College of William and Mary

The College of William and Mary in Virginia is a public, liberal-arts university located in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 and named in honor of King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest university in the United States (Harvard, founded in 1638, is the oldest). At the request of the House of Burgesses and the Reverend Dr. James Blair, the commissary (or representative) of the Church of England in Virginia, it was founded in the Virginia Colony in 1693 by royal charter issued by the monarchs of England.

Traditions

William and Mary boasts a good number of traditions. One such tradition is the Yule Log Ceremony held prior to the Winter Holidays, during which the President of the College dressed as Santa Claus reads "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and the Vice President for Student Affairs, currently the much-beloved W. Samuel Sadler, reads "Twas the Night Before Finals," which is updated yearly to reflect the College's current events. The Ceremony ends with the students tossing holly onto the Yule Log, symbolizing the tossing away of the past year's worries and hardships. Another tradition is Opening Convocation during which the Freshmen class walk through the Wren Building and are officially welcomed as the newest members of the college. The Senior Walk Through Campus is the final tradition and takes place on the morning of graduation. The graduates walk in their academic regalia through the Wren Building (in the opposite direction they walked as Freshmen during Convocation) and across campus to their Commencement at William and Mary Hall.

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William and Mary also boasts a number of unofficial traditions. The first of these is the "Triathlon," three tasks which legend states must be completed prior to graduation. The first of these tasks is to jump the Governor's Palace Wall in Colonial Williamsburg. The second task is to streak the Sunken Gardens, located in the middle of "Old Campus." The third and final task is to jump into the Crim Dell. Another tradition also centers around the Crim Dell. Legend has is that if you kiss your love in the middle of the Crim Dell bridge, you are destined to be together for eternity. If things turn sour, the only way to break the "curse" is to toss the person you kissed off the bridge. However, it should be noted that if you cross the bridge alone, you are destined to be alone forever.

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