Milligan in the News
It has been a long-held tradition at Milligan College for students to “kidnap” the school mascot – a buffalo – and hang him from the ceiling of the Chapel.
This was done my freshman year.
It was done again my senior year – the night before the awards
convocation. So, we all go to chapel that morning and see the
buffalo hanging from the ceiling with a sign on it saying, “One last
prank.” Although the administration was not amused, the rest of
us were…
Until it caught fire.
Yes, the Chapel almost burned down that day. I guess the people
who hung the buffalo placed one of the ropes too close to a light and
the prolonged exposure to the hot lamp caused it to catch fire.
The awards convo was canceled, the Chapel evacuated, and the
firefighters came to put out the fire. Needless to say, it was a
memorable experience – even if it didn’t go as the planners had
intended. Last I heard, the kidnappers were never caught.
Fast-forward to this year, and the buffalo has been kidnapped again.
This time, it’s a real buffalo that has been stuffed – not the
fiberglass one of my Milligan days. According to the Fox News
website (third article down), the buffalo has been returned…hanging from the Chapel ceiling.
The administration is ticked, and I believe these are the reasons:
1. The damage to the fieldhouse during the break-in. Pranks are fun, as long as there’s no damage to property.
2. The buffalo cost $16,000.
3. Some in the administration (but not many) were at Milligan when the
Chapel caught fire. I’m sure it brought back memories.
4. The administration viewed the buffalo as unmovable – bolted to the
floor out of reach of the common man. I think it really peeves
them that someone could still steal the beast after all of the security
they had implemented.
At least they didn’t burn down the Chapel this time.
Latest posts by Matt Todd (see all)
- My PopCon Conversation with Carl Doninger - April 25, 2024
- What would your liftoff song(s) be? - April 12, 2024
- My solar eclipse playlist (redux) - April 6, 2024
It’s thier fault for blowing $16,000 on a Buffalo. That’s a full sesmter’s tuition on a stuffed animal. I think they got what they deserved. That dough could have been spent on updating their gym or buying computers….
I would agree, if they had actually spent the money. It was donated to the school a few years back.
The gym definitely needs an update!
My favorite prank was the time someone released a bunch mice in chapel… by dropping them from the balcony in little parachutes.
That’s impressive. Did they give them guns and dress them in camouflage?
The biggest tradition at Milligan is the creekings – and they can involve the entire campus if you plan it right.
I know mine was.
No. These were not domesticated mice, so I think they had enough trouble getting them in the parachutes.
What is a creeking?
Creeking
It is a long-standing tradition (50+ years), but no one knows its origins. I even tried to do a little bit of research on it, but came to dead ends.
When a couple gets engaged, the guy’s “friends” grab him unexpectedly, parade him through campus, and throw him into Buffalo Creek, congratulating him on the engagement.
Apparently, they used to creek both the guy and girl, but it somehow evolved to just the guy.
Lucky us.
I was creeked on the coldest day in November. A guy from the Registrar’s office came into class and said, “We need to see Matt Todd, please.” So, I left the room and was assaulted by my roommate, suitemates, and some other so-called friends. The people rushed out of the classes to watch them throw me into the creek. I knew they were going to eventually get me wet, but not without a fight. I made the guys who had my legs crash into each other several times, and I think I kicked a few of them in areas that are more sensitive (like their noses). Yes, they eventually did throw me into the creek – and it was cold!
I spent the rest of the day in my apartment because I had an asthma attack. Some friends! And Christy wanted to warn me about it, but they threatened her that they would do even worse stuff if she told.
I got one of them back, though. Mike had proposed shortly after my creeking, and we didn’t do anything. He thought we forgot about it. We didn’t.
He was on the setup and tear-down crew for Chapel, so we waited until the last Chapel of the school year and grabbed him from the stage as everyone was filing out the door. The whole school saw us carry him down the hill and throw him into the creek. I’ve seen pictures where we actually threw him higher than our heads. It was great fun!
That is creeking.
I didn’t realize it was a donation… they should have sold it on EBay and then built a new gym.. or at least get a treadmill or something. 😉
No worries. I should have said that in the original posting. Good thing I was a communications major 8{)}