Getting Good Grades at Cal State Fullerton

Personal Background:

My brother is 22 years old and recently graduated from California State University Fullerton with a major in radio, TV, and film. He is now working for temporary tattoo company and has some small film jobs on the side. He is currently living in Los Angeles.

Tradition:

            While my brother was going to school in Fullerton, there was a tradition during finals week where all of the students would touch the butt of their Statue of David as good luck. During finals week every year, the students will line up to touch the statue that is in pieces in their quad. It is a way to connect with the rest of the student body as they go through a very stressful week. It is something funny that can help relieve some of the tension they might be feeling. It is also something everyone must do to really be considered a Titan.

My brother is not quite sure if doing this actually works, but he still did it the two years he was there. To him, it was better to be safe about it than to risk not doing it and not doing well on finals. He first heard about it when he was on a tour of the school. He said, “It seemed as though everyone knew they were supposed to do this, even without any sort of conversation about it.” It made him want to do it even more since it was a way he was able to get together with his fellow classmates who were going through the same crazy week as him.

Analysis:

This type of tradition is a folk belief. The students who attend this college have a belief that this works, yet it is not something that can be scientifically proven. By touching the butt of the fallen statue of David, it is funny way to get the students together, and it can also be a way for the students to “save their butts” and not fail their finals. It is more of a psychological superstition than ritual that will actually work. They think that the power that the statue of David has will rub off onto them and give them the power to do remember everything they learned that semester. There may even be luck involved when the students get their grades back. To me, it is a way the students try to get control when the only thing they can take control during study days is how much they study for their finals.