Chris Banyas
Life Editor
Traditions are often a large part of what defines a college experience for students. They enable connections to the past eras of the university as well as opportunities for involvement for those currently enrolled.
Descend on the Dome is one of these traditions and while its original incarnation was untitled, the event itself is much the same as it was nearly twenty years ago.
“It wasn’t called that back then, it wasn’t called anything,” said Craig Joseph, assistant director of admission, communications and marketing at ISU.
Joseph played running back for the Bengal football team from 1994 to 1998.
During that time he participated in the event which began on the day of a game with the team meeting in front of Reed Gym, at the Bengal statue which has since been removed.
“The team captains would say a few words; the coaches would talk about significant things that need to happen for the day, where we’ve been, where we’re going,” said Joseph. “We’d sing the fight song and then we’d take the trek up Memorial, up to Holt Arena.”
The Sunday following the game, the team would meet again in front of the Bengal.
“The platform was exposed, it didn’t have all the rocks and plants around it and we would put the victory on the platform. So it would show, for like the ’95 season, it would show all of the victories for that season,” said Joseph.
The football coach at that time, Brian McNeeley, came up with the idea for the event, which included and was targeted solely at those participating in the football program.
Eventually the coaching staff was changed up and the tradition disappeared along with McNeeley.
“With traditions, it has to be something that’s sustainable, it has to be something that can be carried forward” said Joseph.
Cut to 2014 and the newly elected student body president, Kyle Son. Son and others were looking for a way to build off of the momentum that the football team had generated with several wins.
“A frustrating thing, for me at least, was seeing the low turnout at football games and I guess when I say low I mean it’s not full,” said Son. “Any other stadium you go to, they’re football stadium is full.”
Eventually word of the old tradition made its way to Son.
“The idea came to me from Aaron Kirkham, who works with athletics a lot. He had told me how Craig Joseph had talked to him and said ‘they’re used to be this tradition here on campus,’” said Son.
After weeks of planning, the event was ready. It would be called Descend on the Dome and aimed to involve students along with athletes.
“I think the team’s success has a lot to do with the support it gets from its fans and its school,” said Son.
The balance between embracing old traditions while making room for new ones is something that Son considered in the lead up to Descend on the Dome.
“I think this is something we have somewhat struggled with on campus. At what point do we all find happiness or satisfaction in keeping on the old traditions but being able to incorporate some of what we as the current students want as well,” said Son. “It’s important that we get involved and we contribute in whatever way possible, whether it just be suggestion or actually making things happen to start our own traditions where we can, but keep on the old traditions and maybe add to them.”
Along with the new name came something else: a cannon.
“That was probably the best idea,” said Joseph. “That’s neat. It adds something to the symbolic meaning.”
The cannon came out of a discussion between Kirkham and Son in regards to ways that the old tradition might be spiced up.
“I knew Terrel Tovey and I knew he had this cannon that he had talked about lighting off in the Holt at games on touchdowns like other schools do,” said Son.
While the actual firing of the cannon inside the Holt Arena hasn’t quite come to pass yet, it has been employed to signal the beginning of the march to the dome.
Descend on the Dome takes place prior to every home football game and will occur next on November 8, beginning at 1 p.m. at Cadet Field.
Son is open to input both in regards to the newly rejuvenated event as well as to the possibility of bringing back other old traditions, or adding new ones.
“The best way, I would say, is to email me,” said Son. “My email is one of the easiest to remember, it’s just my name backwards.”
