Tradition Tuesday: The Cornhusker Compass

     As part of Scarlet Guard’s mission to give students the Ultimate Husker Experience, all members receive the Cornhusker Compass when they register. The Compass is a small customizable booklet that highlights 65 campus traditions of UNL. Traditions include a variety of activities, landmarks, and events in five different areas: campus life, academics, athletics, culture and giving back.

     When students complete traditions, they put documentation of the event (a picture, ticket stub, etc.) on the corresponding page of the Cornhusker Compass, making the Compass a customizable yearbook. After members complete 25 traditions, they are recognized as a Scarlet Guard Knight. From that point on, they are invited to an annual and exclusive SG Knights appreciation event and receive a Scarlet Guard Knights lapel pin. Once members complete 50 of the 65 traditions, they become an Official Tradition Keeper, are invited to the annual Alumni Awards Banquet with prestigious alumni and University of Nebraska staff, and receive a medal to wear at graduation.

     In order to help students get involved and complete these traditions, Scarlet Guard hold 15 events throughout the year. Some, like Dodgeball in Memorial Stadium, Alumni Masters Week, and Backpacks and Briefcases are traditions in the Compass. Others, like the Ultimate Cornhusker Compass Competition, helps promote other campus traditions and organizes a way for Scarlet Guard members to complete them together.

     Another way to help promote Compass traditions that aren’t Scarlet Guard events is by utilizing “Traditions Tuesday”. Traditions Tuesday is a social media campaign started by this year’s Vice President of Social Media, Michaela Niemeyer. Every Tuesday, a post about Cornhusker Compass traditions happening currently goes out on all social media platforms.

     There have been 3 different versions of the Cornhusker Compass, as new campus traditions are always popping up.

     What is your favorite UNL tradition?

The Ultimate Cornhusker Compass Competition

On October 4, Scarlet Guard members competed in our first-ever Ultimate Cornhusker Compass Competition. It was an Amazing Race-style event open to all UNL students (not exclusive to SG members), where teams raced across both City and East Campus to complete various Husker Tradition-based challenges. The first place team included Erin Lyons, Ashleigh Blecha, Scott Mulholland, Patricia Krause and Jacob Simnitt. They won BEAT Rutgers t-shirts, a VIP tour of Memorial Stadium, and the chance to be part of the BEAT Rutgers tunnel walk! Second place winners received BEAT Rutgers t-shirts and the chance to be part of the tunnel walk at the Spring Red and White game. After all teams completed the competition, competitors and Nebraska Alumni Association staff ate Dairy Store ice cream and socialized. Look below to see pictures of the event!

So what is Scarlet Guard?

     Scarlet Guard is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Student Alumni Association. The group is currently the largest student organization at UNL, boasting over 1,450 members during the 2013-2014 school year. Within the general membership, Scarlet Guard is run, organized and led by a student Board of Directors, which is made up of 35 individuals from all colleges, grades, and various majors. Among that 35 is the Scarlet Guard Executive team: The President, 6 Vice Presidents, and an Executive Delegate. A member of the Nebraska Alumni Association staff acts as the group's adviser.

     The mission of Scarlet Guard is to engage students with their University and provide them with the most authentic and ultimate Husker experience. This is accomplished through a heavy focus on campus traditions that can be found in the Cornhusker Compass, a traditions book that is given to all members at the time of their registration. The Cornhusker Compass highlights 65 "campus traditions" that vary from attending a Husker football game and participating in the balloon release or the Kissing Columns on UNL's City campus. Once Scarlet Guard members complete 25 of the 65 traditions, they are deemed a "Knight" and are invited to an exclusive networking event every year for the remainder of their time at college. If members complete 50 of the traditions, they are recognized as Official Tradition Keepers, are given a medal to wear at graduation, and are invited to the exclusive Alumni Awards Banquet with distinguished alumni.

     The Scarlet Guard Board of Directors plans and executes events for general members to assist them in completing their Cornhusker Compasses. These events are both social and professional. Social events include free t-shirt giveaways for home conference games, an Amazing Race-style competition that features challenges related to campus traditions, and dodgeball in Memorial Stadium. Events that promote networking and professional development include Alumni Masters Week, which gives students the opportunity to network with distinguished alumni. Another is Backpacks to Briefcases, which provides students with knowledge and resources that will help them maximize their college experiences and launch their careers.

    However, most valuable part of Scarlet Guard isn't the events. The part of Scarlet Guard that inspires, encourages, and impacts students the most is the connections that are made with alumni and fellow students. These relationships, much like the memories one gains from college life at Nebraska, last a lifetime.