'Shakin’ the Southland' with Tigerama

Damon Andrews, vice president of Blue Key, has attended every Tigerama since he became a Clemson student and has been thinking about the October 19 event since . . . last October.

You might not realize that Blue Key Honor Society is Clemson’s oldest honor fraternity, or that Clemson’s is the nation’s oldest chapter with continuous active membership.

Blue Key’s biggest claim to fame is probably Tigerama. And that’s okay with the members who produce Clemson’s giant pep rally kicking off homecoming weekend.

This year’s “Shakin’ the Southland” marks the 51st year of Tigerama.

 “Planning for the next Tigerama begins the week after the previous show as we evaluate the success,” Andrews said. “It really picks up towards the end of spring and becomes more involved as the show approaches in the fall semester.”

The student-run event relies on all active Blue Key members, of which there are about 35. Together, they produce an event that features skits from student organizations, performances by the Clemson Cheerleaders, Rally Cats, Tiger Band, TigerRoar, and of course, the crowning of Miss Homecoming.

Let’s hope Andrews and crew catch up on sleep before the big event. “October 19th will be extremely hectic as the clock ticks down to the show,” he explained.

“A great turnout of fans from the University and community who get pumped up and excited by the show will make all the long nights and hard work worth it.”

The long nights don’t bother Andrews. To him, being involved on campus means more than speaking up in class or just showing up to organization meetings.

“It is much more rewarding to be deeply involved in two or three organizations than to just be on an e-mail list or attend meetings of six or seven organizations. Treat school as an eight-to-five job – even if you aren't in class, work during the day so you can have free time to be involved during the evenings.”

And soon after Littlejohn Coliseum is cleaned up and the proceeds are counted toward the Tigerama Scholarship Endowment Fund, the planning for next year begins.

Andrews is a senior from Charlotte, N.C., studying mechanical engineering. To learn more about Blue Key and Tigerarma, go to http://people.clemson.edu/~bluekey/.

Published October 2007