Spirit & Traditions

Rammy standing in the bleachers in front of the Ram Squad Student Section

Spirit & Traditions

WCU offers a wealth of campus traditions and events that help infuse spirit and fun into campus life, and a greater sense of pride and connection to the University. Some of these happen throughout the year, and some are special, one-time events. Be on the lookout for the specific dates for these events via the RamConnect calendar and Ram Roundup email and be sure to mark your calendar!

Ongoing Traditions

Fall Traditions

Spring Traditions

Ongoing Traditions

Rammy

Rammy is our beloved WCU mascot who infuses fun and spirit into our University events. Here you can learn more about the history of Rammy, request Rammy for an appearance at your event, or apply to join the Rammy team.

Rams After Hours

Rams After Hours is a free, late night program for West Chester University students occurring on Friday nights during the academic year. Food, entertainment, and a take-home novelty item make these must-attend events!

Ram Squad

The WCU Ram Squad promotes spirit, pride and traditions of the University by attending events and bringing the Rams Up spirit! Join the Ram Squad at all sporting events to get involved in being on the front lines of all the fun and action!

Spirit Enhancements

WCU student, faculty, and staff can reserve various spirit elements to enhance their next University event! Request your spirit enhancement now!

Spirit Fridays

West Chester University’s Spirit Fridays give students, faculty and staff a visible way to show that pride and support by sporting the Purple and Gold. Each Friday throughout the year, we invite our campus community to participate in Spirit Fridays by wearing your favorite West Chester University apparel.

Miss WCU

The Miss WCU Pageant is a student-run, service oriented competition, and contestants are judged based on the evening wear, interview, talent and casual wear competitions. The celebration of school spirit and pride are also emphasized within the competition. Contestants are encouraged to share their talents, passion for service and personality while competing for the crown. The current Miss WCU 2024 is Stella Downey! Click here to book Miss WCU for your next event!

Fall Traditions

Ram Rally

This tradition is held during the first few days of the semester as an exciting way to launch the new semester and get the Golden Rams fired up! The event features the Cheerleading Team, Dance Team, Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band and Ram Squad! Head to Hollinger Fieldhouse, wear your purple and gold gear, join in the fun and grab plenty of free Ram Swag!

Student Tailgates

Before home football games, join the entire student body under the scoreboard in Farrell Stadium for Student Tailgates! Tailgates are generously sponsored by a variety of campus partners and feature a full buffet, spirit giveaways, tailgate games, and a paint station to get in full game day mode! Tailgates typically feature a free limited edition t-shirt giveaway! Take the Football Express shuttle from Wayne to Farrell Stadium on game days!

Family Weekend

Each fall, West Chester University’s Family Weekend gives our RAM FAM the opportunity to enjoy WCU’s campus, get to know the golden ram community, and spend quality time together. Events may include planetarium shows, a family picnic, art exhibits, athletic events, entertainment, campus history tours, and kid-friendly programming. Check out this year's events here.

Homecoming

Each fall, the West Chester University community celebrates Homecoming with various events and activities. These include the kick-off party, the annual parade, the game and tailgate party plus many other programs, class reunions, and even a community service project. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni come together to share memories, create new ones, and show off their Ram Pride!

Spring Traditions

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Each spring, the Frederick Douglas Society and West Chester University honor the memory and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with an awards brunch, service project, and a full day of programs and activities.

Rammy's Birthday Party

Celebrate Rammy’s Birthday with this fun family-friendly event! Entertainment, face painting, balloon artist, photo booth, autographs, mascot friends, basketball games and, of course, cake! Join Rammy and his mascot friends to celebrate his birthday with the entire WCU Campus Community!

Banana Day

For over 20 years each spring students wake up to Banana Day! Games are played throughout campus, bananas are eaten, and everyone competes for the coveted Banana Day T-Shirt. It's a day to remind us what it’s like to be a kid again, to play, and have fun. Banana Day won the National Association for Campus Activities 2018 "Your Best Campus Tradition" and now we're nationally recognized for what some would call an unofficial WCU holiday! Banana Day is sponsored by the Student Activities Council.

WCU 1871 Award

The 1871 Award was established in 2018 to recognize West Chester University juniors and seniors who are high-achieving in both the academic and co-curricular realms. Each year, 71 students will be honored for their outstanding accomplishments related to Academics, Leadership, Community Engagement, and Career Readiness.

Student Leadership Awards

For over twenty years, West Chester University has recognized excellence in programming, organizational development, individual leadership, and effective partnerships through our annual student leadership awards. Both individual and organization leadership is recognized at this annual event.

Ramboree

Ramboree started in 2019 as a way to bring together the entire WCU community and celebrate the end of the academic year. In April, the academic quad is transformed with rides, carnival games, food trucks, giveaways, and live music from our WCU Local Discovery Stage. The day culminates with a nationally known main stage artist.