Tag Archives: college

Gesture – University of California Irvine

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Irvine, CA
Performance Date: April 27, 2008
Primary Language: English

“Zot Zot!”

A student at the University of California, Irvine, Marilyn demonstrated for me the college’s chosen gesture and the phrase that accompanies it.  The hand gesture, done with both hands, is supposed to represent an anteater, the school mascot.  Students raise their index and pinky fingers while placing the middle finger, ring finger, and thumb together, then sliding the thumb back slightly to “create the snout” of the animal.  Opening and closing the “snout,” the students call out, “Zot zot” at the same time.  Although Marilyn said that she does not know the specific details of the gesture or call’s origins, she guessed that they were probably somehow established at the time when the mascot was chosen, and that the word “zot” probably refers to the sound an anteater makes when eating.  She went on to say that she first learned the gesture and call at a dean’s welcome assembly that was mandatory for all freshmen during the beginning of the school year.  When I asked about her opinions of the gesture and accompanying phrase, Marilyn responded that although it might seem strange or cheesy, she likes it because it is necessary for the cohesiveness of the student body.  She further explains that though most universities have competitive football teams, UC Irvine does not, and therefore is not able to provide students with similar experiences of football games, pep rallies, and the general campus-wide fervor caused by major sporting events.  So while she admitted to regretting the lack of certain sports programs at her school to increase the sense of school spirit, she appreciates the feeling of togetherness that the gesture promotes.  To her, having an established hand-sign and special call is a good indicator of community and is almost the sole source for student unification.  With the hand signal and call, UC Irvine students are able to recognize one another, remain a part of the same community, and share similar identities.

As an undergraduate student myself at the University of Southern California, I can identify with Marilyn’s claims and beliefs.  At USC, there are similar hand gestures and calls that are used to encourage a sense of unity and community among the student population.  While mostly employed during football games and the like, the gestures and calls are not exclusive to sporting events.  T-shirts and posters emblazoned with images of the hand gesture and printed with the slogan, “Fight On!” pervade the entire campus as constant reminders of community and shared identity.  Gestures, though sometimes unofficial, can serve as great catalysts for developing identity and preserving community.

Chant – University of Southern California

Nationality: Japanese
Age: 23
Occupation: Housing IT
Residence: Hilo, HI
Performance Date: April 10, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Japanese

“Ohhhhh S-O-U-T-H-E-R-N C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A

Southern Califorrrrrnia!

Beat the Bruins!

Eat the Dongos!”

Gavin first learned the So-Cal spell out as a freshman at USC in his dorm from his residential advisor. People usually perform the So-Cal spell out at school wide events or anywhere just to express USC pride. Crowds of people just start yelling it at football games, tailgates, basketball games and other rallies. And then Gavin joined the fraternity, Gamma Epsilon Omega, and that is where he heard the additional two lines. He believes that it came from the 1980s when older members use to be very crazy. They most likely created it at a USC versus UCLA football game where people got incredibly enthusiastic and rowdy. Gavin also says that dongos are a Japanese pastry, resembling a donut. Since Gamma Epsilon Omega is an Asian-interest fraternity, many of its members were Japanese and so they all ate dongos.

I am thinking that since alcohol was still allowed in the Los Angeles Coliseum back then, these students probably started yelling these phrases on a whim and it just caught on due to its catchiness. I also heard this version of the spell out last semester at football games from my sorority sisters. I never knew where it came from and we all thought that dongos were another team’s mascot. We thought it was incredibly disgusting and strange that someone would incorporate eating an animal in the spell out. However, just asking more people about the origins of it, I found Gavin who says that his fraternity made it up. It makes sense that my sorority sisters would know it because the older girls use to be very close with the Gammas. They would tailgate and go to football games together. Just being around the Gammas, they would learn it too and then share it with younger members of the sorority.

It is interesting to see how a school-wide chant can be personalized to fit a smaller group just by adding a few lines. Outsiders would never be able to figure out the meaning or origin of it. USC students would understand the “Beat the Bruins” line, but only Japanese people would know what “Eat the dongos” means.

Game – University of Southern California

Nationality: Korean
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: January 13, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean

“’Paptong’ is literally translated from Korean into English as rice bucket. It is a… both the name of an object and uhh… game that every new member of USC Korean Student Association [KSA] plays as part of their initiation. It is set up by the upperclassmen as a rite of passage. And these ‘seniors,’ or older members, pour a large content of alcohol into a bowl. Then… uhh… they mix a variety of food into the bowl. And usually, the food is whatever is available at the time. Sometimes it has ramen [Asian instant noodles], kimchi [fermented lettuce], and spam. After the seniors are finished preparing the “paptong” [bowl with alcohol and food], they hand it over to the younger class and tell them to drink and finish everything in the bowl. Uhhh…there are usually a lot of underclassmen to initiate, but they tell the underclassmen to drink as much as they can for the group before passing it on to the next person anyways.”

Alicia participated in “paptong” during the winter retreat. The game only takes place during KSA retreats, usually held once during the fall and winter. During the retreat, the upperclassmen of the club initiate the game. Alicia said that they do not disclose the contents of what goes into the “paptong,” but it is generally understood that the mixture would not be pleasant and would include copious amounts of alcohol. All of the new members are expected to participate and she says that peer pressure plays a large part in the voluntary game. Although it would be acceptable for new members to opt out of the game, Alicia said that no one does because everyone understands that it is just a part of the tradition.

Alicia said that sometimes when other schools plan their retreats to coincide with USC’s retreat, the clubs come together to form a competition amongst the schools. The school that can finish the “paptong” the fastest wins. However, she claims that even in these cases the game is less of a competition than a form of bonding amongst the new members. The retreat is a time for new and old members to get to know one another, and the “paptong” serves as a medium to achieve that purpose.

I think that “paptong” is also a clear reflection of the respect shown to elders within Asian culture. It is widely known that the younger generation is not meant to challenge the older generation and should listen to them obediently. New members of KSA probably play this game primarily because of this reason. Since most members of KSA are of Asian descent, many of them have been taught at a young age to follow their elders, which can be exhibited in their behaviors in regards to this game.

Another possible reason is because the game is generally understood as a rite of passage. It is an initiation ceremony that transforms new members into senior members. “Paptong” is a tradition that has been held at every retreat, so members do not necessarily view the game negatively. This mentality is also very similar to fraternities and their hazing rituals. Despite not necessarily liking a task, pledges go through with them because they know that previous pledge classes have done it before them. It becomes a rite of passage that a new member must go through in order to feel part of the group. Especially during youth, the need to be accepted plays an enormous role in motivating actions and behavior.

Tradition – University of Southern California

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 9, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Italian

USC Sirens – Tradition/Chant

Milkshake, milkshake, milkshake, milkshake,

Smoothie, smoothie,

Pump the keg, pump the keg, pump the keg,

Java, java,

Milk the teets, milk the teets, milk the teets,

Yay!

This is a chant that the Sirens always say with each other before any performance. The USC Sirens are USC’s first and only all female a cappella group. This chant was started by “a crazy lady from France” named Landis, one of the Sirens alumni. All Catherine knows is that she brought it up before one performance several years ago and it just stuck with the group. When asked how she feels about this chant, she exclaimed, “I love it!” She stated that she used to be highly involved in theater with her high school, and they also had a chant similar to the one listed above. She loves how chants such as the one presented above gets everyone pumped up for an upcoming performance. Initially, she said that the words of this chant were pointless and meaningless. But after a long pause, she stated, “I guess you could say that it has a lot of secret meanings. I never really thought about it that way though.” She said that these things were mainly for the sake of bringing a group together and getting everyone excited for a show.

I am also in this same a cappella group as Catherine, and share the same opinions about this chant that she has. I was also highly involved in theater in high school, and really enjoyed the moment of exhilaration before a performance, where everyone would get together in a circle and chant a certain chant. This particular chant is more meaningful to me because it is something that is solely known within the Sirens family. After sitting and staring at this chant for a while, I noticed a few hidden meanings engraved in the chant. First of all, each line of the chant involves some kind of drink, and the Sirens would always go out to eat or get a drink after every performance. The third line says, “pump the keg,” three times. Although we do not boast about this, the Sirens have been known to drink a fair amount of alcohol together, or at parties. Thus, this line is a representation of how important alcohol is to the Sirens culture, although not all of the Sirens partake in drinking alcohol. Finally, the last line says, “milk the teets.” Although this sounds completely random, I feel as though this line is trying to symbolize the fact that we are USC’s only all-female a cappella group. Thus, the line about milking the nipples, or “teets”, possibly means going out there and demonstrating the strength of women to the audience. Although there may be all of these possible meanings to the chant, I feel as though these chants are mainly for the purpose of pumping up the group, and not meant to be analyzed in a literal sense.

Game – USA

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Oak Park, CA
Performance Date: April 3, 2008
Primary Language: English

Game—USA

“Beer Hockey”

Adam Schall learned how to play this game as a freshman here at USC.  While the rules of the game are not set in stone, they [as reported by him] are as follows:  Players (while 2 are needed to play—3 or more is ideal) all sit around a table (round or oval shape is preferred but not necessary) with a bottle or glass of beer.  It is important that there be a plentiful stash of quarters in someone’s possession or near the table.  To start the game, one player spins a quarter to the center of the table and calls out another players name.  The player whose name was called must try to whack the quarter (however he desires) at one of the other player’s bottles.  Each player may try to block the quarter with his/her index and pinky fingers only.  In the event the quarter makes contact with the bottle (the sound is usually loud and recognizable and thus the game can be played in a loud environment—hence why bottles are used), the individual who got hit enters a “drinking round.”  During this round, the player must drink his beer for as log as all the other players can keep a quarter spinning.  In the event that someone tries and succeeds in stopping the quarter upright, the player in the “drinking round” must finish his entire beer.  However if someone tries to stop the quarter upright and ends up killing the spin, then that individual must chug his beer.  The players usually get very into the game, setting each other up to make different people drink and reacting emotionally when someone’s bottle gets hit.

This game fits the criteria of one of those “useless drinking games” that college students play and use to get drunk.  While neither Adam nor myself had heard of the game before coming to USC, we had both been exposed to our own fair shares of drinking games, some similar, some different.  Drinking games are an interesting example of folklore because kids are always arguing over specified rules, which change from place to place depending on the types of kids, how heavily they drink, and how they learned to play the game.  Speaking as someone who came across the country to go to college, drinking games in New York and L.A. may have the same name, but almost always, the rules are vastly different.  Those who play the games feel very passionate about the rules that they were taught and thus different regulations can be a heated topic of discussion.