4th Year Traditions

The fourth and final year of TiP is the last part of the emotional roller-coaster that is TiP. Fourth year is magic, epic, and the best of all years, but also the saddest, because it is the last.

Fourth years are known to:

• start obnoxious conga lines during dances.
• grind promiscuously, also during dances.
• complain loudly and often that TiP used to be so much cooler!
• dress promiscuously.
• win at quadfest.
• stay up late.
• break rules.
• cry on the Last Night.
• have inordinate TiP spirit.
• At West, go down the Red carpet.
• Go to an all-night pancake restaurant the final night
• Go to Denny's on the last night ( Texas A&M)

Fourth Year Privileges

• Wear special orange shoelaces.
• Have extended boundaries during free time (if travelling in groups of 3)
  • May go to Ninth Street, the Union, or King Street during free time, if at East.
  • May go to the Bryan Center at West, if in groups of three (as of current rules).
  • May go to the Tate Student Center/Library/Bookstore at UGA
• Start Doggy doggy doggy.
• Form a Fourth-Year Circle in the center of the circle formed by all TIPsters when "American Pie" is played at dances.
• At West, sit on the Fourth Year bench before class.
• Write a 4th Year Will.
• Do 4th Year skits at the Talent Show.
• Give a Fourth Year speech at the end of the Talent Show.
• Stay up late on the last night
• Climb the Chapel the last Friday Morning
• Can go to the bookstore and Rudder Tower if at A&M
• Are taught to play VC/Vietnamese Cards, a game normally restricted to 4th years, with the occasional 3rd year.
• It was rumored at Duke West 2011 Term II that murder was a Fourth Year privilege, but this was never tested.

Fourth Year Wills

Notes in the term books written by fourth year TIPsters. Traditionally, 4th Year Wills are made up of inside jokes between TIP students. The note usually begins, "I, [insert name here], being of [adjective] mind and [adjective] body, bequeath the following to..." in an attempt to parody real-life wills.

An intense debate rages concerning the recipients of fourth year wills. Some fourth years leave things to other fourth years. Others prefer to only include third years in their wills, while directing their last sentence to all fourth years. Majority approval belongs to the former, while the creator of this page thinks that the latter is better.

Characteristics of a Fourth Year Will

• Begins with the beginning written above
• Compiles inside jokes
• If necessary, leaves rights to a tradition
• Less than 250 words (changed to 150 at East 2010, Term II, and 100 at West 2011, Term II)
• Censorship commonly occurs in the form of removing or overwriting offensive words or terms. when overwriting, other words are used, such as CHESTERKILGO.
• It should be noted that despite censorship, most Fourth Year wills contain cleverly hidden references to inTIPpropriate things.
• Are generally not left out of the termbook with the exception of Leanne Castro's (UGA '09, Term 2), John Garbuzinski's (West '10, Term 2), Morgan Snow's (East '10, Term 2), and Russell Gray IV's (East '11, Term 1)

Fourth Year Skits

Fourth year skits differ from campus to campus. Foruth Year Skits take at the end of the talent show, before Fourth Year speeches.

• The Crest Challenge was at one point done every year at the talent show, but made its final appearance with the last true 4-4-4's. They still do it at West and A&M.

      -Tamu Term II 2010 RC Chris introduced the Crest Challenge to Texas TIPsters. These brave 4th year boys attempted and suceeded in the challenge, shocking the entire camp.

At West

• Is It Time Yet?
• Doctor's Office
• Ten People in a Line
• Doctor Doctor

Fourth Year Speeches

At the very end of the Talent Show, Fourth Years have 30 seconds to a minute to give a speech about what TIP means to them. This is usually a very emotional time, and crying onstage is not uncommon.