When it came down to my final decision on where to attend college, I thought of one thing: “Which place feels like home?” Tarleton’s family feel and its amazing, original traditions are the reason I ended up here.

When you go to Duck Camp as a freshman, members are put into different groups, which are named after different Tarleton traditions. Everyone has their favorite tradition, but I have two: the Purple Poo and, of course, The JTAC.

 “We are Tarleton State” isn’t just a saying; it’s a way of life. So when other universities make an attempt to start a tradition quite similar to one of ours, we get a little offended.

Some may say “imitation is a form of flattery,” but not when it comes to something like the Purple Poo. The Poo and Oscar P. are what keep the school spirit alive here at Tarleton. The Poo bring us all together and get us even more pumped up and excited to be here. The Purple Poo members are a family – our family.

McMurry’s recent announcement of their “Kings of Tradition Cru” (K.O.T. Cru) has definitely caused an uproar from Tarleton students, alumni, and faculty. They wear ridiculous costumes, hide their true identities from everyone, and have a Cru symbol that looks oddly familiar.

As a student body, we’re not too happy, but for the Purple Poo, that’s an understatement. When I asked Jennifer McGregor, former Purple Poo and the current sponsor for them, what her Poo babies thought of this knockoff version of themselves, she said, “They think that it is unoriginal.  It looks just like the TTS/TTP (Ten Tarleton Sisters and Ten Tarleton Peppers).    They are not impressed.  They are very glad that our spirit organization has been around since 1921 and 1923, which is very much a part of Tarleton’s Traditions.”

So, to McMurry, get your own traditions because WE are Tarleton State and we love our Purple Poo.

The Purple Poo is the oldest spirit organization on campus, and the JTAC is the oldest tradition. For those of you who don’t know, JTAC stands for John Tarleton Agricultural College, the original name of TSU. The JTAC has been around since 1919 and we don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.

Recently, another campus newspaper has tried to step into the spotlight and print some campus, local, state, national, and world news. We are the official campus newspaper.

Also, we don’t use students’ classwork as free labor; The JTAC pays each of its writers, photographers, graphic designers, and editors, unless they volunteer.

Just like the Purple Poo, the JTAC writers and editors are a family. We stick together and defend what we do when certain people try to criticize us. We offer a job that can help prepare any journalism major or any major at all for the real world. This job has provided me with real world experiences and even made me seriously consider a change in major.

Growing up as the daughter of the man who owned the local newspaper, I swore I wouldn’t follow in his footsteps and work for a newspaper. So, once I got this job, I immediately called him and heard him say, “Told you so.”

Not once have I ever regretted working at this amazing newspaper. The JTAC may not report on everything going on in the world, but we report what happens on campus with students, faculty, and organizations. I think that is what really matters.

Traditions are what make this great university so unique, so as a student body, let’s support those traditions and do whatever it takes to preserve them and keep them ours forever because we are Tarleton State.