Roll the Quad

Earlier in the fall, I found myself VERY perturbed by the Wake undergrad population - for many reasons (I mean, come on, I'm a grad student; isn't part of my job to look down my nose at undergrads?). For the purposes of this particular post, I was perturbed at them for their general lack of appreciation for the beautiful campus they inhabited. Empty beer cans are littered about the campus over the weekend, occasional vandalism pops up here and there, and they even TOILET PAPER the quad. Really? This place is GORGEOUS, and you are going to show that much disregard and disrespect for it? Eye roll. Pairing that with their incessant conversation about Whole Foods, shopping, vacation homes, and international travel leaves you with one thoroughly agitated Emily (stay tuned for a future vlog post imitating the conversations I overhear between undergrad girls on the shuttle: priceless). Have I mentioned the makes, models, and suggested retail prices of their cars? Yeah.

Well. It turns out that PART of the above equation is a gesture of school spirit: rolling the quad. As I followed a tour group across campus, on my way to class one day, I learned from the tour guide that rolling the quad is a Wake tradition. As she explained to the prospective students and parents the reason for the toilet paper all over the place - when a Wake sports team is victorious and the fans' enthusiasm boils over into post-game, the spectators "roll the quad" with toilet paper rolls. Students, faculty, parents, and other fans make their way to the north quad (I'm sure it has a name, but I'm a grad student and I don't know these things), and they celebrate.

Last night, Wake beat NC State (which is a HUGE deal because NC State is ranked top 25 - go Deacs). This morning, not only was I lucky enough to be the SOLE early bird rider with Ron on the shuttle (who is quickly becoming the person I talk to the most on a daily basis), but I was also lucky enough to snag a few shots of the quad before all the TP was cleaned up. Too bad the stuff didn't make it through the weekend, we might have seen some frozen TP! 

Peace, love, and a roll of toilet paper--

Emily