What Family Are You In?

Amoeba family members. Photo by Shelby Lauzon.
Amoeba family members. Photo by Shelby Lauzon.

by Kai Bu

As the semester begins at Judson, many new faces walk around campus and sign the honor code at the second week of chapel. As newcomers officially become Judson students, Jr-Sophs and some seniors start their mission: look for their little-to-be through activities or dining hall chats. School activities such as Back-to-school Bash and Game Night offer Jr-Sophs the opportunity to get to know more about freshwomen.

After that, the Jr-Sophs’ next moves are leaving invitation signs in front of freshwomen’s rooms asking them to sit on their blankets for the first serenade, where they spend time together and learn about traditions together. Finally, on the night of the Big-Little Banquet and Signing Ceremony, freshwomen sign to become an official little sister of her respective Jr-Soph for the rest of her time at Judson. This has been how sisterhoods are born between loving Judson sisters for decades.

While many Jr-Sophs ask freshwomen to join their previously-existing families, other Jr-Sophs might ask their little sisters to join in creating a brand new family. Judson’s big-little tradition is not all about following what has already existed, but it is also about creating a new route that makes the tradition even more exciting and loving.

Judson is a place where one can become a pioneer of tradition by creating her own family under the lead of a god-big (a senior who is currently participating in traditions). Shelby Lauzon, the 2017-2018 senior class president and 2016-2017 Chemistry Club president, created the “Amoeba” family in her junior year with three amoebae family members. When asked the reason for building a new family, Shelby answered,“Noaf I. Bader [a graduated senior] has no little and I was really close to her. So, we decided to create a new family, but she didn’t want to create so I made her my god-big and I started the ‘Amoebae.’”

As aforementioned, there are very few rules and regulations to create a family. Current senior class president, Megan Matthews, said, “You just come talk to me and Dean Susan Jones. We have to make sure whether the family name is appropriate and different things.” According to Matthews, there are 15 families on campus and the estimated count for students participating in traditions is about 170 students out of over 300 students. Students are not the only participants in traditions—some staff members are participating in traditions as class sponsors. Ms. Courtney Tindale and Mr. Joshua Pickens are class sponsors of Jr-Soph class while Ms. Katlin Bailey (a Judson alumna) serves as senior class sponsor for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Creating a new family is also an option for transfers, depending on their situations. “Oftentimes we have transfer students that come in and they cannot find a big sister in time, so they decide to make their own family,” explained Matthews.

 

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