{"id":27385,"date":"2013-10-18T11:30:17","date_gmt":"2013-10-18T18:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stage.headlessnauedu-b6hgdzckfdgxgzhe.westus-01.azurewebsites.net\/?p=27385"},"modified":"2013-10-22T06:29:30","modified_gmt":"2013-10-22T13:29:30","slug":"importance-traditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/importance-traditions\/","title":{"rendered":"The importance of traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cassie<\/a>By Cassie Luke<\/em><\/span>
\n Assistant Director of Housing and Residence Life<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Homecoming Week is my favorite time of the year. Year after year, Lumberjacks return to campus to celebrate NAU\u2019s past and to cheer to its future. I love Homecoming Week because it provides me with a number of opportunities to watch our students discover NAU traditions and to show off their True Blue NAU pride.<\/p>\n

As the assistant director for Freshmen Connections<\/a>, my job entails helping our 4,100 freshmen not only transition to university life but to feel like they are a part of the university. I want all students to have great memories of their time here and to feel incredible school pride. Traditions play an important role in fueling that pride by creating a shared experience for all. As such, my staff and I try to promote campus events<\/a> that will build community and link students to campus life.<\/p>\n

I also have the privilege of serving as the adviser to the Chain Gang, a student club whose mission is to uphold the traditions of the university. In a\u00a0custom dating back to 1936, Chain Gang members\u00a0tap the\u00a0Homecoming dedicatee<\/a>.\u00a0You may have also seen them in their orange shirts at football games wielding the Chain Gang axe for the \u201cbig chop\u201d that ushers in the football team. The Chain Gang is committed to linking students to traditions and passing them down from one class to the next.<\/p>\n

As Homecoming approaches and alumni return, I am reminded of how tradition binds past, present and future Lumberjacks. I am honored I get to influence that, even in small ways, through my two roles.<\/p>\n

\"traditions<\/p>\n

Here are a few of the ways we have\u2014and will\u2014encourage freshmen (and all Lumberjacks) to get involved in tradition.<\/p>\n