Have You Tried These University of Maryland Traditions?

Traditions are always important and at a college campus they are ritual.  Whether you are a soon to be senior or an incoming freshman, you should know the traditions on your campus.  Check out the traditions below and see if you have completed any of them!

Testudo

Testudo is the centerpiece of our campus, and the act of rubbing his nose for good luck is our most-enduring tradition, going strong since 1933!

Since the early 1990s, students have left Testudo offerings of any imaginable kind: food, cigarettes, soda, beer, poems, computer disks, candy, flowers, coins—hoping that Testudo will bring them luck at final exam time.

Replicas of Testudo can be found at three locations on campus: Comcast Center, Cole Student Activities Building, and Byrd Stadium, where there are two.

Jim Henson and Kermit Statue
Have your photo taken with Jim Henson and Kermit!

The University of Maryland dedicated the statue of Jim Henson conversing with Kermit the Frog and the memorial garden which surrounds it, outside the Stamp Student Union, on September 24, 2003.

Henson, who graduated from the University of Maryland in 1960, was known the world over for his creation of the Muppets and his work in television with Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. His work on film included six movies starring the Muppets and two fantasy pieces, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

The statue, created by sculpter Jay Hall Carpenter, captures Jim Henson and Kermit in bronze, sitting on a red granite bench, and weighs 450 pounds. It is surrounded by a memorial garden, designed by landscape architect Philip Cho. The entire project cost $217,000 and was funded in part by gifts from the Classes of 1994, 1998, and 1999.
McKeldin Mall fountain

This 16 feet by 250 feet fountain honors members of the campus chapter of the Omicron Delta Kappa honor society. Each fountain tier represents one of the leadership qualities found in ODK members. Engravings around the fountain include quotations from Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr., the symbol of ODK, and a listing of fraternity members from the university. This installation also features a plaque honoring donors who contributed to the building of the fountain.
Sundial

The Sundial, located in the center of McKeldin Mall, was originally a gift from the Class of 1965, the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and friends of Professor Uco Van Wijk, who died in 1966. It was renovated with donations from the Class of 1990. 

Learn some more traditions at the University of Maryland website.