With very few ways of acknowledging adulthood in American society, campus traditions serve as important coming-of-age events, argues Simon J. Bronner, a professor of American studies and folklore at Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg and author of Campus Traditions: Folklore From the Old-Time College to the Modern Mega-University. We look at three college traditions below, but we need your help to document more. Find out how.

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College Traditions

The Rat Funeral: How a Shocking Ritual Evolved Into a Touching Rite of Passage

Students at Gallaudet University take part in a decades-old tradition marking the end of their freshman year – they bury rats. The funerals started when the Washington, D.C., institution for the deaf and hard of hearing had a preparatory program, with students known as “rats.” The details have changed over the years, but the ceremony remains central to the student experience.

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Traditions - The Rat Funeral

One College’s Traditional Rough-and-Tumble Welcome

The storming of the arch is a Juniata College tradition in which first-year students prove their worth by literally fighting their way through a scrum of upperclassmen. One freshman finds that it helps to be slippery.

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Traditions - Storming the Arch

At Sweet Briar, an Old Tradition Finds New Meaning

In her will, Indiana Fletcher Williams called for the creation of a women’s college on the family’s rural Virginia plantation in memory of her deceased daughter, Daisy. The near-closing and rescue of Sweet Briar College gives this year’s Founder’s Day a fresh poignancy.

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Traditions - Sweet Briar Founder's Day

Call for Submissions: College Traditions Short Films

There are more college traditions out there than we can possibly get to, so we want you to share your stories with us. We know there are talented videographers out there — show us your stuff! Take us inside your traditions and be creative with your filmmaking. We’ll periodically highlight the best submissions. Guidelines:

• You must be an active student or team of students!
• Your submission should be a short film, no longer than three minutes. Faculty can advise and help you, but we want to showcase your work.
• The video should tell a story — what’s the context of the ritual and what do students or faculty think of it? It must be a real tradition, and nothing should be set up just for the video. Be creative, but be safe. We are not responsible for any injuries or damage to equipment.
• Successful entries will be authentic looks at your college traditions, not promotional pieces. There are plenty of great outlets for promotional material. But this is a documentary narrative.

Email a link to your video to films@chronicle.com by December 3, 2015. Include a list of who should be credited as well as a brief description of the film. Be prepared to deliver a 1280 x 720p H.264 version via Dropbox if your film is selected.