Hoya Traditions
Chilling on the 'GUQ Hilltop'
It is a ritual for Georgetown students to climb over the hill in front of the main entrance and hang out there looking over the other universities in EC. This practice is most prominent in the winter season, when the weather is cool. The area that encompasses the hill is commonly termed as the 'GU-Q Oxygen Park', a term given by the Georgetown students to the park outside the main entrance.
International Ball
Formerly known as the Diplomatic Ball and still known among the student community as Dip Ball, has been a main-campus tradition for many years and it is the elegant, formal, capstone event of the year.
GU-Q's International Ball has changed its theme in Spring 2018, to include an educational component to the Ball by introducing country centered themes. This theme was based on the 'Years of Culture' in collaboration with Qatar's cultural partner country for the year.
The previous themes included Russia (2018) and India (2019).
This event is open to all Students, Faculty, Staff and their plus ones, with an intention of broader cultural learning.
Our most recent ball was under the theme 'Moonlight' which was a theme picked carefully for the first ball after years of not hosting it due to the Pandemic. With its waxing and waning, the moon is a sign of constant change and the passing and returning of seasons.
Pulling an all-nighter in the student lounge
Every student in Georgetown has slept in the campus building at least once. They stream movies, do assignments and sleep till morning. This practice is mostly seen during the mid-terms and finals weeks. Although this room isn't meant for sleeping, it is very comfortable. Can we blame them?
Georgetown day
The highlight of the Georgetown calendar is the one day that all members of the Georgetown community come together and celebrate Georgetown. It is traditionally held on the last Thursday of the Spring semester, before the finals week. The event is hosted by the SGA and is their final bash for the year. It is a special day that is widely waited for within the community as it is a day full of joy and fun.
Fall Fest
A day featuring a wide selection of food stalls, themed activities, and prizes, including a treasure hunt, photo booth, and DIY fake blood station! This is a day when everyone comes dressed up in their halloween costumes and celebrates halloween. Fall Fest is organized by the SGA and sometimes in collaboration with other SGAs in Education City.
Sneaking out through the Red Square door
When the main entrance closes at night, the students tend to use the Red Square door as an exit door. Though the door in itself is not supposed to be used as an exit, the students still use it as a mean to sneak out of the building especially after the main exit closes at night. They usually call friends to open the door and it becomes sort of an adventure for the students during the night. If caught by the security, they will be asked to leave through the proper exits. But students still take the risk and ensure that the security is not around then exit.
Letter to self
This is a Georgetown tradition that takes place during the New Student Orientation Week, on the final day of the orientation. Students are asked to write a letter to themselves, to be read after graduation. These letters are given back to the students during their final year Tropaia, in an event filled with emotion. This allows for students to self reflect and compare their goals and mentality to when they wrote it four years ago as a first year.
ESCAPE
ESCAPE is a 24- hour escape from university life. Students go out camping and stay overnight. This is a Georgetown tradition that takes place mainly during a students' first year. Students meet and get to know their peers thorugh this experience. It is truly a rite of passage for Georgetown students. Reflection is a central part of the trip. Small groups, led by student mentors, foster a sense of meaning and belonging throughout the retreat as well as the rest of your Georgetown career.
Christmas Tree
Towards the last week of November, as everyone prepapres themselves for the finals and the holidays, GUQ embraces the holiday spirit by installing the Christmas tree in the atrium. This is the biggest Christmas tree in Education City. Our hoyas enjoy taking pictures of the process and cherish the day of the tree installation.
SGA insta post showing the words 'Howdy Habibi'.
Howdy Habibi
Every college or university has a rival. For us, it is Texas A&M University. It all started in 2019 when the SGA President of TAMU-Q visited GU-Q. The orange juice vending machine was not working for some reason. He took a picture of it and posted it on Twitter asking the GUQ-SGA to go and fix their vending machine. This was humiliating for GU-Q and its students. The then SGA President, Abdullah Al-Malki retaliated with the hashtag #howdyhabibi. This was because, TAMU-Q students and faculty greet each other by saying 'Howdy'. The hashtag quickly became a trend and all GUQ students used it. It is interesting how rivalries can emerge from small aspects!
Thoub Thursdays
This is a relatively new tradition that began in 2021. It all started when a couple of students, Mohammad Jaski, Alexander Sandner, and Mohammed Hannoun, from the Class of 2025 decided to get a thoub tailored for themselves. Gradually many of the newly admitted students and others picked up on the tradition and started wearing a thoub. This led to their batch mates dedicating a day to wear a thoub. It was finally recognized and officialized by the SGA in 2023 as a tradition indigenous to GU-Q.
Women wear Abayas on Thursdays to celebrate the tradition.