On Thursday, a herd of steers ran across Delta Quad to promote CMU’s first rodeo in school history. Bystanders were shocked (and afraid) to see the colossal creatures in the middle of a college campus.

But at CMU, one must expect the unexpected.

Campus steer herding is only one example of the quirky, unusual events that happen on campus all the time. In the past school year, the university has been host to flash mobs, bi-weekly standup comedians, waffle extravaganzas, costume contests, rap battles, and video game tournaments. It seems that there’s an event for anyone on campus, any day of the week.

However, it hasn’t always been this way.

Students who have attended this school since its Mesa State College days have seen a drastic transformation of its culture. In 2010, MSC lacked a go-to location for students. The University Center was a half-baked construction zone, and social gatherings were centered around sporting events. Once the campus finished building the shiny, new UC, campus had a cultural hub. Soon enough, a formerly drab commuter school showed signs of life.

In the past two years, the scale of events on campus has grown immensely. Last year, the homecoming foam party hosted approximately 1,500 students. This year’ the same event had almost 3,000 students. Last fall’s 3OH!3 concert had 3,500 students, and April 20’s Macklemore concert has pre-sold over 5,000 tickets to students and the community. Macklemore will undoubtedly be the most populated event in school history.

But what makes CMU campus events special is their unique nature, not their student turnout.

While many student leaders and administration work tirelessly to make campus events comparable to those of neighboring D1 schools, CMU should be comfortable in its own skin. D1 schools might have Jay-Z concerts and football games with 60,000-plus fans, but they probably don’t have steer-herding or waffle extravaganzas.

CMU has its own brand of college culture that students should be proud of. And with MavFest events strung across campus all week, students have a great opportunity to experience that culture first-hand. Take advantage of the MavFest madness – there’s only one place on earth to be a CMU Maverick.