7 University of Delaware traditions every student must try before graduating

When a university's origins predate the American Revolution by 32 years, it shouldn't come as a surprise that there are some long-running campus traditions.

At the University of Delaware in Newark, where students have roamed for more than 250 years, customs have surely come and gone over that time.

But some have stuck and other new rituals have sprouted with UD students keeping a rich history alive, while also reshaping it over time.

Sure, there are events such as homecoming weekend that have been a staple for generations of UD students, but there are also new popular activities, such as Grotto Pizza's "Slater Races."

For the uninitiated, that's when students order Grottos' "AC Slater" mixed drinks ― a mini Long Island Iced Tea named after the "Saved By the Bell" character made with vodka, tequila, light rum, triple sec, gin and a splash of cola ― and drink them as fast as they can through a straw to see who can finish first.

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Hey, we didn't say every tradition was wholesome.

As a new senior class makes way through its final year on campus, we concocted a bucket list of sorts, filled with UD traditions new and old every student should try before graduating.

So throw on some blue and gold, grab some friends and make the most out of your final months on campus.

Swap spit at the 'Kissing Arches'

Walking across campus, it would be easy to stroll through the brick triple archway on the west side of Memorial Hall and not give it a second thought.

But for some Blue Hens, especially old timers, the arches that connect The Green with Mentors' Circle near Morris Library are more than just a passage.

It's also a spot for swappin' spit.

When the old Women's College opened on the South Green campus in 1914, The Green became home to two schools with Delaware College found on the North Green. And legend has it that the "Kissing Arches" were where sweethearts would smooch before curfew struck and they had to make it back to their respective residence halls.

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Part of the lore explained that five kisses under the arch would result in a marriage.

But in 2018, Lisa Gensel, UD’s archives coordinator at University Archives and Records Management, splashed some cold water on any tales that it became a spot for kisses because of the division between an all-male and all-female campuses.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have proof of that,” she told UDaily, a publication produced by the university's Office and Communication and Marketing. “You didn’t even have the arches until very late in the era of the men’s and women’s campus around 1940. Men were always allowed to escort their dates to the women’s campus. I think it’s apocryphal.”

Even so, feel free to grab your lover and give them a peck under the arches to keep the tradition alive.

Take photo at Magnolia Fountain

When May rolls around, many graduates will make their way to the South Green near Morris Library for photos at (or in) the Magnolia Fountain.

The fountain and the surrounding Magnolia Circle was designed in the late 1910s by architect Marian Cruger Coffin. She was UD's landscape architect for several decades and also worked on the gardens at Winterthur and Gibraltar.

The idea was to unite the two campuses ― Delaware College and Women's College ― which were not quite aligned, making a circle and fountain the perfect fix.

In more modern times, it has become the preferred backdrop for graduation photos, both during the day for proper pics and at night, for (usually) drink-fueled selfies and fountain-jump videos.

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In late May 2018, on the night before graduation, a large number of students congregated at the fountain around 1 a.m. for a rowdy celebration, causing nearby neighbors to complain and Newark City Council to even discuss the issue at a meeting.

UD Police has tried to curb the spontaneous parties at the fountain and has changed course in recent years, offering official daytime slots for supervised photos in the fountain. Last year they stretched across three days for three hours each.

Rules included a maximum of six people in the fountain at any time, no diving, no "horseplay," no glass or alcohol and "appropriate" clothing required.

At the unofficial nighttime gatherings, it's common to find shirtless male students and others clad in only underwear frolicking in the fountain as they celebrate their impeding graduation.

Pee in the urinal trough at Delaware Stadium

This one is for the men only. But if you're a female student, you're probably going to learn something about the most unique bathroom on campus you've never seen.

Delaware Stadium's east concourse restroom still features an old-school urinal trough ― certainly not the best setup if you're pee-shy.

With no privacy walls, a large number of men can urinate at once, facing one of three walls that have water rushing down the wall into a trough by their feet.

If it sounds like it has a bit of a medieval feel, you'd be correct.

A urinal trough that was once on the west side of the stadium has been replaced, but the one on the east side remains. And UD has no plans on taking it away. Fans would revolt if they did, one Delaware Stadium maintenance worker told us during our visit.

Trying the distinctive lavatory is not a glamourous bucket list item for guys on campus, but it's certainly a unique experience if you've never used one.

And, of course, it doesn't need to be said, but tailgating and then seeing a home UD football game is an absolute must for any student.

Drink at the Deer Park Tavern

Dating back to 1851, the Deer Park Tavern on the west end of Main Street is rightfully the best-known watering hole on campus for generations of UD grads.

Whether you chugged pitchers of beer there while seeing George Thorogood and other rock acts in the '70s or slug pitchers of mixed drinks there these days while seeing cover bands upstairs, the experience in the former hotel is always quintessential college.

Located along sometimes noisy train tracks, it has always been popular with current and former students alike. Even some locals love it with the downstairs side bar known as the "townie bar."

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But it's also popular outside the city limits of Newark: In 2010, Rob McElhenney's character Mac on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" wore a Deer Park Tavern t-shirt in an episode of the long-running TV show.

Legend has it poet Edgar Allan Poe visited the Deer Park, but the tavern was built two years following the death of "The Raven" author. Perhaps he stopped by before the Deer Park was established, back when it was St. Patrick's Inn. The inn was built in 1747, but burned down, opening the way for the structure we all know today.

Rub a nose at Morris Library

If you've ever been to Morris Library, you may have seen the bust off namesake Hugh Morris to your right after you checkout.

Hugh Morris, a graduate of the pre-UD Delaware College, was appointed in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson as a U.S. district judge for Delaware before moving he moved to private practice in Wilmington.

If you look closely at the bronze bust, you'll notice the nose of the late longtime UD Board of Trustees member is gleaming.

That's because it's tradition for students to give it a rub after studying, hoping for good luck on their exam.

Boogie at UDance's 12-hour marathon

Founded 16 years ago, UDance is a student-run 12-hour dance marathon held at the Bob Carpenter Center with bands and DJs keeping bodies moving.

The annual fundraising effort benefits fighting childhood cancer through the Wilmington-based Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, created to honor the 14-year-old Salesianum School student who died after battling leukemia in 2007.

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Over the years, the event has raised $16 million, growing wildly since being founded by Alpha Epsilon Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternities in 2007, raising $8,000 that year.

Held each spring, the feel-good event is essentially a massive party with a philanthropic goal, helping to fund both childhood cancer research and helping families struggling to pay hospital and other bills.

Take a selfie with YoUDee

Penn State has the slender Nittany Lion. The University of Oregon has the crowd-surfing Oregon Duck. And Michigan State University has the buff Sparty mascot.

But we posit that YoUDee, the fightin' Blue Hen, is the best of all college mascots. I mean, how can anything beat an angry chicken?

Joining Wilmington Blue Rocks' Mr. Celery as one of the most unique mascots in the nation, every UD graduate needs to have a selfie with the smirking blue-and-gold bird, which was first introduced 30 years ago.

Even better, find her younger sibling, the 65-inch cutie-pie named Baby Blue, who "hatched" at the Bob Carpenter Center in front of 5,000 basketball fans in 1999.

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Before you leave University of Delaware's campus, you have to try this