Bringing Back Traditions: Freshmen Ringing the Chapel Bell

As a student at The University Georgia, most of us took part in the tradition of ringing the bell at the University Chapel on North Campus following a victory. The ringing of the bell has been a university tradition since the 1890's, when the playing field was located much closer than it is today. After the 2007 victory over Florida, so many fans rang The Bell, that it came loose and had to be refurbished prior to the 2008 season.

While I think it is cool that many alumni, kids, and fans line up to ring the bell after a victory, one thing bugs me:

Freshmen are the ones who are supposed to ring the bell.

The old tradition was that from the time the game ended until midnight, freshmen were supposed to line up and take turns ringing the bell. While it is nice that six year old Dawg fan Austin from Marietta is getting to ring the bell, it is not the tradition! The other thing that bugs me about freshmen not manning the bell is that it does not continue to ring until midnight. I have been walking through North Campus following games in recent years and many times, just a few hours after the game, the bell has gone silent.

I'd rather see a line of freshmen dressed in their game day attire ringing the bell than this idiot.

In the current world we live in, making freshmen man the bell is seen as a form of hazing. Are you freaking kidding me? If I had it my way, not only would they be ringing the bell, but they would do it while wearing red and black beanies like they made the freshman wear during fraternity rush in Animal House.

"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life son."

GO DAWGS!!!