The Big Dip

Feature Story

Continued from "Traditions 'Neath the Purple and White" story

Alumni ring replica, Stone Fort yearbook 2002
Alumni ring replica, Stone Fort yearbook 2002

After earning a minimum of 60 hours, students are eligible to purchase their Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ ring and celebrate what has been voted as the "best tradition on campus" by participating in The Big Dip ceremony.

Started in 2002, The Big Dip is a ceremony held at the end of the fall and spring semesters. A more recent tradition added in 2019 has ROTC cadets stand guard outside the Stone Fort Museum, where Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ rings are placed the night before The Big Dip.

At the ceremony, participants receive their rings and then dip their right hands into a mix of purple dye and water gathered from the Surfin' Steve fountain. The act symbolizes students' full immersion into the life and traditions of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.