Pepperdine students perform at Songfest in 1989. Though no longer an event for current students, the tradition lives on in alumni’s memories. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Libraries Digital Collections
Unlike its larger neighboring schools, Pepperdine does not have many school traditions centered around sports. Instead, Pepperdine traditions have promoted community through events such as Songfest, Frosh Follies and Step Forward Day.
“It’s something that connects people regardless of what year they are at Pepperdine,” said Sharon Beard, interim vice president of Student Affairs.
Pepperdine traditions, past and present, shape students’ experiences as a Wave.
Songfest Tradition Lives on in Alumni’s Memories
Although many traditions are still an active part of students’ experiences, other traditions like Songfest have ended.
Songfest was a spring semester tradition where groups of students participated in a competition for the best 12-minute mini-musical that incorporated the year’s theme into the story, said Chris Stivers, the former music director of Songfest. Stivers is also a Pepperdine alumnus and former Communication professor.
Stivers said the nearly 50-year-old tradition revealed a new side of students.
“The groups put this on on a shoestring budget,” Stivers said. “So they’re very creative about costumes and makeup and scenery and all that sort of thing.”
In working together on Songfest, many students met new friends and created a sense of community within their performance groups, Stivers said.
“For just the average participant, [they might think], ‘This is a chance for me to work on something meaningful with a bunch of students who I may have never met before,’” Stivers said.
Songfest evolved from a tradition known as Spring Sing, which Pepperdine hosted during its time in West Los Angeles, and it became known as Songfest when Pepperdine moved to Malibu in 1972.
“It started off very simply, of course,” Stivers said. “But then [it] rapidly grew into something with, you know, there have been years when we had up to 500 students performing in Songfest.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled Songfest in 2020, University officials laid off the director in 2021. A single student group produced its own performance in 2022, after which Songfest faded from student memories, according to past Graphic reporting. While Stivers said he does not anticipate Songfest’s return, he believes the event will live on in alumni’s memories.
“The mountain-top experience where you’re just so excited about being alive at that moment, that is the thing that you’re gonna remember,” Stivers said.
Frosh Follies Helps First-Years Explore Pepperdine Culture
Senior Angel-Tien Nguyen has been a member of Housing and Residence Life (HRL) for three years. This has allowed her to participate in Frosh Follies for the last four years as a first-year student and then as a Resident Advisor (RA) and Spiritual Life Advisor (SLA).
Frosh Follies is a skit that first-year houses put on to tell the story behind certain aspects of Pepperdine. Participating in Frosh Follies is a bonding experience for many new students, Nguyen said.
“I love how close it gets people,” Nguyen said. “It’s the only thing that people talk about for weeks after.”
Frosh Follies has been a part of New Student Orientation (NSO) for decades. However, in the last three years, the subjects of the skits have shifted.
“It used to be more about things that students actually experienced on campus,” Nguyen said. “I think now it’s more of the history of Pepperdine.”
Students perform a Frosh Follies skit in 2019. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Libraries Digital Collections
Even with the evolution of this tradition over time, the goal of bringing students together to bond and learn about Pepperdine is still the heart of Frosh Follies, Nguyen said.
Step Forward Day Emphasizes Pepperdine’s Mission of Service
In 1988, a group of students started Step Forward Day — an annual Pepperdine tradition that takes place every fall semester.
“Step Forward Day is both kind of the grand gesture of the University, as the annual day of service,” said Christin Shatzer Román, director of Community Engagement and Service. “It also is hopefully planting a seed for folks that they can continue to be involved.”
For many participants, Step Forward Day is their first opportunity to get involved in the Malibu community and serve others.
“I really like boots-on-the-ground service,” first-year Libby Parkins said. “Being able to go and work with people, work alongside whatever community that you’re trying to help [and] not seeing from a help standpoint [but] more of a solidarity standpoint.”
Two students participate in Step Forward Day in 1990. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Libraries Digital Collections
While Step Forward Day aligns with Pepperdine’s value of service, this tradition extends beyond the Malibu campus.
“Whether it’s Houston, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Nashville — alumni chapters that are active in those locations look to do a Step Forward Day together every year as well,” Shatzer Román said.
Spending the day in service allows students to learn something new as they serve a greater cause. These experiences often help students see beyond themselves and into the greater community.
“I find it to be such an eye-opening experience for all of our volunteer participants,” Shatzer Román said. “It provides a window into understanding either a nonprofit organization better or understanding a community better.”
Step Forward Day helps students serve communities around the world, and the tradition hopes to continue expanding its impact, Shatzer Román said.
Traditions Mark Moments in Time
The spirit behind school traditions is that they should be memorable events that shape how students think of Pepperdine as an institution.
“Traditions can convey the values of the student body and also of the greater school community, and it can kind of communicate that to a broader audience,” Parkins said.
However, for many students, Pepperdine traditions feel reflective, as they look at how much they have changed from year to year as a tradition comes around again.
“[It’s a] full circle moment — some people might appreciate it as the chance to see, like, ‘OK, here’s me freshman year, and then here’s me senior year,’” Nguyen said.
As the University grows, Pepperdine is creating new traditions for the next generation of students. Pepperdine’s newest event series, Late Night Lineup, is something Student Affairs hopes to make a regular thing.
“I think it will be developed into a tradition,” Beard said. “It’s not a tradition yet, but it will be.”
Traditions, new and old, are formative parts of what it means to be a Wave and help form students’ strongest Pepperdine memories.
“It helps us recognize certain moments in time or helps us mark the academic year,” Shatzer Román said. “Whether it’s a beginning or an end, I think it allows us just to be a little bit more present.”
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Contact Rochelle Williams via email: rochelle.williams@pepperdine.edu
