Every student has a favorite tradition from his or her college. Coker College has several unique ones. These include Bandfest, Coffee at the Courtyard, Comissioner Candle Lighting, C.O.W. Days, Crew Races, Homecoming, Late Night Breakfast, and Winter Formal. The community of Coker has always been able to make each and every one of their students feel welcome and transition more easily into this new environment because of these events. My personal favorites are Coffee at the Courtyard (who doesn't enjoy free coffee?), Late Night Breakfast, and Crew Races.
Coffee at the Courtyard provides free coffee in front of the most historical building on campus, Davidson Hall. The building itself is on the National Register of Historical Places, having been built in 1910. It was the first building along with Memorial Hall. It's the first view that parents and potential students see as they walk between pillars. It also houses the English, Language, and Business departments upstairs. Back to the coffee--it is free and delicious. If you want to sleep in and go to your 9:30 a.m. on a Thursday, but have a bit of a coffee addiction then this is the perfect opportunity because it begins at 9 a.m. and usually doesn't end until 9:30. And honestly? Socializing with professors in the cool morning and enjoying that half hour of peace is well worth it.
My second favorite is definitely Late Night Breakfast. It takes place the day before those dreaded finals begin. Faculty and staff serve food at 9:30 p.m. and bags filled with goodies are given as study snacks to the students. The first year I went, my upperclassmen friends told me, "We need to be there by 8:30!" I said, "Are you crazy?! That's an hour before it even starts! No one's gonna be there." Well, I was wrong. There was already a line of students sitting on the floor with books in their laps, cramming for their exams. No wonder there was such a long line. It's because the professors make the most delicious food! (Please, feel free to make me food at any given time and just tub-a-ware it for me. *cough* Dr. Godbey's chocolate chip cookies that she made for Artur, but not for me even though she's my college mom.)
Possibly the most hilarious and exciting of all Coker College traditions are the Crew Races. It's been around since 1919, making it one of Coker's oldest. Every Spring, a male and female team are arranged from each class (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior). They race in canoes on the lake at Coker's boathouse and the rest of us watch, enjoying our dinner, and cheering for our class. The first time I went, a pile of male Seniors went into their canoe and paddled a few feet before they all sunk underwater! They were too heavy for the canoe. We all laughed so hard (don't worry, everyone had life jackets and was safe). The men ran screaming out and later on the shuttle bus back to Coker, they were sitting beside me, telling me, "I saw an alligator down there!" "No, I saw a shark!" "I thought I was gonna be eaten!" They were so silly and all had such a good laugh about the whole ordeal.
At last, this is not a historical tradition, but it has taken place since I've been Freshman. Every year, a student-society called C.A.B. holds a "Fishy Friends" event where the first 50 to 150 people (depending upon the year and amount of fish) line up and receive a free fish container of their choice color, rocks, plant, food, and of course, a goldfish! It usually happens right as school begins or two weeks, but the moment that email comes out, I leave early and am usually the fourth or fifth person in line to receive the fish of my choice. This is the very first event that ever made me feel that I belonged at Coker. This year, I have another goldfish named Gillbert. Next year, I plan on attending again. Even when I'm an alumni, I'll sneak back and push the Freshmen out of the way for a fish.
Every year, I have had the pleasure of attending these events and each time, they are a bonding experience filled with laughter and hilarious moments. I've never felt more at home than I do when I'm participating in these. Coker College is a wonderful place for faculty and staff support along with peers. I believe it is why this college has attracted such a variety and diverse arrange of people--because no matter where you come from, it always feel like home.
