20 Food-Filled College Events Slideshow

When you're a child, running in your "undies" is an everyday event, but for Arizona State University students, The Undie Run is a great way to have fun and "run" for charity. ASU is known for their Undie Run but the thing is, it didn't start out at there. Rubin Green a transfer student from San Diego State University, where it originally started in 2008, brought over his charity run to ASU. The run is on the last day of classes before finals which helps  both the students relieve some stress and have a memorable experience. The charity is the most important part about the event. Each student must bring 2 cans of food to donate to the hungry of Arizona, and they must rip off the clothes on their back at the run. Hence "The Undie Run." In 2012 there were 15,000+ students, and they donated 4.5 tons of clothing and 1.5 tons of food.

If you have ever watched the television show Scrubs, you would know Turk's favorite meal is "Brinner," or breakfast for dinner. For Barnard College students they might not have "Brinner," but they definitely have a Midnight Breakfast. The event is hosted by the student-run activities council, McAc or the McIntosh Activities Council. The night is filled with the standard breakfast foods along with cakes, ice cream, and a few special dishes from each theme incorporated into the menu. Some themes have included "I YUMM the 90s," "Grease," and "Take me out to the ballgame." The event has taken place over the last 15 years and is a fun filled night to relieve stress before finals. Although other schools have similar programs, Barnard's is unique because the food is served to the students by college leaders including the President, the Provost, the Deans along with other staff members.

From personal experience homecoming is a time to sit in the corner while you watch the football game and the home team getting massacred, but for Baylor University the Homecoming Bonfire is one of the most celebrated days of the year. November 24, 1909 is the date to remember when you think about this event. Baylor University celebrated its and the nations first Homecoming. This celebration was intended to be a time for alumni to "come home" and celebrate with their alma mater and its current students. Over 100 years later the event is still going strong while continuing to keep the traditions during Homecoming Week. Throughout homecoming week Baylor celebrates Wednesday Worship, to Freshman Mass Meeting, to Extravaganza and a Pep Rally finishing up with what else, but a football game. The most memorable part of homecoming is the Baylor Bonfire. It's an emotional story about a group of 10 Baylor students killed in a tragic bus accident on the way to a basketball game. Each year the freshman class is told the story of the student and the students pass around the University Eternal Torch to symbolize their role in carrying on Baylor Traditions. After the service, the freshmen carry candles to the center of campus and build the Homecoming bonfire. Baylor Homecoming is really about tradition, friends, and celebration.

Everyone needs a day to just take a break from school work and chill once in awhile. For seniors going to a school as tough and strenuous as Caltech, they definitely deserve a day off. One day each spring, seniors ditch their classes and vanish from campus. The night before these super smart students leave behind complex and creative puzzles, mazes and challenges(which can be physical or physiological). These are to occupy the underclassmen and prevent them from destroying the senior's rooms. The original Ditch Day took place in 1931-32. At first seniors actually stacked furniture to prevent underclassmen from destroying their room. The seniors installed "stacks" (the Caltech word for locks.) Originally there were three types of stacks named for how to approach each problem. There are the Brute Force stacks, where you need to deconstruct and already filled room, a Finesse stack, where you must defeat a sophisticated lock or puzzle, and the Honer stack, which is where a senior left their door unlocked and students had to solve a difficult problem before entering. Today, underclassman form teams to solve puzzles, which are usually based on popular books, video games, TV shows or movies. The stacks have evolved, with the times, to become more digitally enhanced.

If you have ever been to the campus of Cornell University you would have noticed the massive slope from the underclassman dorms to the main campus. The hill leads from West Campus to the Libraries and the Quadrangle of the College of Arts and Sciences and is fondly called "Libe Slope." Slope Day is of course held on this slope, but what you might not realize is the immense history surrounding this wondrous Cornell day. Slope Day's origins can be traced back to 1890 with the annual Navy Ball at Cornell University. In 1901, the first official Slope Day was made and The Ball was changed from October to May and a group of students arranged the event and entertainment. Along the way the name has changed quite a few times and even gone through a couple of wars but the event stayed the same. Although it's changed a little the main idea of Slope Day has been constant. It's to have fun with friends and celebrate Cornell. Nowadays Slope Day is on the last day of classes and although it has gone through many phases, the recent focus has shifted to live music and catered food and "beverages." Once upon a time ago, students were allowed to drink beer because laws were different, now they're limited to water and soft drinks. Another major aspect of Slope Day is SlopeFest. This has an array of carnival games, activities and food, as well as the annual Slope Day Stroll Competition, which is a group dance stepping contest hosted by the Multicultural Greek Letter Council.

LDOC stands for the last day of classes. For most college kids, relaxing with some friends, having a good beer, and listening to some music is practically the perfect day. If you're one of those guys, you should definitely check this event out. This event allows Duke students a chance to chill before they have to kick it into high-gear study mode for finals.The day is full of food, carnival games, with various vendors and activities throughout leading up to a big concert or small music festival in the evening. During the day Duke brings in around 15 different food trucks from all over Durham. Another famous part of the day is the school sponsored free BBQ which was catered by Dame's Chicken and Waffles this year, one of the most popular spots Dukies visit in Durham. The BBQ takes place in the famous K-Ville section of campus (where Cameron Crazies camp out for basketball games) and students are able to eat and watch student performers perform on the KVille Stage. After the concert, Duke sponsors free pizza for the entire campus and the night closes out with everyone heading to Devine's (the popular bar around campus).

If you have ever heard the word college you have most likely heard the names Harvard and Yale. These are two of the oldest and most prestigious schools in the world, but what they true competition between the two schools isn't academic. These schools literally compete in everything but the biggest rivalry between the two schools is The Game, which is the Harvard and Yale football game. Beating the rival is usually considered more important than the regular season record.Since 1900, the Game has been the final game of the season for both teams, since Ivy League schools do not participate in post-season football games. It is also historically important. The Game was the second American football game played between U.S. colleges featuring a ball-carrying form of the game.  The Game has also become known for the massive joint Harvard-Yale tailgate parties. They run throughout The Game in the fields next to the host stadium every year. Most alumni that travel to the game go into the stadium to watch it but most students and recent alumni go to the game for the tailgate.Through the 2012 game, Yale leads the series 65–56–8.

Little 500 is an annual bicycle race held at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Howdy Wilcox Jr. founded the race in 1951 and modeled it after the Indianapolis 500, which his father won in 1919. Racers compete in teams of four, racing relay-style for 200 laps (50 miles) along a quarter-mile (440 yards) cinder track. The Women's Little 500 (100 laps, or 25 miles) was first held in 1988 and continues to be run each year, and other events such as the Little Fifty Running Relay Race and Alumni Races add to the festivities. Famous cyclist Lance Armstrong said that the race was "the coolest event I ever attended," which obviously means something considering his previous profession. Among other activities during The Little 500 include four other series events in addition to the race, itself: Qualifications, ITTs, Miss-N-Out, and Team Pursuit. These are both for fun and to scout out the competition.These events also help to increase participation and all team members to compete in an event More than 25,000 attend "Little Five" every year, and more than $1 million has been awarded to working students since that first race.

VEISHEA is an annual celebration held at Iowa State University each spring and one of its oldest traditions.  It serves as a showcase of the accomplishments of student organizations and the Iowa State community from throughout the year with a wide variety of educational and entertainment events. Veishea has been celebrated for 91 years at Iowa State (since 1922). It was named by Professor Frank D. Paine in the Department of General Engineering. He combined the first letters of the colleges at Iowa State (at that time). Veishea is one of the largest student-run festivals in the country. The event includes concerts, comedians and other entertainment, competitions, a parade, a theatrical/musical event known as "Stars Over Veishea," and Veishea Village, which is an open house/outdoor fair of 80-100 academic and club displays. Many food related events are hosted throughout VEISHEA week. Lunch is served throughout the week if from a wide array of local restaurants and industry organizations contributing over 15,000 meals served.  Late night pancakes are served on Friday and Saturday night as well as a breakfast before the annual VEISHEA Parade with more than 4,500 served. The International Student Council hosts the International Food Fair which serves over 50 different types of dishes representing an assortment of cultures and countries.  Smoke Over VEISHEA is a BBQ contest officially sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society with approximately 40 professional BBQ teams coming from all across the midwest. Let's just say this is one fun-filled week at Iowa State University.

As the name implies it is "The" rivalry. When I think of a rivalry it's always Yankees and Red Sox, but in regards to college football, the Lehigh and Lafayette "Rivalry" is a legend. The rivalry dates back to 1884 when Lafayette shutout Lehigh 50-0 in Easton. It is the nation's most-played rivalry in college sports and this year's game will be the 149th. In celebration of the 150th game in 2014, Lafayette and Lehigh will face off at iconic Yankee Stadium in New York.The game will be the first Lafayette-Lehigh meeting at a neutral site since Nov. 25, 1891, when the teams played at Westside Park in Wilkes Barre, Pa.The approximate capacity of Yankee Stadium for the game will be 36,000 with access to the venue permitted two hours before the game. Hotels and in-stadium tailgating will be announced at a later date along with additional college events planned as part of the weekend. Lafayette students prepare for the game during the annual Rivalry Weekend pep rally. Lehigh's mascot is the Mountain Haw and Lafayette's is the Leopard. At Lafayette there is a Mountain Hawk wing-eating contest, to make fun of Lehigh, but don't worry Lehigh does not have a Leopard eating contest. I think it's illegal to eat leopard anyway. Lafayette (76-66-5) holds a lead in the series, though Lehigh has won the last four meetings.

It's funny that Le Moyne College's famous event is Dolphy Day, especially since Eric Dolphy, a famous Jazz singer, has never visited or donated to the school. The reason this event is called Dolphy Day is because of the original date in 1971. A group of students decided to take a break from classes to enjoy the warmth of a spring day in April and while they relaxed they played the Frank Zappa song, "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue." Students spent the day in the quad listened, among other genres,  to Dolphy's jazz music and by the end of that day "Dolphy Day" was born. The day was mainly to welcome the warm weather and give the students a day off from classes to relax before exams at the end of the semester. As they should, all kids need a little time off to free their mind. In memoriam of the famous song they hold a campus-wide bbq with the typical foods, like hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, and some sides.

Halloween is one of the biggest nights of the year for college kids, even at the studious and hard-working MIT. MIT graduate students come together to carve and paint pumpkins at Sidney-Pacific. This has just recently started and students hope to have a new tradition. The students also take some time away from their tough mid-terms to have some childish fun. Halloween candy was served and the extracted pumpkin seeds were gathered to be roasted for the Sidney-Pacific Coffee Hour event on Halloween night. An MIT tradition is Spooky Skate, which offers MIT students hours of ice skating with free skate rentals, along with pumpkin carving, food, and a costume contest. The most important part of Halloween is the Annual Pumpkin Drop. Even kids as smart as those who go to Massachusetts Institute of Technology can have fun just throwing stuff off of a roof.It's not like it's anything ordinary though. With their high tech gadgets and liquid nitrogen, MIT students take pumpkins, freeze them in liquid nitrogen and drop them from the "Green Building", which is the highest building on campus and 295-feet-high. Sounds like some Galilean fun.

If you're in college and are a mama's boy or girl then this is definitely an event you will appreciate. Ohio University emphasizes its importance of family through the creation of Mom's Weekend. Moms Weekend has been an annual weekend since 1926. Many events allow moms and their sons or daughters to enjoy a weekend on campus participating in a wide variety of activities.  Many offices and student organizations on campus assist in creating and developing programs that we hope moms will find interesting and enjoyable. There are fashion shows, Mom's Markets, Zip Line Adventures, cake decorating, dinner theater, a Zumbathon, an Aqua-Zumbathon and even a Cabaret. When you're in college there's not too much money for beer but when the moms come to town, Kroger, a retail food chain, is filled with carts  of Stella and Sam Adams – a major upgrade from the usual Natural Light and Keystone. You're mom deserves the good stuff. However embarrassing it may be, your mom raised you so they should get a little time to party with you too.

Although the Arts Fest isn't run by Penn State University it's a huge event for the college students and the alumnis. The festival was founded in 1967 to bring economic activity to downtown State College, Pennsylvania. Festivals were sort of "in the air" at that time, and downtown State College was pretty dead when there were no Penn State students around. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts was born that summer, and lasted nine days. Sponsored by Penn State's College of Arts and Architecture and the State College Chamber of Commerce, the first Festival was opened by Governor Raymond Shafer. Musical performances took place downtown and on campus, and the first sidewalk sale and exhibition consisted of people hanging work on snow fence along "The Wall" on the southern border of the Old Main lawn. The show wasn't juried, so you could by art that was good, or not so good, created by professionals and amateurs. You could even buy kittens. Now,there is an audience of about 100,000 in any given year, and many Penn State alums come back—the Penn State Alumni Association offers "Arts Festival Alumni Weekend" where you can live in a dorm, and relive your college days (to some extent) as you enjoy the Festival. The alums go to the Arts Fest, hang out with their old friends, hear some music, and go to their old hangouts. Hey, why not enjoy some culture and relive some of the glory days.

Renn Fayre started out as just a regular Renaissance fayre, hence the name. It was a special one-day event which brought Reed College back to the days of old. Renn Fayre was born from this one day event in the 60's and is now an annual three-day celebration with a new theme each year, the only thing that's been kept from the Renaissance days is the name of the event. A special part of the Fayre is for the graduating seniors. The Fayre starts with the Thesis Parade. As you may have guessed it's where the graduating seniors have a march to hand in their thesis to the registrar and then they head over to a fiery pit, where they put their year's notes. The event runs from Friday to Sunday on the last day of class before spring semester. The students not only get this amazing event but they have no classes the following week, to study for exams. Even with exams ahead participation is almost unanimous. With traditions and events like bug-eating contests, the alumni Meat Smoke,a beer garden,feast contributed to by student-donated leftover board points, a cooking contest, and much more there's no reason not to attend. Unfortunately this event is mainly for Reed College students, alums, and special guests, so unless you have the clearance you probably won't be able to enjoy this Fayre.

Tigerfest is Towson's premiere spring event bringing together anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 students and community members for a full day of entertainment including live music, activities, food, and local vendors. Tigerfest, which is also open to the public (not just Towson University students), occurs in late April. It has been a campus tradition since 1988 when the show was first hosted on Burdick Field. Since then the event has grown and expanded, moving to Johnny Unitas Stadium in 2011. People know Towson because of Tigerfest and the Campus Activities Board is very proud to put it on every year. The event has become increasingly popular throughout its history, mainly because mainstream music acts headline Tigerfest each year. The event gives students an opportunity to relax and unwind as the spring semester comes to a close. It is also a great time to hang out with friends that you won't see during the summer.

Tulane University is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you don't know much about this place, let's just say it's one of the biggest food cultures in the America. In New Orleans, every single day there is a festival or parade of some sort. Obviously the biggest and most well known parade is Mardi Gras but a special Tulane festival is the one to keep an eye on. One of the festivals that is known for bringing the New Orleans and college community is Crawfest. Crawfest takes place in the middle of NOLA festival season – usually the weekend in between Jazzfest and French Quarter Fest! Crawfest celebrates the food, music, and art of New Orleans. The local New Orleans community and Tulane students and staff to enjoy a day of NOLA culture and "festing" in the sun! Crawfest 2014 will be the 7th annual festival on Tulane's uptown campus (Started in 2008).  The event has grown every year – more attendance, more crawfish, and more food/art vendors. This year, 20,000 pounds of crawfish were served and consumed at the festival! Along with the insane amount of crawfish there are 10 local restaurant vendors – including two of NOLA's favorite food trucks. So in addition to the traditional boiled crawfish, attendees were eating delicious food from Dat Dog, Woody's, Plum St Snoballs, St James Cheese Company. As you can tell this is one of the ultimate food fests.

Extravaganza is an annual music festival held at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The event started in 1979 and has been an annual event since 1989. The event is completely student run, by the associated students program board. It is held in Harder Stadium and has thousands attending each year. As of 2011, the festival is only open to UCSB students, staff, and faculty. The stage occupies the north end of the field while booths for student groups, sponsors, and activities line the sides. Extravaganza started as a small showcase for local bands but had decided in 2005 to downsize the number of bands in favor of bigger-name acts. The first performer is a local act, chosen through a Battle of the Bands. Some former acts who have been at Extravaganza are Drake, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Busta Rhymes, and Nas. This is supposed to be an exclusive event for UCSB so unless you go there I don't suggest making an plans.

Spring Fling is an annual festival for the University of Pennsylvania students at the end of Spring Semester. This major event began in 1973 and is considered the largest college party on the East Coast.  Don't worry if you're not a partier, you can still enjoy this event. Each year the entirety of Spring Fling is run by the university's Social Planning and Events Committee (SPEC). Each April, nearly 10,000 students and their friends get a chance to revel in the sun before final exams begin. The event takes place all around the campus, on College Green, Wynn Commons, and The Quadrangle (or Quad). The College Green is a staging area for carnival games and food. The Quad is filled with food vendors, bouncy castles and other inflatable rides, live performances by student groups, local bands. On Saturday night, Penn students enjoy more inflatables and games, a DJ party, and free food from their favorite vendors, including Magic Carpet, Chipotle, Capogiro Gelato, and Pat's Cheesesteaks. Two stages in the Quad host Penn's performing arts groups. Saturday night, Penn holds a festival on College Green, and Friday night SPEC brings in a headlining musical act for a concert.

Although the Foxfield Races are not run by the University of Virginia they are a long standing University of Virginia tradition. The race is a premier steeplechase horse racing event held annually in Albemarle, Virginia. The races were created by Marianne de Tejeda on property that was once owned by the well-known Virginian horseman, huntsman, and teacher, Grover Vandevender. The first Foxfield race was held in the spring of 1978, and has since, become a popular tradition among Charlottesville residents, students of the University of Virginia, as well as alumni from the University. The Foxfield Race is a tailgating event, which is why there are no grandstands. To go along with the Southern feel attendees of the race are known to wear fairly formal clothing. They also break out the fine china and have elaborate spreads to add to the image. Students use Race Day as an excuse to break out their "preppiest" attire. There is an abundance of pastel colors, Lilly Pulitzer patterns, and large sun hats. All the girls wear sundresses and many of the boys have colorful bowties for the event. Students tailgate at plots which are often organized through Greek organizations.