Traditions

The Traditions Keeper program encourages students like you to find their Ram spirit by engaging in VCU’s history, traditions and campus life.

Students who complete the Necessary 19 traditions will receive a commemorative T-shirt. Complete all 68 traditions to earn an exclusive keepsake medal that represents your commitment to honoring VCU traditions now and forever. The Necessary 19 traditions and 68 total traditions signifies 1968 the year VCU was founded.

Get started!

Read through the list of 68 VCU traditions below. Click the icons to learn more about what makes the Necessary 19 so essential to the VCU experience.
Complete the Necessary 19 traditions in any order. Remember to take a photo to capture the moment!
As you work your way through the list, use the link below to submit your photos. Once you’ve completed all 19, contact the Student Alumni Council at sac@vcu.edu to redeem your free T-shirt.
Complete the remaining 49 traditions, submit your photos and contact the Student Alumni Council at sac@vcu.edu to redeem an exclusive keepsake medal.

Submit your photos

Necessary 19

Attend orientation

All students are encouraged to attend as many events as possible as VCU welcomes you back to campus for the next school year. Weeks of Welcome is packed with educational sessions, social activities, entertainment and much more! From the Commons to the Cary Street Gym and Cabell Library to Larrick Student Center, get to know VCU and meet some great people!

View the complete list of Weeks of Welcome events.
Participate in Weeks of Welcome

All students are encouraged to attend as many events as possible as VCU welcomes you back to campus for the next school year. Weeks of Welcome is packed with educational sessions, social activities, entertainment and much more! From the Commons to the Cary Street Gym and Cabell Library to Larrick Student Center, get to know VCU and meet some great people!

View the complete list of Weeks of Welcome events.
Touch the Rams horns

Every year at orientation, students and their families become official Rams and members of the RamFam by rubbing the Ram Horns and making a wish. The Ram Horns, appropriately named “Ramifications,” are an interactive cast bronze and stainless steel sculpture designed by alumnus Timothy Blum (M.F.A.’94/A). Added to the Student Commons Plaza in 2009, the Ram Horns are 14 feet tall and weigh 3,500 pounds! Be sure to touch the Ram Horns three times: during orientation, when you receive your class ring and when you graduate from VCU!
Attend New Student Convocation

Convocation is the formal welcome to the VCU academic community and the official beginning of the school year for all new students. Hear from VCU’s leaders, including VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., and a keynote speaker. You will also learn more about VCU and your academic area.
Participate in the Ram Spirit Walk

Ram Spirit Walk is part of the Welcome Week and takes the freshman class, accompanied by The Peppas, on a march from Convocation at the Stuart C. Siegel Center to the Block Party on campus. Alumni, faculty, staff and current students with signs and banners line the route to help welcome the newest Rams.

Instructions: Take a selfie during the Ram Spirit Walk.
Take a photo during Move-in Weekend

Being on your own for the first time means finding your first place to live. You might live in the residence halls or in off-campus housing. Moving into your new home or room will be a memory that lasts forever. Take the time to transform your room and make it into a home. Send a picture of your handiwork to your family and friends so they know you are doing great.
Meet Rodney the Ram

Born in 1963 to the Richmond Professional Institute, Rodney the Ram wore the school’s colors at the time – blue and grey. When RPI and the Medical College of Virginia became VCU in 1968, Rodney donned black-and-gold attire
Celebrate VCU’s birthday

Help VCU ring in another year by attending its birthday party on September 17!
Join a student organization

With nearly 500 student organizations on campus, there are ample opportunities to join a group that helps you connect with your fellow Rams and grow as an individual. Getting involved expands your peer group and teaches real-world skills. You can find organizations ranging from cultural to political to recreational and more
Attend a Homecoming event

In 2002, Homecoming was born with a few small events that celebrated VCU history, basketball and school spirit. Today, the homecoming committee plans a week of service projects, spirit rallies, competitions, a concert and a Homecoming parade. VCU’s Homecoming king and queen are crowned during the men’s Homecoming basketball game.
Take a photo with the VCU letters

Located near Shafer Dining Center, and throughout campus, the big VCU letters are a great spot for iconic VCU images.
Cheer on the VCU Rams

It’s time to root for the home team! With 15 NCAA Division I teams across 10 intercollegiate sports, there are many opportunities to cheer on the VCU Rams.
Check out the library

Visit either James Branch Cabell Library on the Monroe Park Campus or Health Sciences Library on the MCV Campus to study for an exam, conduct research or tinker in a makerspace.
Enjoy a picnic in Monroe Park

Take some snacks and a blanket to Monroe Park, Richmond’s first and oldest public park, on a sunny day to enjoy a picnic with friends. Bring a frisbee, a good book or art supplies to turn it into a whole day of fun!
Visit the Compass

On the Monroe Park Campus, the Compass is a brick plaza that is the bustling center of VCU community life – from games and impromptu performances to political protests and voter registration drives. On the MCV Campus, the Larrick Compass is located outside the Larrick Student Center. This common landmark brings all students together!
Take a picture of your favorite campus spot

In your time at VCU you are bound to find a spot that feels like home to you. Maybe it’s a bench where you read between classes or a classroom where you discovered your passions. Wherever it is, we want to experience your corner of campus paradise.
Wear black & gold

Wearing VCU’s colors every Friday showcases our community’s collective Ram pride!
Connect with a VCU alum

VCU has a thriving community of more than 200,000 alumni throughout the world who love to stay engaged with their alma mater. Connect with them at a networking event, in the stands at a basketball game or virtually on VCU Link.
Eat on campus

College can be demanding, so your meal plan should be effortless and on your schedule. Your appetite will meet its match at our dining locations, which serve only the best in variety and value.