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Years of Traditions

By Tilley-Claire Guillen

 September 25, 2024, at 9:00pm


I was driving around late at night to get a new perspective of Greek neighborhood. Just when I thought I could not discover anything new about these houses, I was quickly proven wrong. Outside every fraternity there were all these boys gathered welding together metal structures. All of them with tools in their hands and what looked like big stage lights shining down on them while they worked. With a little sign on the corner of the lawn that read, “don’t look at the metal structure.” Each of them looked like they were having a fun time while doing such a big job.

These structures support and help display the pomping artworks that are used for the week of Homecoming here at Oklahoma State which is “Americans Greatest!” they say. During this process all the fraternities and sororities pair up and work on these artworks up until Homecoming. Each year we have a theme, and the pictures created from the pomping portray something related to that theme. None of the members know what the picture is going to be until they are finished. The only people that know all the behind-the-scenes information are the people in charge of the Homecoming operations. By Homecoming week, they will be put on for show for the community of Stillwater to see. All members must go in and pomp for 10 hours a week or they can take part in follies. Follies is like a musical that the frats and sororities perform at the end of October, which is the week before homecoming.

            Pomping has been a tradition since October 20th, 1920, and follies was added into the line of Homecoming traditions in 1970. It started out with the participation of all grades of the fraternities and sororities, but later evolved to just the first-year classes of the chapters. The Chi Omega sorority and the Phi Gamma fraternity won last year in Fall of 2023.

            There is so much that goes on inside and outside of the Greek houses, but it is not just during the fall. It is all year long that these chapters put on all kinds of events. During these events they are raising money for their chapter and for other organizations. Everyone on campus is welcome to these events and they raise so much money for foundations like Make a Wish, Breast Cancer Awareness, the Humane Society, Ronald McDonalds House, and many others.


 



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