An overview of some of Randolph-Macon College’s most beloved traditions
Randolph-Macon was founded nearly 200 years ago, and our close-knit community has established countless traditions since then. Some have been lost to history. Others live on through generations of Yellow Jackets and form the basis of some of their fondest college memories.
Whether you are a future Yellow Jacket or are excited to see the return of some events that have been postponed due to the pandemic, you’ll find plenty of traditions worth waiting for at Randolph-Macon. Check out this list of 10 Randolph-Macon traditions you can look forward to in the coming year that help keep our community ties close!
Known matter-of-factly as “The Game,” the head-to-head between Randolph-Macon’s and Hampden-Sydney’s football squads remains the most anticipated matchup on both teams' schedules since their first meeting in 1893. It’s considered the oldest small-college rivalry in the South. There’s even a clock ticking down the minutes to the next contest in R-MC’s football offices. As of the 2021 season, Randolph-Macon has won eight straight and 10 of the last 11 iterations of The Game, and we look forward to extending that streak next fall! #beathsc
There’s no shortage of scenic views on R-MC’s historic campus. On your first visit, you might be too busy looking up and out to see what’s right there under your feet: the Janet Harvey Trivette '78 Alumni Walkway. Dedicated in 2008, this “red brick road” winds through campus and contains the names of every R-MC alumni back through the early 1950s, with plans underway to add every Yellow Jacket through the early 1900s. (Future YJs—your name would make the perfect addition, just saying.)
Macon a Difference Day is, as the name suggests, all about making an impact on the lives of our Ashland neighbors. Along with a fall service day called The Big Event, Macon a Difference Day brings Randolph-Macon students together for a day of service and fun around Ashland each spring. This annual tradition is a chance for Yellow Jackets to assist local residents with a variety of hands-on projects like painting, construction, gardening, and more, reflecting the important role of service and community outreach in the life of a YJ.
While the rest of the country trusts a groundhog to mark the transition from winter to spring, at Randolph-Macon, we look no further than our own fountain! Fountain Turn On is R-MC’s unofficial rite of spring. The entire R-MC community joins together at the College’s most iconic congregating spot, Brown Fountain Plaza, to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of warmer days. The fountain is switched back on, uplifting remarks are shared, and there’s plenty of food, music, and fellowship for everyone to ring in the new season.
The College officially welcomes each year’s newest crop of Yellow Jackets during Matriculation. Going back generations, incoming students would sign the registrar’s official Matriculation book to formalize their commitment to R-MC before the start of classes. While the Matriculation book has been updated in recent years, incoming students still add their name to the lengthy roster of students who came before them and are thereby incorporated into R-MC’s legacy. It signifies the important change in the status of each incoming student, too, and is something no YJ forgets!
Turkey, gravy, and all the fixins—whose mouth doesn’t water just thinking about Thanksgiving? Every year we see to it that our students get a proper belly-buster before they head home for the holiday break, and the staff at Estes Dining Hall make sure it’s a special one! Students through the ages have looked forward to this day, even reserving tables in advance to be able to celebrate this iconic American holiday with friends.
Camptown brings out the kid in every college student and is proof that no one is too old for lawn games. A joint effort between R-MC’s Commons Activities Board, Student Government Association, and the Office of Student Life, Camptown is R-MC’s spin on a carnival atmosphere, during which students put down their books down for the day and help themselves to food trucks, lawn games, and live music all across campus. The Nighthawks, Widespread Panic, and Wiz Khalifa are just a few of recent headliners we’ve seen over the years, and we’re pumped to see Better by Tuesday’s funk-infused set at Camptown later this month!
Your class ring is a symbol of everything you achieved in college, an enduring symbol of your school spirit, and a flashy way to tell the world you’re a Yellow Jacket for life. Yep, at Randolph-Macon, we take our rings pretty seriously! During Ring Ceremony, seniors gather with their loved ones over Family Weekend to formally accept their class rings, a tangible token commemorating fond memories and hard-earned accomplishments.
It’s the simple pleasures in life that keep us motivated. That’s why every Friday, R-MC celebrates its tastiest tradition: Fried Chicken Fridays. Students line up week after week for a chance to heap their plates with Estes’ fried chicken and mac-and-cheese. Crispy, juicy, WEEKLY fried chicken … need we say more?
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