Towering Traditions is viewed as an uplifting experience for many of its student leaders, but after that experience ends, some find themselves struggling with fatigue as the school year starts.
TT is a Belmont tradition dating back to 1986 and spans over nine days with daily schedules for leaders averaging 12 hours of work.
The leaders serve a key role in freshman orientation, guiding freshmen in the days leading up to their first week of college as well as spending several days on training beforehand and helping with freshman move-in.
For some TT leaders this experience can be more taxing than expected, especially for first timers, which can make transitioning into the school year difficult.
While this experience can be rewarding, some would like to see more opportunity for rest to combat this.
“It would be nice to have a day between TT and the first day of classes to be able to rest a bit,” said senior TT leader Hailey Harris.
Ryan Holt, director of new student orientation, has seen some students forgo their academic obligations going into TT as they become so invested in the experience, they forget the freshmen aren’t the only ones starting school, he said.
“From my experience, students are pouring out so much that they maybe forget to have time to focus on themselves and prepare for the first day of class,” Holt said.
Some TT leaders felt fatigued from the amount of work TT requires, and looking back, they weren’t fully prepared for it.
Junior Madi Price participated in BOLD Moves last year and said she initially felt prepared for TT because of that experience.
“I thought I was going to be prepared for it, but it was definitely a lot more than I was anticipating,” she said.
A factor making TT difficult is a lack of opportunity for rest, some students said.
Junior Abby Hodge got five hours of sleep per night during Welcome Week.
“I wasn’t as prepared as I should’ve been for classes,” she said.
Throughout TT leader training, students are reminded to take care of themselves and resources are available for students struggling as they transition back to school, Holt said.
“Students are provided with breaks, but it is up to them as to how they use that,” Holt said.
The main scheduled breaks fell during lunch and dinner times.
Some events were labelled optional, but some leaders said they felt social pressure to attend.
“I feel like it’s just an unspoken thing that people do those events. We just cherish the time we get to spend together,” Price said.
Holt said he is open to creating room for TT leaders to rest after Welcome Week but hesitates to move the traditional senior sendoff, an optional event that is scheduled to last until midnight or later, from its slot on the night before classes, he said.
While some TT leaders feel the physical toll after the experience ends, this does not necessarily dampen the experience for them.
“Looking back on it I know I was exhausted, but it’s not what I remember most about the experience. I think it was worth it in the end,” Price said.
–
This article was written by Nolan Russell