Usually, we participate in events or pass by places on campus without thinking about how or when it originated — it's just another part of USC and Columbia culture.

Some of these traditions are easy to spot — for example, "Sandstorm" and rally towels at the start of a football game or the rivalry against Clemson. Others are visible, but maybe not so obvious as "traditions" — the bricks on the Horseshoe feel more like a part of the environment than something actively built, in the same way Dance Marathon seems to have an unchanging presence on campus. Finally, there are traditions confined to specific communities — did you know it's a longstanding superstition among theater performers not to call "Macbeth" by its name during rehearsal?

It is these things, and many more, that give the USC community a rich history and contribute to the subcultures around campus.

Next time you pass that one building on your way to class or attend one of campus' many annual events, don't be afraid to ask, "Why is this how it is?"