As many of you may have heard, this year marks Milligan’s 150th birthday. With a century and a half of history behind us, it is only natural that Milligan celebrates several traditions.
Creeking:
Ladies and gents, ring by spring is a real thing–especially at a small Christian college like this one. You may have heard the tell-tale screaming and honking of cars late at night. Creeking is a Milligan tradition, a rite of passage, for recently engaged students. No one is safe; guys and girls alike are captured by their friends, tied up, paraded around campus and thrown into Buffalo Creek. “I’ve taken part in so many creekings the past two years that to be the one getting creeked was so fun,” said Junior Madeline Fraisure, who recently got engaged and creeked this September. “I felt super loved by so many people, and it was so fun to celebrate marriage and friendship with so many wonderful people. It will be a night I will never forget, and, after it was all said and done, I looked at my fiancé and said, ‘Well, now we can officially get married; I’ve been creeked!’”
Buff Run:
If you don’t know what this is, I invite you to ask someone who does–but do so at your own risk. Let’s just say it happens while everyone is sleeping for good reason.
That Big Party:
What big party? Due to this confusion, Milligan’s Student Government has officially changed the name to The Spring Formal. A senior dinner is held for graduating seniors and their dates. After the dinner and a few speeches, underclassmen are invited to Milligan’s biggest dance of the school year. Dress up, dance your hearts out and have a blast. Only recently has dancing been approved on Milligan’s campus–2006 to be exact. The first dance was held on Valentine’s Day in 2007, although the Navy V-12 held a dance in 1945.
Dinks:
Freshmen at Milligan were required to wear black and orange beanies known as “dinks.” This tradition lasted from the 1930s to the 1980s or early 1990s. If a freshman were caught without one, he or she was sent to a kangaroo court–an unofficial court that disregards recognized standards of law or justice–or thrown into the creek. This tradition came to an end due to federal hazing laws.
Football:
Yes, Milligan’s football team has been “undefeated since 1950.” The team won several Smoky Mountain Conference championships during their 30 years, playing against teams like Duke and the University of Tennessee. The 1940 team was in fact undefeated. The football program, while successful and popular, was disbanded in 1950 for financial reasons. http://dla.acaweb.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/Milligan/id/292/rec/1