By Shannon Young
Students are encouraged to take a break from their studies to hike and light the Y at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The first shuttles will leave from Jamba Juice in the Wilkinson Student Center at 6:30 p.m. In addition to hiking and lighting the Y, participants will also hear the history of the event, sing the school song, eat doughnuts and drink hot chocolate. Free mini-flashlight key chains will be given to the first 150 people there.
?There?s nothing like this at home in any major school,? said Kathryn Elliot, 20, a sophomore from Blackwood, Wales. ?They need to keep the traditions going.?
Elliot will be hiking and lighting the Y with her brother, Steven, 23, and sister, Sarah, 18, who are visiting from Wales. She said they have never been to the United States before.
?This is a completely different culture,? Elliot said. ?We all speak English, the United Kingdom and America, but we are totally different. Understanding a different culture is a good experience for them. To experience something like this is quite exciting.?
She said there is more school spirit here than in the schools in Wales, and she finds it enjoyable to be a part of the close-knit community at BYU, she said.
?It?s a good opportunity to be with other BYU students and to be a part of the tradition and make fun memories,? Elliot said.
Jenna Hill, a freshman from Maryland, said her dad hiked the Y and lit it using torches when he attended BYU. She is eager to see how they do it today.
?I?m so excited to hike the Y and be a part of BYU history,? Hill said. ?It?s really unique to think that my dad was here in 1968 doing the same thing.?
Hill?s dad, Vern Hill, said he whitewashed the Y when he was a student.
?It was fun to get dirty with lots of people,? he said.
Vern Hill advised students to wear old clothes and have fun.
?This event of hiking and lighting the Y has been a tradition to kick off Homecoming week,? said Jane Madsen, executive director in campus activities of BYUSA. ?It will instill a sense of pride in the school and keep the tradition going.?
According to a BYU press release, the purpose of this event is to unite and excite the student body on the first day of Homecoming week and pump them up for the big game later in the week.
One focus of hiking and lighting the Y is to keep the light of the Y within each student and to keep it burning, Madsen said.
Students should realize there is more than classes and school at BYU, Madsen said. There are more activities to get involved in and to make memories.
?It will be a good experience to make new friends, to learn about homecoming, to learn about BYU and the Y itself,? Madsen said.
