By Madison Boggs | The Howard Payne tradition of the freshman drum has been around for decades, but to many, it is surrounded by mystery.
Student Government Association Vice President Parker Brown explained his first impression and encounter with this long standing tradition.
“It’s origins are really steeped in mystery, the need for the freshman drum really isn’t recorded or written anywhere. It has been around for several decades, but no one really knows why,” said Brown.
In the 24 hours leading up to homecoming, freshman students bang and beat on an empty oil barrel with a baseball bat by the bell towers continuously all night. Upper class students are allowed to sneak up and steal the drum from the freshmen who are beating it.
“Legend says that if the drumming stops, even for a minute, the Yellow Jackets will lose the homecoming game. If everything continues, we have a fighting chance at winning the game,” Brown says.
SGA President Seth Becker described the process of beating the drum throughout the night.
“People often camp out near the drum site. They will bring food and all kinds of stuff and just hang out and have a good time. However, every year without fail, an upperclassman will attempt and sometimes succeed at stealing the drum from the freshmen,” said Becker.
“SGA helps put it together and our freshmen senators help out. It’s always more fun when we have a lot of freshmen help out,” he adds.
Homecoming traditions are a big part of student life at HPU, and freshman drum is a fun way to include new students and get them involved with the traditions on campus. It also exposes new students to different people and organizations on campus.
“Honestly, it’s only as fun as you make it. If all your friends come out and make it exciting then it will be super fun,” Becker said.
Alumni often come out and hang out with the freshmen who are drumming, encouraging them or even helping them drum sometimes.
“Parker’s first year, he went and beat the drum by himself for six hours. We took food out to him and spent some time just hanging out, and we had a blast,” Becker said.
The freshman drum is really about enhancing the student experience for freshmen. Follow SGA on Instagram for Student Government updates at @hputxsga.