By Heidi Gasser | Reporter

As Bowling Green State University welcomes incoming freshmen and begins a new semester, students will begin to learn what it takes to be a true Falcon through tradition. 

Every college celebrates cherished traditions that rally school spirit and camaraderie, and BGSU is no exception. On August 20, the Office of Campus Activities hosted a Traditions Tour to highlight students’ and alums’ favorite traditions over the years. 

Graduate Student Mikayla Russ, a College Student Personnel major, serves as a member of the BGSU Spirit Program, and participated in the tour last Saturday. She is a big advocate for school spirit and believes that it serves an even greater purpose than simple fun for students. 

“We all work together to create spirit here on campus. We take our job very seriously because it has actually been proven that a third of students achieve higher, academically, when they feel more connected to their school through school spirit,” Russ said. 

According to a study done by Varsity Brands, students that showed school spirit did perform better academically and were engaged more civically and socially. Overall, involved students also indicated that they were happier than uninvolved students.

The BGSU spirit program consists of cheerleading, dance, Freddie and Frieda Falcon and SICSIC. Russ is confident that BGSU has always taken school spirit to the next level by encouraging students to connect with the university and its people. 

“We are a very traditions driven university, which I feel is one of the reasons why our community is so strong. I say there are not a whole lot of landmarks, or a lot going on in Northwest Ohio, but what I think draws individuals into Bowling Green State University is truly our people. And that is directly correlated to our traditions at BGSU bringing us all together,” Russ said. 

Understanding BGSU’s traditions is a great way to appreciate the origins and the spirit-minded individuals behind them. Emerging yourself in these might make BGSU feel a little more like home. 

The Falcon, Freddie and Frieda

According to the BGSU article Traditions, Spirit and History, the Falcon mascot came from a suggestion in 1927 by Sports Writer and BGSU Graduate Ivan “Doc” Lake. At the time, the school was struggling to establish its reputation as a degree-granting college, as it had recently transitioned from being a solely teacher training institution. Sports writers nicknamed students “The BG Normals” or  “The Teachers.” Lake recommended the falcon for being a small but mighty bird, perhaps like the small but mighty Bowling Green State University. It matched the colors of orange and brown, and so the bird would fatefully represent the students’ fighting spirit from then on. 

Freddie Falcon debuted in 1950 from the Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity to foster school spirit at sporting events. The first Freddie donned a papier-mache falcon headpiece, a feathery cape and a brown sweatsuit to embody the bird persona. Then Bob Taylor, a student, was the first Freddie Falcon. 

Frieda Falcon joined Freddie six years later, first known as Ms. Freddie Falcon. She was reinvented in 1980 to be Freddies little sister. A male cheerleader wore the female falcon costume earlier on, but Sue Sheard was the first female Frieda for the 1980 to 1981 academic year. At this point, the bird duo could be seen spreading spirit at most sporting events and all around campus during an average school day. 

One of the first papier-mache Freddie costume heads is on display in the Student Union. Today, the birds sport a softer, cartoony look that reflects the friendliness of the mascots. 

Russ knows the excitement that it brings students who wish to try out, and for those interacting with the mascots. Protecting student identities brings a certain magic to the mascot tradition that other schools don’t always achieve.

“It brings Freddie and Frieda and SICSIC members to life when you think of them just as Freddie and Frieda Falcon, instead of maybe the student that is taking on that persona. They truly are able to embody the university through that role without students feeling like there’s someone taking on that role,” Russ said. 

All six bird identities are revealed at the end of the hockey season at one of the last games. If the identity of a spirit representative would be outed before the appropriate time, the student will respectfully resign, and a new student will take their place to protect the secrecy.  

Tryouts for Frieda, Freddie and SICSIC are held yearly in a highly secretive selection process. From an applicant pool that can reach thousands, six bird candidates and two SICSIC members are chosen to bring their own unique flavor of school spirit to campus. 

The Origins of SICSIC

While some new students are already familiar with the famous Freddie and Frieda Falcon, more are likely unaware that there is another group of enthusiastic mascots ready to amp up the school spirit. SICSIC originated in 1946 in the middle of the night in BGSU President Frank J. Prout’s office. He had handpicked six men from the school yearbook to bolster campus spirit in a unique way, secretly. 

From the time of the first SICSIC induction, members are not allowed to disclose their identities. Freddie and Freida Falcon adopted this sentiment soon after the introduction of SICSIC. Members sport masks and overalls to hide their faces. Now, SICSIC selects two from each grade level, of all genders, that will participate in the group until they graduate.

No one except for present and past members of the mysterious group knows what SICSIC stands for, but the group never fails to rally students before a big game with their spontaneous appearances, candy stashes, and custom sign making. 

Rocking the Orange and Brown 

Traditions, Spirit and History documents the humorous origin of the school’s beloved colors, dating back to 1914. Dr. Homer B. Williams, BGSU’s first president, recruited industrial arts department member Dr. Leon L. Winslow and others for a selection committee to choose the university colors.  

One day, Winslow was on a trolley ride to Toledo, where he sat behind a woman wearing a large hat decorated with orange and brown feathers. He loved the colors so much that his committee recommended the unique combination to the Board of Trustees, and they were approved soon after.

BGSU is the only Division I college that sports orange and brown as its school colors. Russ says that our colors are a proud specialty for the university. 

“The first tradition that I think of when we’re talking about Bowling Green State University is our unique colors. You don’t see a lot of universities who are repping the orange and brown the way that we do,” Russ said. 

Today, students are encouraged to get their spirit on for Falcon Fridays by wearing their own orange and brown apparel. Among their other spirit duties, Freddie and Frieda are on the lookout for non-participants. Those who do not show their colorful support at a sporting event may be cited for not wearing the school colors. If the offender is lucky, Russ says that they could hope that the birds will gift them the proper spirit clothing to upgrade their outfit. 

The Seal and Falcon Flames

The famous BGSU Seal is located in front of the McFall Center. At the heart of the University, the seal was designed by Leon Winslow in 1914 with inspiration from the State Seal. He divided it into four elements: the mountains, the sun, the 17 arrow bundle, and the sheaf of wheat. Each aspect has a symbolic purpose: the rising sun landscape for the inspiration of a new learning institution, the arrows for Ohio’s rank in the Union and the wheat for statewide agricultural success. 

Beyond the traditional symbolism of the seal, students have instilled their own traditions that go along with the seal over the years. Alumni and current students should know that you must pass to the right of the seal for good luck on your next text. Passing on the left risks failure. 

If a student has a Falcon Flame, also known as a fellow BGSU student that has a romantic partner, they may soon be married if they stand on the seal and kiss at midnight. If the pair ever splits to walk on opposite sides of the seal, they could soon break up.

Perhaps the myth of the seal could have some merit, as according to Traditions, Spirit and History, there were 10,706 couples holding BGSU degrees in 2010. 

The BGSU Bucket List and Other Traditions 

To help students navigate the rich variety of campus traditions, the Spirit Program came out with a Bucket List. On this list, students are encouraged to learn the Alma Mater and Ay Ziggy Zoomba, paint the spirit rock, located near the Kreischer Dorm, steal a SICSIC sign, to wear orange and brown on Falcon Friday, or to attend the unmasking of the BG Birds and SICSIC. Freshmen are provided with a copy of this list upon arrival in their dorms. The goal is to get through the entire list before students graduate. 

Importance of Tradition 

Mikayla Russ knows that it can be hard to fully emerge yourself in old traditions, and that it can sometimes feel corny. It can be hard to let yourself holler Ay Ziggy Zoomba with your peers, or ask Freddie and Frieda for a high five. But Russ believes that doing so can be easier, if one thinks about the principle of tradition and those who came before. 

”I think about all the folks who came before me, and you know we connect to some of our spirit program alumni who have been around for the past 40 years watching us do our thing. And we didn’t get the opportunity to watch them do their thing. And to know that we are doing the same thing, I think is a very cool moment. To know that what we are doing now, other students our age years ago, were doing the very same thing,” Russ said.