TRADITIONS | Celebrating Penn's Quaker heritage

Penn has accumulated a number of traditions over its 268 years. Some are dignified, others are more whimsical, but you can hardly consider yourself a true Quaker until you've booed the Princeton Tigers on Franklin Field during a football game or eaten fried Oreos during Spring Fling.

Convocation: Sept. 8 In this ceremony, members of the incoming freshman class and transfer students are officially welcomed to the University.

Convocation is one of the only three instances during your time at Penn when your entire class will come together as a group (Hey Day and Commencement are the other two).

The event features speeches by Penn President Amy Gutmann, Provost Vince Price and performances by several a cappella groups and the Penn Band.

The Line: Early October One of the great Penn basketball traditions, The Line is when students stake out overnight in the Palestra for season tickets to the men's basketball games. Although season tickets can also be purchased without participating in the Line, students who spend the night in one of the most historic gymnasiums get premium seats in the lower level of the student section.

Econ Scream: The night before the first Econ 001 midterm At midnight on the eve of the first Econ 001 midterm, students let off steam by gathering on the Junior Balcony in the Quadrangle to literally scream the stress away.

Besides the hoards of loud Quaker freshmen, if you're lucky, you'll witness several more adventurous upper classmen streaking through the Quad.

Homecoming: Nov. 5 Homecoming brings alumni back to visit their alma mater.

Many will head over to Franklin Field to watch the Quakers face off against the Princeton Tigers - and of course, to throw toast onto the field at the end of the third quarter after they finish a rousing rendition of "Drink a Highball."

Spring Fling: April This weekend, described by some as one of the nation's best college parties, gives students a chance to trade studying for eating fried Oreos and funnel cake in the Quad.

Besides the carnival in the Quad, the Social Planning and Events Committee also hosts a large concert. Last year's concert featured performances by Akon and Guster.

Hey Day: Last week of classes On the last day of classes, juniors march through campus with straw hats and canes to mark the official beginning of senior year.

In recent years, seniors have started throwing ketchup, flour and even rish and rotten eggs at the juniors on Locust Walk. The future of this tradition was in limbo in recent years, but by having seniors sign contracts, the University has been able to limit the hazing and the tradition lives on. Last year, seniors participated in the first annual Final Toast on College Green, during which seniors give a toast to the juniors as they pass. This new tradition will continue this upcoming spring.

Commencement: May Seniors say farewell to Penn as they receive their diplomas and words of wisdom from a guest speaker at Franklin Field. Last year, Google CEO Eric Schmidt delivered the keynote address.

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