Traditions

Floor Wars

Throughout the school year, each floor at Sid joins together and competes in a wide range of events, varying from ice-cream making to karaoke. The floor with the most points at the end of the year gets a dinner at the Magister’s House… and bragging rights :)

Vatoring

Every year some Sidizens will Co-Advise at another college during O-Week. As punishment for their betrayal to Sid, “traitorous” Sidizens dive down a Slip-n-Slide while the New Sidizens and Advisors “vator” the traitors by throwing silly string, glitter, paint, and other messy items at them. This tradition is a means to reclaim their allegiance to Sid.

Orc Raid

Twice a year, Sidizens dress up by smearing themselves with black, red, and yellow paint, wearing black clothes, and carrying around torches and glowsticks. Like a scene from a horror movie, the Sidizens assemble themselves late at night and systematically terrorize the shorter and lesser colleges by invading their commons and crashing their events.

Radio Free Sid

Radio Free Sid each Friday allows various musical genres, ranging from classical to rap to J-pop, to blare across campus from Sid’s rooftop. Radio Free Sid is always a blast because Sidizens have the best playlists, and we get to experience music we may not have heard before. Sid’s official theme song, AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” always starts Radio Free Sid at 4pm and ends the tradition at 7pm.

Sid Skates

During Winter finals, Sid rents out the Galleria’s ice skating rink so that Sidizens can can take a break from studying to play games and skate on the ice!

Beer Bike

Sid is one of the colleges with the earliest wake-ups on Beer Bike morning! The night before Sid’s early morning wake-up, the Beer Bike Coords send out the traditional “Night Before Beer Bike” poem and put together an elite wake-up crew to begin the best day ever. 

Squid Richardson Day

Once upon a time, a member of Will Rice college drew a whale on their college’s calendar, and that day became known as Whale Rice Day. Seeing an opprtunity to overshadow Will Rice with a truly superior pun, a group of Sidizens began the rival Squid Richardson Day, on which all Sidizens change their Instagram profile pictures to a winning squid design. This tradition takes place each September.

Primal Scream

Let’s face it, finals are horrible. So, each semester during finals, when stress is at an all time high, Sidizens head out to the terrace at midnight for an organized frustration-relieving screaming session.

S’morc Raid

While Orc Raid is a great opportunity for us to bond as a community by demonstrating our superiority over the other smaller and lesser colleges, Sid also offers S’morc Raid as a more low-key alternative event. During S’morc Raid (which happens at the same time as Orc Raid), Sidizens hang out in the Magister’s garden and make delicious smores over the fire pit. 

Floor Culture

While other colleges may boast about their commons culture, Sid enjoys BOTH commons culture AND floor culture! This means that you will often find friendly groups of Sidizens working or hanging out in the commons or floor commons during the evenings. Additionally, each floor has a slightly different vibe and culture to it. For example, 2nd is usually known for its quiet and studious culture, 5th is known for its boisterous board game and poker culture, 6th is known for being the most spirited (in floor wars and in general), and 7th is known for its welcoming and fun parties. Floor culture changes and evolves over the years, and Sidizens are always invited to take the initiative and help shape their floor’s culture!

Feature Fridays

Every Friday, Sidizens vote on a movie/tv show that they want featured in commons. Popular choices have been Phineas and Ferb, Kung Fu Panda, and Shaun the Sheep.

Elevator Chats

With a 12-story tower, elevator use is a daily (and necessary) activity for Sidizens. Some evenings there'll be a dynamic Sid duo sitting in the elevator to personally hit your floor button and chat/distribute wonderful vibes. A fun way to meet and get to know other Sidizens during your speedy elevator trip!

MBM

#IYKYK. A tradition that has been around since the inception of the college. Every so often, Sidizens + students from across campus gather around the 2nd floor for the best study break ever!!!