By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

On Feb. 14, the University of Montevallo held it’s 97^th annual College Night in Palmer Auditorium to wrap up the Homecoming festivities and hundreds of alumni, current students and faculty were on hand to see the Gold Side take the victory.

Why does College Night mean so much to so many people? Part of the reason is because it has become a part of the UM family and because of the uniqueness surrounding the tradition.

I had never heard of or experienced College Night before Feb. 14, but until I saw the time and effort of the work put in by the students and how much it meant to them, that’s how I knew it was special.

A tradition is defined as “the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.”

As for myself, being a graduate of Auburn University, it’s always exciting to explain to an outsider the Auburn traditions, and I always love to explain the history behind them.

Coincidentally, on Feb. 14, Auburn was renewing a tradition of their own by replanting the new oak trees at the iconic Toomer’s Corner.

This made me realize that no matter what school you have ties to, no one will truly understand the passion of the traditions your school has until you experience them yourself.

This is the reason why I have always loved college sports, because you can’t top the spirit and pageantry among fans and alumni.

This is also why I have a tremendous amount of respect for the UM student body and the work they put in.

College Night wasn’t something that just happened, it was built and molded into something special over time, and no one will be able to take that away and no other school will be able to duplicate it.

Besides, college can’t just be about studying all the time. The socializing and camaraderie aspect is where memories are made, and many of those memories are made because of traditions.