Find out what it means to me…

Since everyone’s Homecomings are right around the corner, I wanted to touch base on a lil somethin’ somethin’… traditions.

I feel like about this time every single year, we are all griping on Twitter about how the incoming freshman classes aren’t respecting traditions and trying to ruin the fun in the secrets we have on our campus or just not respecting the rules in play (at least that’s how it is here at Tarleton). It’s A.) really frustrating that our Twitter feeds flood with “RESPECT TRADITION” but B.) is incredibly frustrating that it’s something that we have to stress. Honestly, this year hasn’t been nearly as bad as it usually is; I think I’ve only seen tweets of the sort once or twice. *Round of applause for the youngsters* BUT with HoCo starting on Sunday and the fact that our homecoming is going to be a little different this year without the Plowboys building the bonfire, it has me thinking about all the things I cherish most about Tarleton State, which is all of our traditions.

Tradition is what makes Tarleton such a special place; it’s what keeps the students engaged and the students here for the long haul. I believe that we have a very interactive campus between different organizations, tradition, faculty, and students. This small town feels like home, feels like family. For those of you not familiar with Tarleton traditions, I’ll do a quick rundown of them.

We have the Purple Poo. Yeah, they are awesome. The oldest spirit organization in the state of Texas. The Poo are made up of 20 members; 10 guys, 10 girls. Their job is to spread the spirit of Tarleton, totally incognito. Masks, crazy outfits, and squeaky voices keep their identity under wraps and it’s a secret they won’t leak! The Poo come from the Ten Tarleton Peppers and the Ten Tarleton Sisters that formed in 1921 and 1923. The Poo made and still make signs for athletic events and their “Poo Say” signs spread their spirited signs across campus every Tuesday morning, nailed to trees for students to see. This fun tradition gets violated when sneaky sneaksters try and catch the Poo to reveal who they are… like, why? What is the fun in that? Not to mention, it’s SUPPOSED TO BE A SECRET SO JUST BACK OFF. Wait until Poo reveal just like everyone else?

In terms of respecting tradition… don’t cross the Poo. “POO SAY: STAY OFF THE GRASS!”.

Don’t walk on the grass. Ever. Just really make it a habit not to and then when you go anywhere in another town, you’ll find yourself walking all the around grassy areas to stay on pathways without even thinking about it. Long story made short, John Tarleton (our founder of Tarleton State University) was once buried at Heritage Park annnnd then they thought it was a solid idea to move him SO, we dunno where homeboy might be scattered. SO TO BE KIND, we stay off the grass 🙂 *except at Heritage Park, you got free range there*.

Side note: idk WHY this is so hard for freshmen to understand. Side-side note… it’s not always just freshmen.

My personal favorite spirit organization (I might be a little bias…) ~ The Plowboys. The Plowboys were founded in 1984 as a male spirit organization to keep the name forever alive at Tarleton. Plowboys came about for the athletic teams (back when we were nameless) by William J. Wisdom. Once Tarleton became a four-year school, it was argued that the Plowboys may not be the best-suited fit for our nickname. Fast forward, saving you some reading ~ here we still are as the Tarleton Texans and TexAnns. Now, not only do the Plowboys just hold a special place in my heart… (cause I don’t date one or anything, *eye roll*), they build our freaking awesome homecoming bonfire every year. Nights on end, all day… working hard and protecting it until the night that it is lit. Their chaps are seen all over school events and their spirited, funny chants are yelled at all athletic and school events. Except for this year… but another story, another time.

I’m not going to get off on a long rant about any difference in opinions about the Plowboys… but since I am talking about respecting traditions… just remember that we are all a TSU family. Accidents happen, consequences come from every situation, things are said/reported, but just remember that you weren’t there. We weren’t there. So, just don’t run your mouths and talk down on your school’s spirit organization. Any of them!

We have a lot of other really awesome traditions during homecoming week that brings our school together and leaves us with a ton of memories. One of our newer traditions but one of my favorites is the lighting of the smokestack, that consists of food, friends and a concert to really kick off homecoming week! Just to name them, our other super fun traditions are the Silver Bugle Hunt; Purple Out Picnic; Yell Contest & Snake Dance, followed by Beat the Drum (another personal favorite of mine that is usually started by the Plowboys); Midnight Breakfast with purple pancakes; BONFIRE; the Homecoming Parade and of course the tailgate and the game.

Homecoming is one of our favorite weeks of the year ~ alumni, current students, every organization, family, and faculty all coming together as one!


I want to know about your school’s traditions, spirit organizations, and homecoming! Don’t forget to shop YOUR University’s Barefoot apparel & you will be super cute and spirited throughout your HoCo week!

www.barefootcampusoutfitter.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=homecoming

Comment on our Facebook share and let me know ~ tag us in your Instagram pictures or even email me! In the meantime, shop our selection of college clothes here at Barefoot Campus Outfitter!

IG: barefootcampusoutfitter

Email: [email protected]