Share your UP traditions with current students!

The Student Alumni Association (SAA) needs YOUR help! The students are creating a “20 Things" book of the top 20 (or more!) responses from alumni and current students about the most important and memorable things to do at UP and around Portland before graduating. Possibilities might include places to visit, food to try, events to attend, or anything else significant. Once they get enough ideas, they will create a book to give to each new student to share these essential UP traditions.

Post your ideas here, and the students will compile them. We truly appreciate and value your input and look forward to receiving your suggestions!

Kristin Bryant
SAA Advisor

Bump!!!

I'm not a UP alumnus, but I'm terribly ashamed of my UP brethren. A full week has passed and no one has responded to Kristin Bryant's request for alumni and current students to share their most important and memorable things to do at UP and around Portland before graduating.

This area does not get nearly the traffic that the Pilots Sports Topics do. That's probably the main reason.

I'll mention it there. Maybe that will help.

Ah! FANatic, you've called us out.

Let me think about it a bit...

King Burrito, that's a must.
First Thursday's in the pearl.
Portland Brew fest.

Thats all I can come up with off the top of my head.

Live jazz at Jimmy Mak's.

Men's rugby club
Yorgo's (some prefer the Twilight Room)
Monday nights at Widmer

Hmm...as far as "traditions" go, obviously thursday night t-room visits were a blast. Although, I wonder if John Stapleton is still around. If not, hopefully there is someone like him there on Thursdays. Don't forget abouut the food there either - burgers, fries, tots....to die for.

The Crawl is also a classic. Make sure to pace yourself, both for safety reasons and to make sure you can adequatly enjoy the T-room (i.e., not getting kicked out).

Intrmurals are classic. The best are flag football, 5x5 basketball, and ultimate frisbee.

A tradition that has died is Greenhouse Basketball, which was a 5x5 outdoor tournament (behind Villa). It had great rules: play rain or shine, no subs, only 6 on a roster, etc. As I understand it, I (and the rest of the Player's Club) are still defending Greenhouse basketball champs. That needs to get started back up (yes, I'm calling out all you Villa losers - a Christie dude is your tournament's defending champ).

A few other bar type things: the Tavern on Denver has shuffleboard, which is awesome. The locals at this place are also really friendly folks. Getting to Tom's Pizza and watching hours of NCAA tournament coverage. The owner of Tom's is a big UP supporter, the pizza is great, and the place itself is really quite nice. Yorgos...it's just money. Karaoke at The Alabi.

I always loved going to basketball games, standing, and cheering. I think I may have been nearly alone it that department when I started school, but it was something else to turn around my senior year at the Pepperdine game (the first real Purple Pride night) and seeing the student section full to the top. I hope that becomes a tradition, because the Purple Pride pre-game socials were a ton of fun, and it built a great student section. Keep that going.

Great shout out for rugby - are the Cascade Blues still in existence??

I'll keep thinking.

Rochin54 wrote:I always loved going to basketball games, standing, and cheering. I think I may have been nearly alone it that department when I started school, but it was something else to turn around my senior year at the Pepperdine game (the first real Purple Pride night) and seeing the student section full to the top.

Ain't that the truth? Back in the day, it was me, Rochin54, mattywizz, Matt Wiege, DaTruRochin and maybe a few others... Buri, etc. And that was it. I'll never forget us standing in the front row, and then there being four empty rows behind us so all the rest of the students there could sit down. So sad.

The difference between then and the height of Purple Pride was just astounding. Seriously, I don't think I've ever been prouder than when we had both student sections filled to the gills plus a ton of spill over up into the bleachers. Sigh... if only that could have kept up. I still hold out hope.

Anyway, back to the topic on hand... it's kind of tough to say. I mean... there's always streaking Merlo and climbing the Chiles Center as a tradition. All the other big traditions I can think of (The Crawl, The T Room) have been mentioned. I always thought that Hall Masses were pretty cool... definitely a unique experience.

Still got to think about this...

A couple of the first things that pop into my head, in no particular order (besides the various bar/beer related posts--I agree 100%, but come on, you have to include The Perch!):

• Volleyball in front of Shipstad. Back then it was a mud pit...
  
• Intramural Coed Floor Hockey. Wow, that brought out a different side of people...
  
• Creating the haunted houses in our wing of Shipstad at Halloween... and scaring the bajesus out of all the RA's and Hall Directors (seriously, we went overboard--all out, working together to create something for kids to enjoy--we didnt scare them like we did the UP folks!) Do they still do that?!
  
• Road trip to the WCC tournament at Santa Clara. We lost to GU in the championship game that year.
  
• Hall mass and the after-mass socials.
  
• Signing up and posting on Pilot Nation!!
  

I know I will come up with more...

~ The top of Chiles is great.... Great place to see the stars, chat with friends, drink a few..... Just don't let Kraniak catch you...
~ Get out to the games... A fun way to meet people, and a great way to learn the fight song.
~ GET OFF CAMPUS.... Under 21, use the bus, find someone with a car, Portland is great for exploring, 23rd, the Zoo, Hawthorne, Forest Park... Get out and find the fun.
~ GET OFF CAMPUS... Over 21 (or good fake )... SO many fun bars downtown, you can chill, dance, play pool, people watch, check out the limitless happy hours, just have fun. The microbrews flow freely and there are too many to name.
~ Kokiyo Teryaki and Big Kahuna in St. Johns.... MMMMMMMM
~ Mio Sushi... Not too far away and pretty decent cheap sushi
~ The Night Hawk, great for hang overs.... or just any old breakfast... Hee hee oh and the lounge in back serves VERY stiff drinks and always has open pool tabels... its a Rochin54 approved venue.
~Study abroad.... I don't care if its a summer session, a year, a semester... DO IT. My summer Salzburg session was some of the most fun I've ever had. Seeing the world first had is unforgettable.

I'll come up with more later for sure...

P.S. Stoney I love that you use everyones screen name.... and then MATT WIEGE.... I'm sure he would love having his name put on here.......... MATT WIEGE

These are fantastic! Thanks so much and keep them coming!

Kristin

Some more for good measure...

~Get to know your professors, they are some pretty damn interesting people and are fine people to raise a liter glass with in the middle of a beer garden.
~ Road trip!!! I don't care if its the WCC Tourney, to a game in Spokane, for a break in Vegas, or just a jaunt to Mt Bachelor seeking fresh pow... Do it.
~ The Internaitonal Brew fest (wish I had known about this while I was in school) but if you are in PDX in the summer it is a bit lower key and a lot more fun than the one on the riverfront IMHO

I'll bring more later... I swear...