , from 1957 to 1969. It was in Harrison's honor that the first 'T' was stolen from the face of Tech Tower....
's retirement. The 'T' was returned several days later via helicopter at the behest of Atlanta mayor Ivan Allen
Ivan Allen Jr.
Ivan Allen, Jr., was a U.S. businessman and Democratic political figure most notable for serving two terms as the 52nd Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia during the turbulent civil rights era of the 1960s.-Biography:...
.
Following successful thefts, the T would then be returned at the halftime of the homecoming football game or would be returned to the lawn of the President's mansion, and the student's achievement would be celebrated. Tradition dictates that the first T to be stolen should be the one facing east, as this can most easily be seen from the I-75/I-85 Downtown Connector
Downtown Connector
In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/Langford Parkway interchange, the Downtown Connector runs generally due north, meeting the east-west Interstate 20 in the middle....
. Although the administration used to turn a blind eye
Turn a blind eye
The idiom turning a blind eye is used to describe the process of ignoring unpopular orders or inconvenient facts or activities.The phrase to turn a blind eye is attributed to an incident in the life of Admiral Horatio Nelson....
to this practice, it is now officially discouraged, due to the risk of fatal falls and the potential for damage to the building, and equated to criminal activity (trespassing and theft). In recent years, this has become a serious offense, and perpetrators today would face a hefty fine to repair damages done to the building and a minimum of a semester-long suspension for attempting the feat, if not outright expulsion.
Security features such as security cameras, pressure sensitive roof tiling, and fiber optic cabling running throughout the letters have been added to the T to help prevent its theft and aid in catching the perpetrators. The last successful stealing of the T occurred in 1999 and to this day, the location of that T is unknown. In 2001, two members of the fraternity Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
were caught and suspended in an attempt to steal the T. In October 2005, a replica of the T was stolen from the Student Services Building and returned two days later. Despite the lack of physical danger involved in stealing the spare T, the theft was still strongly criticized.
Ramblin' Wreck
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, were called Ramblin' Wrecks for the ingenious machines that they devised to transport themselves in and out of the jungles of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. These devices and their creators were nicknamed Ramblin' Wrecks from Georgia Tech. Since then the term Ramblin' Wreck has been applied to a graduate or current student of Georgia Tech. The physical Ramblin' Wreck is a 1930 Ford Model A
Ford Model A (1927)
The Ford Model A of 1927–1931 was the second huge success for the Ford Motor Company, after its predecessor, the Model T. First produced on October 20, 1927, but not sold until December 2, it replaced the venerable Model T, which had been produced for 18 years...
owned by the student body, which has been present on campus since 1961. The first Ramblin' Wreck mascot reference was in 1926 to Dean Floyd Field's 1914 Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
. Sports teams of Georgia Tech are also called the Ramblin' Wreck.
The fight song for Georgia Tech I'm a Rambling Wreck
Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech
" Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech" is the fight song of the Georgia Institute of Technology, better known as Georgia Tech. The composition is based on "Son of a Gambolier", composed by Charles Ives in 1895, the lyrics of which are based on an old English and Scottish drinking song of the same...
begins with the lyrics, "I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer." The song is sung at sporting events, official school functions, and always at the end of every graduation ceremony.
The Whistle
Steam whistle
A steam whistle is a device used to produce sound with the aid of live steam, which acts as a vibrating system .- Operation :...
that blows five minutes before the hour, every hour. This tradition is a hold over from the trade school days, originally used to mark the end of a shift in the shops; now it is used both to mark the end of classes and as a ten-minute warning to the beginning of the next classes. It is also blown when Georgia Tech's football team scores a touchdown or wins a game, and at each spring's "When the Whistle Blows" remembrance ceremony.
Although not as popular as "stealing the T," the whistle has been stolen several times. The first ever Tech whistle installed in the late 1890s was stolen in 1902. The whistle was returned to Dean Griffin
George C. Griffin
George C. Griffin served in various positions at his alma mater, the Georgia Institute of Technology, most notably as Dean of Men from 1946 to 1964. He was known variously as "the best friend of all Tech men" and "Mr. Georgia Tech."-Student:...
in 1949 as a retirement gift. The second theft of the whistle occurred in 1963, when a group of students nicknamed the "Magnificent 7" stole the whistle. Fearing Institute repercussions, the group returned the whistle in the spring of 1964. The whistle was again stolen in 1978 by a group nicknamed the "Committee of Five" but this group never returned their coveted prize. The whistle was also stolen in 1969 and 1997. Both times the whistle was returned almost immediately after its theft. In 1969, the whistle was given to the student body president as a graduation gift a month after its theft and the 1997 theft was solved when President Clough
G. Wayne Clough
Gerald Wayne Clough is President Emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, a position he has held since July 2008...
found the whistle on his lawn a day after its theft.
The current steam whistle, located near Tech Tower
Tech Tower
The Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Administration Building, commonly known as Tech Tower, is a historic building located at 225 North Avenue NW in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and a focal point of the central campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology...
, was built by the GTRI
Georgia Tech Research Institute
The Georgia Tech Research Institute is the nonprofit applied research arm of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
Machine Shop and installed in 2004. The Faculty newspaper is also named The Whistle.
To Hell With Georgia
Georgia Tech has an ongoing rivalry with the University of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, often simply called "Georgia" for short. The rivalry was called Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate is the nickname given to an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia. The two Georgia universities are...
by Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist and UGA supporter, Lewis Grizzard. An annual issue of the Institute newspaper, The Technique
The Technique
The Technique, also known as the "Nique," is the official student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and has referred to itself as "the South's liveliest college newspaper" since 1945...
, focuses on this rivalry with an issue that spoofs The Red and Black
The Red and Black
The Red & Black is an independent daily student newspaper of the University of Georgia.-History:Students published its first issue in tabloid format on November 24, 1893, from offices in the Academic Building on North Campus....
, the newspaper of the University of Georgia. As a dig at the rival school, the Technique will typically refer to it as "the University (sic) of Georgia" (sometimes shortened to "U(sic)GA") in articles. "To Hell With Georgia" (abbreviated "THWG" or "THWUGA") is also known as "The Good Word." In 2009, the Georgia Tech Cable Network (GTCN), produced a show, about the history of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate 'To Hell With Georgia'. If one student asks the word from another ("What's the Good Word?"), the response is always "To Hell with Georgia!" If asked about the Bulldogs ("How 'bout them Dawgs?"), an old tagline from the "University of Georgia" expression, the correct answer is, "Piss on 'em!"
RAT Caps
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
, wear gold caps known as RAT caps at each football game. RAT is short for Recruit At Tech, although recently the Student Government has begun incorrectly using 'Recently Acquired Tech Students' or 'Recently Acquired Techie.' The RAT caps are decorated with the football team's scores, the freshman's name, hometown, major, expected graduation date, and "To HELL With georgia" emblazoned on the back of the cap. It is important that 'HELL' should be in all capital letters, while 'georgia' should be all lowercase. Students who intend to utilize the cooperative education
Cooperative education
Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience...
program circle the top button on the cap, and fill it in once they have completed their involvement.
The tradition began in 1915, and freshmen were required to wear the RAT caps every day until the Thanksgiving weekend game with UGA (if Georgia Tech won) or until end of the school year (if Georgia Tech lost). If Tech did not play UGA that year, freshmen were allowed to stop wearing their caps after a homecoming game victory. If the team lost, then the previously stated rules applied. Freshmen caught not wearing the cap faced varying degrees of hazing
Hazing
Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....
, including having their hair shaved into the shape of a letter tee ("T") or a T-Cut. Anti-hazing laws in the 1960s led to the virtual elimination of the tradition, although the use of RAT caps is still actively maintained by the marching band.
The RAT rules enforced by upperclassmen and in particular the Ramblin' Reck Club are presented in the July 17, 1964 edition of the Technique. The rules are listed below:
- A Georgia Tech RAT...
- 1. Will wear a "RAT" cap with proper inscription at all times. It is not mandatory that the "RAT" cap be worn on Sundays.
- 2. Will know the school songs - Ramblin' WreckRamblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech" Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech" is the fight song of the Georgia Institute of Technology, better known as Georgia Tech. The composition is based on "Son of a Gambolier", composed by Charles Ives in 1895, the lyrics of which are based on an old English and Scottish drinking song of the same...
, Alma MaterAlma materAlma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, White & GoldGold (color)Gold, also called golden, is one of a variety of orange-yellow color blends used to give the impression of the color of the element gold....
, and all cheers. - 3. Will attend and participate in all "RAT" sings.
- 4. Will speak to everyone - a Techman is proud of his association with his school and fellow students.
- 5. Will not enter the campus post officePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
between 9:45 and 10:15 A.M.12-hour clockThe 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
on school days. - 6. Will not wear high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
letters or emblems on the campus.
Junior's Grill
Tech Tower
The Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Administration Building, commonly known as Tech Tower, is a historic building located at 225 North Avenue NW in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and a focal point of the central campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology...
. The restaurant was first opened in 1948 under the name Pilgrim's and was originally located on the corner of North Avenue
North Avenue (Atlanta)
North Avenue in Atlanta is a major avenue in Atlanta that divides Downtown Atlanta from Midtown Atlanta. North Avenue stretches continuously in Atlanta from Candler Park in the east, across Interstate 75 & Interstate 85, along the southern boundary of the Georgia Institute of Technology, to Joseph E...
and Techwood Drive. Its name changed to Junior's Grill in 1958, and it has moved locations twice since then. Junior's Grill moved to its current location in the Bradley Building in 1994 when it was forced out of its old location by the need to construct apartments for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. It is currently owned and run by Tommy Klemis.
The restaurant is similar in nature to The Varsity
The Varsity
The Varsity is a restaurant chain, iconic in the modern culture of Atlanta, Georgia. The main branch of the chain is the largest drive-in fast food restaurant in the world...
but is perhaps more cherished by Tech students due to its higher quality food (in particular, the chicken finger baskets), its friendly staff, its convenient on-campus location, and its fame as a Tech tradition. Historically however, the staff was not always considered so friendly. During the late 1960s, the proprietor, known to students then only as "Junior," would routinely exhort his customers to "Eat it and beat it" due to the old facility's severely limited seating. The current restaurant houses pieces of Tech history, including aerial photographs of campus from various years, assorted Georgia Tech memorabilia, portraits of prominent individuals in Tech's history, and a section of the goalpost from Tech's 1990 National Championship game in the Citrus Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
.
Junior's Grill closed April of 2011, citing slow business as the reason.
Homecoming
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
is a celebration held once a year for alum
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
of the Institute to return to campus and take part in several festivities and Institute traditions. The themed homecoming festivities all lead up to a Saturday football contest. The events are usually lead off with various Greek sports tournaments followed by the Mini 500, Freshman Cake Race, and the Wreck Parade. Every year the student body elects a Mr. and Ms. Georgia Tech. These are two individuals who have excelled in academics and extracurriculars on Tech campus. The titles changed from homecoming king and queen to Mr. and Ms. Georgia Tech in 1987 at the request of Dean James E. Dull.
The first homecoming was organized by ANAK in 1919. In 2008, Georgia Tech hosted the Virginia Cavaliers
2008 Virginia Cavaliers Football Team
The 2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the University of Virginia during the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football season. It was Virginia's 55th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The Cavaliers were led by...
for its 92nd homecoming celebration and ended a twelve game win streak in homecoming contests. Tech is 44-13-1 since 1949 in its homecoming football games.
Mini 500
The Mini 500 is a tricycleTricycle
A tricycle is a three-wheeled vehicle. While tricycles are often associated with the small three-wheeled vehicles used by pre-school-age children, they are also used by adults for a variety of purposes. In the United States and Canada, adult-sized tricycles are used primarily by older persons for...
race held during homecoming every year that requires teams to complete laps around Peters Parking Deck on East Campus. Men must complete 15 laps while women must complete 10. There are mandatory pit stops in which the front tire must be rotated 3 times during the course of the race. Because the average racer weighs more than the average 5 year old, the car is allowed one support brace to be welded on to the frame.
The race traces its roots back to the early 1960s when fraternity pledges were forced to ride tricycles around campus as a form of hazing. The race was eventually formalized in 1969 and rules were instituted to make the Mini 500 an instant classic.
Wreck Parade
The Ramblin' Wreck Parade is a parade of classic cars and engineering oddities held before every homecoming football game. There are three classes of vehicles, which participate in the competition. The first class is known simply as classic cars and these are vehicles over a certain age limit (currently 25 years). The second class is known as fixed bodies and these vehicles are normal cars, which have only been cosmetically modified retaining their original drive train. These are often themed, but are distinctly different from floatsFloat (parade)
A float is a decorated platform, either built on a vehicle or towed behind one, which is a component of many festive parades, such as those of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Carnival of Viareggio, the Maltese Carnival, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Key West Fantasy Fest parade, the...
and are prohibited from being "pseudo-wrecks displaying pomps". The third class is the contraption category and these vehicles feature drive trains completely fabricated by students ranging from pendulum
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
propulsion to pulse jet engines. Vehicles must feature an "indirect" drive system and are judged both on creativity and effective operation.
The Wreck parade dates back to 1929 when The Technique
The Technique
The Technique, also known as the "Nique," is the official student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and has referred to itself as "the South's liveliest college newspaper" since 1945...
began an "Old Ford Race" to Athens. In 1932, the race was deemed unsafe by the administration so a parade of contraptions was created to subdue student protests. The parade has run every year since 1932 except for the years of 1942-1943. The American fuel shortage caused by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
stopped the parade. In 1944, the parade was renewed except the contraptions had to be human powered
Human-powered transport
Human-powered transport is the transport of person and/or goods using human muscle power. Like animal-powered transport, human-powered transport has existed since time immemorial in the form of walking, running and swimming...
. Gasoline power
Internal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
was allowed again in 1946.
Freshman Cake Race
The Freshman Cake Race is a foot race from the Russ Chandler StadiumRuss Chandler Stadium
Russ Chandler Stadium is a college baseball stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. It is located on the historic Rose Bowl Field on the Georgia Tech campus, which has been the home field of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets college baseball team for more than 70 years. The current stadium opened in 2002.-The...
to Bobby Dodd Stadium
Bobby Dodd Stadium
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field is the football stadium located at the corner of North Avenue at Techwood Drive on the campus of Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, who completed the 2011 season with a loss to rival UGA...
that takes place before sunrise (about 6:00 am) on the morning of the homecoming game. This distance is about a one-half mile, so the crowd of several hundred participants engages in a mad sprint over the relatively short distance. The race runs through the middle of the campus's Greek sector and is often subject to tampering by fraternity students. The competitors are supposed to be freshmen (students with less than 30 hours of credit), and the race is split up by gender. The winners receive cakes baked by faculty, alumni, or students, and all participants receive cupcakes. The winners also receive a kiss from Mr. or Ms. Georgia Tech at the homecoming half-time show.
The race began as a cross-country race in 1911. In 1913, the winners received cakes from wives, mothers, and other women affiliated with Tech. The race was initially mandatory for all students.
Ramblin' Reck Club
The Ramblin' Reck Club was founded in 1930 as the Yellow Jacket Club to help bolster school spirit. The Yellow Jacket Club helped facilitate the Freshman Cake Race and helped to organize the first Wreck Parades in 1932. The Yellow Jacket Club were the strict student enforcement of the freshmen RAT rules as well. The Yellow Jacket Club maintained prestige and political power on campus until late 1944. The Yellow Jacket Club was in charge of the 1945 school-wide Spring Social and failed to properly organize the event. The Technique, Blueprint, and Omicron Delta Kappa rejuvenated the major event but the Yellow Jackets' reputation was severely tarnished. On May 8, 1945 the Yellow Jacket Club staged a last ditch effort to reorganize the traditions club but by July 14, 1945 the club was disbanded.When new freshmen arrived on campus in 1945, the student body was concerned that traditions would be lost with the disbandment of the Yellow Jackets. A new traditions club was actively pursued by Anak to instill the rich Tech tradition into new freshmen. The new club was the Ramblin' Reck Club and it was established in late July 1945. The first order of business for the new Ramblin' Reck Club was to stage a Pep Meeting and traditions review for new freshmen. Reck Club was designed to prevent political domination by individual social fraternities as Yellow Jacket Club had been. Membership in Reck Club was limited to two individuals per fraternity or military ROTC program. A group known as the T-Club was charged with upholding the RAT rules with incoming freshmen.
Four years after Tech became coed, Reck Club became the first non-faith based organization on campus to admit a female member. Paula Stevenson was the club's first female member in 1956. Under Reck Club, the strict RAT rules slowly faded away. Anti-hazing laws severely diminished Reck Club's ability to punish Tech freshmen for disobeying the RAT rules in 1965. By 1967, the Club was given a more wholesome duty.
Reck Club was given charge of the Ramblin' Wreck in 1967 following the disbandment of the Student Council's Reck Committee. A member from Reck Club known as the Wreck Driver has been elected annually since 1967 to drive the Wreck onto Grant Field for football games and other school functions.
Reck Club was the first group to make attempts at humanoid mascots on Tech Campus. The first was a bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
costume donned by Judi McNair of Reck Club. She sported her bee costume to home basketball games and pep rallies. In 1973, a spandex
Spandex
Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
-clad hero named T-Man and his faithful sidekick T2 patrolled campus in search of opposing mascots and fans. T-Man would perform spirit skits at pep rallies and home basketball games. Often seen riding in the Ramblin' Wreck, T-Man was an anonymous member of the Reck Club until his mysterious disappearance in 1975.
The Ramblin' Reck Club today oversees several homecoming traditions such as the Freshman Cake Race, the Mini 500, and the Wreck Parade. Reck Club also serves as a bridge between Georgia Tech Athletics and the Georgia Tech student body organizing the Swarm cheering section, pep rallies, flashcards sections, and other spirit related events.
Bull Dog Club
The Bull Dog Club was an honor society created in 1910 originally as a social branch of Tech's Koseme Society. The Bull Dogs first major role was facilitating the first cross country races that eventually evolved into the Freshman Cake Race. The Bull Dogs only admitted rising juniors and seniors into their ranks in order to maintain prestige and honor in the club.The Bull Dogs rise to Institute prominence also lead to their eventual demise. The Bull Dogs put a particular emphasis on mediating campus-wide sporting events. The Bull Dogs utilized their Cake Race ties to the Athletic Association in order to coordinate the first intramurals on the athletic playing fields.
The Bull Dogs also aided in spirit and tradition upkeep on campus by aiding in Ramblin' Wreck Parade judging, homecoming queen selection, and homecoming dance planning. Despite the Bull Dogs roles in homecoming celebrations, their intramural coordination became their primary focus by the 1960s. With the planning of the Student Athletic Center, intramurals were placed under official Institute control rather than the Bull Dogs and in 1969 the Bull Dogs were disbanded relinquishing all homecoming duties to Ramblin' Reck Club and the student government.
Georgia Tech Bands
The Georgia Tech Bands are student musical groups fielded at many of the home athletic and schoolwide events. None of the musicians receive scholarships for participating in the assorted bands meaning the bands are composed entirely of volunteers. Since several schools in Atlanta do not field football teams, the GT Marching Band invites students from other Atlanta schools to participate (e.g., Kennesaw State and Agnes Scott).Every home football game and most away games include a 300 member Georgia Tech marching band performing during dead ball time and half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
. The GT Bands also field smaller pep bands at home basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
games. The bands are known to follow teams for special events such as bowl games and basketball tournaments
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. The ice hockey pep band in particular travels to Savannah every year for the Thrasher cup. The band has some of the richest traditions on campus, including a strict enforcement of RAT caps amongst first year band members, no matter their actual year in college.
The first Georgia Tech bands were formed in 1908 and led by Robert "Biddy" Bidez. Bidez lead the group until his graduation in 1912. He was succeeded by another student named Mike Greenblatt who continued in Bidez's footsteps until 1913. Greenblatt wrote the first versions of "Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech". The first professional band director was Frank "Wop" Roman. Roman is noted for writing Tech's Alma Mater as well as "Up With the White and Gold". Roman copyrighted "Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech" in 1919 and led the bands until his death in 1928. Since Roman there have been seven professional band directors. The directors have had varying levels of success and longevity.
Swarm
The Swarm is a spirit group consisting of 900 Georgia Tech students found seated along the north end zone during home football games and on the court during basketball games. The Swarm was started by the Suzanne "Suzy Swarm" Robinson of the Ramblin' Reck Club in 1996 to increase the amount of student participation in the stands. The Swarm was only 250 members when it began in 1996. The group increased to 650 members by 2001 and is currently 900 members strong. All Swarm members donate to the Alexander-Tharpe fund and are given gold t-shirts before every football and basketball season. One of the more popular traditions amongst Swarm members is the "Running of the Swarm." Because all Swarm seating is general admission, there are no reserved seats. The Swarm members must run once the gate is opened to get the best seats.Flashcards
A flashcard display is performed at every home football game by students. The flashcard section was first formed in 1957 by an organization known as the Block-T Club. The idea for a flashcard section and group to organize its efforts was conceived by members of the Sigma ChiSigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
fraternity. Through the support of Ramblin' Reck Club the first flashcard section featured 400 freshmen and highly coordinated flashcard images. The original flashcard sections were completely voluntary but now the Swarm maintains the tradition as a mandatory requirement of being a member of Swarm.
Goldfellas
The Goldfellas are a group of Georgia Tech superfans that paint their entire bodies yellow spelling out witty phrases in black letters on their chest. These painted fans attend every home football game and are located behind the South end zone goalpost. Occasionally, the Goldfellas will attend home basketball, volleyball, or other sporting events. The group had its origins in the 1998 Georgia Tech football season, when a group of guys painted up for the homecoming game against the favored Virginia Cavaliers, the second of the fabled 41-38 games. The Jackets upset the Cavaliers and the tradition was started and passed on by residents in the now defunct Area II dormitories. Each member is given a unique face design that is retired upon his graduation. The group is not considered an official club as its members do not bow to any charters and are not affiliated with Swarm. The Goldfellas take pride in their complete lack of clothing besides a yellow wig and gym shorts. The group never sits during the course of a football game, not even during halftime. The largest gathering of the Goldfellas occurred in the 2007 football game against rival University of Georgia with over 80 Tech students painted up with the Goldfellas for the event.Up With the White and Gold
Oh well it's up with the White and Gold,
Down with the Red and Black,
Georgia Tech is out for a victory.
We'll drop the battle-axe on GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
's head,
When we meet her our team is sure to beat her.
Down on the old farm there will be no sound
Till our bow-wows rip through the air;
When the battle is over Georgia's team will be found
With the Yellow Jackets swarming around!
Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech
I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech is Georgia Tech's fight songFight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
. The composition is based on Son of a Gambolier by Charles Ives
Charles Ives
Charles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...
(1895), and the lyrics are based on an old English and Scottish drinking song
Drinking song
A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music...
of the same name. Ramblin' Wreck is played after every Georgia Tech score (directly after a field goal/safety and preceded by Up With the White and Gold after a touchdown) in a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game, and frequently during timeouts at basketball games. The title refers to the Ramblin' Wreck, one of Tech's mascots and a nickname for Tech students.
Alma Mater
Oh, sons of Tech, arise, behold!The banner as it reigns supreme,
For from on high the White and Gold
Waves in its triumphant gleam.
The spirit of the cheering throng
Resounds with joy revealing
A brotherhood in praise and song,
In memory of the days gone by.
Oh, Scion of the Southland
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
!
In our hearts you shall forever fly.
We cherish thoughts so dear for thee,
Oh, Alma Mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, in our prayer.
We plead for you in victory,
And in the victory we share!
But when the battle seems in vain
Our spirits never falter,
We're ever one in joy or pain,
And our union is a lasting bond.
Oh! May we be united.
Till the victory of life is won.
Budweiser Song
At every football game and every home basketball game, the fans of Georgia Tech perform an unusual dance at the end of the 3rd quarter in football and during the second to last television timeout of basketball. The dance is a simple bobbing motion which alternates every other person (simulating the up-and-down motion of the heads of the familiar team of ClydesdaleClydesdale
Clydesdale was formerly one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland.The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1973 from part of the former county of Lanarkshire: namely the burghs of Biggar and Lanark and the First, Second and Third Districts...
horses) and is performed to the tune of an old Budweiser jingle
Here Comes the King
Here Comes the King is a well-known advertising jingle written for Budweiser, whose slogan is "The King of beers." Budweiser is the flagship brand of the Anheuser-Busch brewery....
. The Georgia Tech additional lyrics are as follows:
- Go Georgia Tech!
- Go Georgia Tech!
- Go Georgia Tech!
- Go Georgia Tech!
- When you say Bud...weiser, you've said it all!
Pi Mile Road Race
The Dean George C. GriffinGeorge C. Griffin
George C. Griffin served in various positions at his alma mater, the Georgia Institute of Technology, most notably as Dean of Men from 1946 to 1964. He was known variously as "the best friend of all Tech men" and "Mr. Georgia Tech."-Student:...
Pi Mile 5K Road Race
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
is run annually in the Spring on the Georgia Tech campus. One of the longest continually running races in Atlanta, it is named after former Dean of Students, George C. Griffin, in honor of his tenure as a track and cross country coach. The race founder is alumnus L. McTier "Mac" Anderson, class of 1967. The first race in 1973 was 3 miles long and was expanded to 3.14 miles after 1975—hence the Pi
Pi
' is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter. is approximately equal to 3.14. Many formulae in mathematics, science, and engineering involve , which makes it one of the most important mathematical constants...
Mile. In 2002, the race distance was slightly shortened to 5 kilometers, intendedly to attract more runners. Another race tradition is the Ghost Run, where all the entrants sign up as George P. Burdell
George P. Burdell
George P. Burdell is a fictitious student officially enrolled at Georgia Tech in 1927 as a practical joke. Since then, he has supposedly received several degrees, served in the military, gotten married, and served on Mad magazine's Board of Directors, among other accomplishments. Burdell at one...
; participants pay the fee and get a t-shirt but do not have to run.
Part of the race is run along the Tyler Brown Pi-Mile Trail, a 3.14-mile running course around well-lit areas of the Georgia Tech campus, designated with disc-shaped markers and maps along the way. Tyler Brown was a former Student Government Association President who ran daily for ROTC and pushed heavily for a well-lit and safe running trail. Tyler Brown was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
in Iraq on September 14, 2004. The trail was completed in December 2004 and was dedicated in his honor in April 2005.
Yellow Jackets
The term Yellow Jacket or Yellowjacket has been used to refer to students and the various sports teams as early as the 1890s. Fans of Georgia Tech would often wear yellow jackets to sporting events in support of the early Georgia Tech teams. The early football teams, lacking gold fabric for jerseys, wore yellowYellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
jerseys. John Heisman told the Atlanta Constitution that he wanted his teams to be referred to as the Yellow Jackets in October 1905. In November 1906, the Atlanta Journal portrayed a University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player being attacked by a yellowjacket
Yellowjacket
Yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries...
with the words "Somebody's about to get stung" as the caption. This would be the first time and not the last time that the Georgia Tech sports teams would be referred to as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wreck, Engineers, Blacksmiths, and Golden Tornado. There are 8 men's and 7 women's teams that...
.
Buzz Bee became the anthropomorphized
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
Yellow Jacket in 1979. He was initially an impromptu student volunteer but is now an official cheerleader that requires an intense tryout process. This Buzz character would be the model for a new Georgia Tech emblem, designed in 1985 by Mike Lester.
George P. Burdell
The legendary imaginary Tech student George P. BurdellGeorge P. Burdell
George P. Burdell is a fictitious student officially enrolled at Georgia Tech in 1927 as a practical joke. Since then, he has supposedly received several degrees, served in the military, gotten married, and served on Mad magazine's Board of Directors, among other accomplishments. Burdell at one...
who enrolled in 1927 is said to possess nearly every degree Georgia Tech offers, after many students took a variety of classes in his name. In 1927, a student, receiving 2 enrollment forms, also enrolled as George P. Burdell and attended as both names, so Burdell obtained a B.S. 1930, got a Master's, and in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, went to Harvard and joined the Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
. Since the 1960s, some students have managed to re-enroll George P. Burdell in the Institute registrar's computers. When Tech switched to online class registration, Burdell took every course offered that term. After initially vigorously searching for the hackers
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
, the Institute has since accepted the presence of George P. Burdell in every year's class. George P. Burdell is also a common tool for pranks at various school events and games. He usually gets paged over the stadium public address system at away sporting events.
The Cumberland Game
In 1916, Georgia Tech's football team (coached by the legendary John Heisman
John Heisman
John William Heisman was an American player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College , Buchtel College, now known as the University of Akron , Auburn University , Clemson University , Georgia Tech , the...
—for whom the trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
is named) defeated Cumberland 222-0, the largest margin of victory in college football history. Cumberland's total net yardage was -28 (minus 28), and it had only one play for positive yards. Cumberland did not record a first down. Georgia Tech scored every time it got the ball; although one page on Cumberland's web site says that Georgia Tech scored on every offensive play, the play-by-play posted on its site indicates otherwise. Cumberland beat Georgia Tech's baseball team 22 to 0 the previous year, reportedly with the help of professional players Cumberland had hired as "ringers," an act which apparently infuriated Heisman.
41–38
41–38 is the score of two victories by Georgia Tech over VirginiaVirginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
.
In 1990
Toe meets leather
Toe Meets Leather refers to the 1990 United States college football game between Georgia Tech and the University of Virginia, won by Georgia Tech 41-38. The game, between #1 Virginia and #16 Georgia Tech, concluded with a 37 yard field goal by Scott Sisson with 7 seconds remaining...
, Virginia won its first seven games and raced out to a #1 ranking in both polls. Undefeated but unheralded Georgia Tech came into Scott Stadium
Scott Stadium
Scott Stadium , located in Charlottesville, Virginia, is the home of the Virginia Cavaliers football team. It sits on the University of Virginia's Grounds, east of Hereford College and first-year dorms on Alderman Road but west of Brown College and the Lawn...
in Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
and beat the Cavaliers 41–38 on a last-second field goal by Scott Sisson. This victory set off celebrations back in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
that culminated in GT students breaking into Bobby Dodd Stadium
Bobby Dodd Stadium
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field is the football stadium located at the corner of North Avenue at Techwood Drive on the campus of Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, who completed the 2011 season with a loss to rival UGA...
, closed for the road game that weekend, and tearing down a goalpost (a common victory celebration when a game is played on one's home field). GT went on to be ACC champion and co-national champion with Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
that season, which included Colorado's Fifth Down Game against Missouri
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...
. Virginia's season spiraled downhill from there, going 1–3 to finish 8–4 and ranked only #22.
In 1998, the first year since 1990 that both teams had come into this game with high hopes, #25 GT hosted undefeated #7 UVA, and again pulled off the upset. This time, the Jackets came from three touchdowns behind and survived a 54-yard field goal miss by UVA kicker Todd Braverman as time ran out. Since then, any time the two teams have met with rankings and bowl positions on the line, GT fans have used "41–38" as a rallying cry, similar to Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
fans' "Wide Right
Wide Right (Florida State)
Wide Right I is the colloquial name for a 1991 college football game between the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles. The game is one of the most significant in the history of the Miami – Florida State rivalry, and its name is a reference to its dramatic ending: With 29 seconds remaining...
" against Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
.
Sideways the Dog
Terrier
A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, very active and fearless dogs. Terrier breeds vary greatly in size from just a couple of pounds to over 70 pounds and are usually categorized by size or function...
, who, after having been involved in a car accident, was forced to walk sideways. She was a favorite of the students, and often slept in a different dorm room every night, being fed through the generosity of the student body and Brittain Dining Hall. She would often wander into classes and sleep during boring lectures.
Sideways died after accidentally ingesting some rat poison in one of the dorm rooms, and is buried on the grounds near the southeast corner of Tech Tower
Tech Tower
The Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Administration Building, commonly known as Tech Tower, is a historic building located at 225 North Avenue NW in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and a focal point of the central campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology...
. A plaque marks her resting spot and briefly tells her story. It reads, "Sideways. Ever faithful and true. Companion of student body of Ga. Tech."
The headstone was recently rotated 90 degrees clockwise from what is shown in the picture at right so that Sideways may be in death as she was in life.
Stumpy's bear
After defeating the California Golden BearsCalifornia Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
in the 1929 Rose Bowl Game
Roy Riegels
Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels played for the University of California, Berkeley football team from 1927 to 1929...
, Tech fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Jack "Stumpy" Thomason acquired a live bear while in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He brought the bear back to Tech and raised the bear in Atlanta. Named Bruin, the bear made a habit of drinking too much
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
beer and rummaging through Midtown Atlanta dumpsters. After a lot of Atlantan complaints and two arrests by local police, Stumpy agreed to cage Bruin in Bobby Dodd Stadium. Bruin left Tech campus with Stumpy when Stumpy was acquired by the Brooklyn Dodgers
Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)
The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at Ebbets Field. In 1945, because of financial difficulties, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks...
in 1930.
Drownproofing
From 1940 to 1987, Tech offered a class called Drownproofing, which was required for graduation for students. The class was developed by Coach Fred Lanoue for the Naval School, which was located at Georgia Tech before and during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He taught students how to float in water for extended periods of time with ankles and wrists bound, how (unbound) to swim 50 yards (46 m) underwater, and other water survival skills. At the time it was considered a prime example of the difficulty of Tech's curriculum, and referred to in jest by students as "Drowning 101."
ANAK Society
The ANAK Society is said to be the only official secret societySecret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
on campus. Since its founding in 1908, the ANAK Society has selected seniors who "exhibit a true love for Georgia Tech through their campus involvement and compassion for their fellow students," according to their website. While members used to be publicly selected at the semi-annual IFC dances when they were "tapped" on the shoulder, membership in the Society has been secret since 1960. Only when members reach graduation are they publicly announced in The Technique
The Technique
The Technique, also known as the "Nique," is the official student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and has referred to itself as "the South's liveliest college newspaper" since 1945...
. Most of the work of the Society is conducted anonymously with members seeking no recognition for their service. ANAK claims to have had a hand in establishing The Technique
The Technique
The Technique, also known as the "Nique," is the official student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and has referred to itself as "the South's liveliest college newspaper" since 1945...
, The Blueprint
Blueprint (yearbook)
Blueprint is Georgia Tech's official student yearbook. It was established in 1908 and is the second oldest student organization on campus. Their staff meets Thursday nights at 7 pm in Room 137 of the Student Services Building.-History:...
, the Student Government Association, the Ramblin' Reck Club, and Tech's peaceful integration.
North Avenue Trade School
Georgia Tech is sometimes called the "North Avenue Trade School," although this was never its official title. The name stems from the fact that the campus is bordered to the south by North AvenueNorth Avenue (Atlanta)
North Avenue in Atlanta is a major avenue in Atlanta that divides Downtown Atlanta from Midtown Atlanta. North Avenue stretches continuously in Atlanta from Candler Park in the east, across Interstate 75 & Interstate 85, along the southern boundary of the Georgia Institute of Technology, to Joseph E...
, and that the school in its earlier years was operated much like a trade school, with students working part of the day in a machine shop, and the other part of the day in classrooms. Today the name is still used in a humorous
In-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
manner: the campus bookstore even sells shirts bearing the name "North Avenue Trade School."
The Institute
Traditionally, Georgia Tech has been called "the Institute" while discouraging the nicknames "the university" or "the college". The Institute had been divided into "Schools" which are now called "Colleges" for each field of study. When Georgia Tech's football team played the University of Miami for its 2006 Homecoming game, several students were seen wearing gold t-shirts that said, "Screw the U, Fear the I!" (mocking Miami's tradition of being called the U).The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of only five Division I Bowl Subdivision football programs without "University" in the school's name. The others are Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and the three service academies (United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
, United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
and the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
).
Getting Shafted
"Getting shafted" generally refers to the rigorous academic difficulty of Georgia Tech's curriculum. The physical manifestation of this phrase is the Kessler CampanileKessler Campanile
The Kessler Campanile is an campanile located at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Designed by artist Richard Hill, it was originally constructed for the 1996 Olympic Games. It is named after Richard C. Kessler, Tech graduate and former head of Days Inns...
, a "shaft-like" structure near the Student Center. The phallic shape of the structure invites its designation as a shafting device.
The Ratio
The Ratio (always capitalized) refers to Georgia Tech's traditionally high ratio of male to female students.TBS
Due to the Ratio (always capitalized, see above), some students have felt that certain women at Georgia Tech may be stuck up because of all the attention they get from an overwhelming number of males. These students call the behavior of the female in this scenario as "Tech Bitch Syndrome" or "TBS" for short.Women against the term claim that they are often labeled the term without warrant. An analysis of the term was done by Georgia Tech's Sexual Violence and Prevention Initiative.
Getting Out
"Getting out" refers to graduating from Georgia Tech. Graduates typically say "I got out" rather than that they graduated from Georgia Tech.The Hill
A nickname given to Tech's academic administration and historic districtGeorgia Institute of Technology Historic District
The Historic District of the Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as the Old Campus of Georgia Tech or the Hill District, is significant in the areas of architecture, education, engineering and science, as well as landscape architecture. The area is a Registered Historic Place and part of...
. Topographically, Tech's first administrative buildings were built on an actual hill in Atlanta. As campus expanded onto surrounding lower terrain, the Hill became a much more prominent sight on campus. The term now is typically used in derision when referring to the administration. Former Tech Interim President Gary Schuster
Gary Schuster
Gary Benjamin Schuster was the interim president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, a position he held from July 1, 2008, when former president G. Wayne Clough stepped down, until April 1, 2009, when George P. "Bud" Peterson was named Georgia Tech's permanent president...
's blog, titled, "Notes from the Hill", refers to this nickname.
The Hill also refers to the steep incline of Bobby Dodd Way (which most students now refer to as "Freshman Hill"), which residents of East Campus must trek up in order to attend class. The climb is often referred to as a hike up the Freshman Hill as many freshman dorms are located around the bottom of Freshman Hill.