9 quirky traditions Wisconsin colleges carry on

At these universities, traditions new and old are a vital part of the college experience. 

When college students reflect on their time at school, they often think about their classes and big events, such as graduation. However, the most memorable events are often the unique traditions associated with each college and university.

Whether they’re new traditions, like an alumni lapel twin tradition at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, or date back decades, like the Kissing Rock at Carthage College, there are plenty of ways that college campuses pass on rituals and practices from class to class.

From annual events to sports-themed occasions, here are some of the most memorable traditions that are carried on at Wisconsin colleges and universities.

1. Jump Around at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

500 Lincoln Drive, Madison

In 1992, the hip-hop group House of Pain released the song “Jump Around.” The song was a big hit, reaching its peak at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. What the group probably didn’t expect was that six years later, it would become one of the most famous songs on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. During the school’s homecoming football game against Purdue University in 1998, two students were testing out a new playlist and put on the 1992 hit. Fans got to their feet and did what the song suggested—they started jumping around. The Wisconsin Badgers came back to win the game, and the team has used the song to hype up fans ever since.

The song is typically played between the third and fourth quarters of home games, and the words “jump around” can be found on unofficial Badgers merchandise. It’s become such a tradition that when it wasn’t played at a home game in 2003, out of fears that all of the jumping would damage the new stadium, fans grew increasingly upset. It’s always been played since.

2. 17 Days of Kindness at Lawrence University

711 East Boldt Way, Appleton

Many college traditions are long-standing and have extensive histories, but not Lawrence University’s 17 Days of Kindness. The annual event marked its fourth anniversary this year. The Appleton-based school said that the tradition showcases the best of the university’s community through a mix of events and celebrations all dedicated to one thing: kindness.

Over the course of 17 days, the Lawrence University community gathers for events like bingo, community scavenger hunts, and s’more making. The school uses the event as an opportunity to remind students and staff of the importance of being kind to others—and to themselves. During the two-and-a-half-week annual tradition, students are encouraged to write quotes about kindness along the campus’ sidewalks, and participate in giveaways for ice cream and gift cards to local businesses.

3. Colleen the Dream at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls

410 South Third St., River Falls

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls already has a mascot—Freddy Falcon. But that’s not the only important animal on campus. The other is Colleen the Dream, a 20-foot fiberglass cow, and one of the school’s most well-loved traditions.

Colleen the Dream has been a campus tradition since 2012. The too-large-to-miss cow has been a steady presence at many of the university’s events, like homecoming and welcome week. The school said that Colleen the Dream serves as a reminder to students that things are going to be okay, and they encourage students to take pictures and selfies alongside the massive cow.

4. Paul Bunyan Axe at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

500 Lincoln Drive, Madison

Many of the great traditions at colleges and universities revolve around sports, and that’s no different at Wisconsin’s largest university, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The school, which was first founded in 1848, when Wisconsin gained statehood, is well-known for its Wisconsin Badgers football team, which has several traditions of its own, including the Paul Bunyan Axe.

Rather than an actual axe, the Paul Bunyan Axe is an axe-shaped trophy given to the winner of a football game between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Minnesota, a rivalry that goes back decades. The teams play each other each year, and the game is sometimes referred to as the “Border Battle.” Each year, the Paul Bunyan Axe is brought to the game. If the current holder wins the game, they will run to the goalposts and pretend to chop them down with the axe. If the team that was not in possession of the axe at the start of the game wins, they ceremonially steal it from the other team and then pretend to chop down the goalposts.

5. Kissing Rock at Carthage College

2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha

Founded in 1847, Carthage College hasn’t always been located in Kenosha. The school relocated to the southeastern Wisconsin city in 1957; before that, the lakefront school had called several different campuses home throughout Illinois. One of its former homes was Carthage, a city in western Illinois.

While the campus was still in Carthage, Ill., students in a geology class came across a 1.25-ton boulder in a creek bed. After three attempts, the boulder was hoisted onto a wagon and brought back to campus. When Carthage College moved up to Kenosha, the boulder came with. Now, it’s known as the Kissing Rock and is a major tradition at the school. Students sign their name on the rock when they first arrive on campus, and again when they graduate. Events are also publicized on the rock, and it serves as a prominent meeting point on campus. Of course, it wouldn’t be known as the Kissing Rock if there wasn’t some romance involved. The Kissing Rock has also become a romantic locale for campus couples.

6. Lake Mendota’s Statue of Liberty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

500 Lincoln Drive, Madison

Student-organized pranks happen on nearly every college campus, but the students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison took pranking one step further when they made a replica of the Statue of Liberty (but only the top of it) and placed it on Lake Mendota, giving the appearance that the statue was almost fully submerged.

The tradition doesn’t happen every year. After starting in 1979, the public art installation, which was initially created out of wood and papier-mâché, reappeared the following year—this time, made from styrofoam. There were further appearances until 2010. After that, the Statue of Liberty was not in the water again until 2019. Now, it’s inflatable and easier to set up. It was most recently in the water in Feb. 2025, as part of the Wisconsin Union’s Winter Carnival.

7. Coin Toss Tradition at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

3203 North Downer Ave., Milwaukee

From costly new textbooks to campus information, there are plenty of items that students acquire when preparing to attend university for the first time. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, one extra item is given to freshmen and new transfer students: a gold coin. According to the school, the coin represents the students’ hopes, dreams, and all that they will accomplish while attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The coins are tossed into the school’s fountain, and then given back to students when they graduate. In addition to the coin toss, new students are then gathered for a class photo.

8. Alumni Lapel Pin Tradition at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

2100 Main St., Stevens Point

When students graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, they’re not just decked out in a cap and gown. They’re also given lapel pins at their commencement ceremonies, and are told to pass them on to fellow “Pointers” that they encounter throughout their lives—serving as a visual symbol for the school’s extensive alumni network. The tradition began in 2012, but you don’t need to have graduated since then. The school’s alumni office has said that it’s a tradition for all University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point graduates, and if you graduated before 2012, you can request a pin through the office.

Additionally, if you’ve passed on your pin, you don’t have to wait to run into another University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point alum to get a new one. Contact the school’s alumni office, and they’ll send graduates from the school a new pin that they can pass on again or treasure for themselves.

9. Flamingo Decorating at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside

900 Wood Road, Kenosha

There are many ways that students can express themselves and their own creativity at universities—most of them don’t involve flamingos. But at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, in Kenosha, flamingos are a big part of it. Each year, the school hosts a flamingo decorating event, where students can select a plastic, pink flamingo and decorate it however they choose.

The event takes place each fall at the beginning of the school year, and students are able to decorate the flamingos with paint, fabric, and whatever other decorations they want. When the flamingos are satisfactorily decorated, they’re put on display in front of the university’s library.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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