page_title: Revelle College
section_title: Traditions
hierarchical_section_title: Revelle College / Traditions
caption_attribution_description: Watermelon_Drop,_UCSD
context_page_description: Revelle College is the oldest residential college at the University of California San Diego in La Jolla, California. Founded in 1964, it is named after oceanographer and UC San Diego founder Roger Revelle. UC San Diego—along with Revelle College—was founded at the height of the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. As a result, the initial class of 181 undergraduates comprised only 30 non-science majors. Revelle College focuses on developing "a well-rounded student who is intellectually skilled and prepared for competition in a complex world."
  Revelle's general education requirements are rigorously structured in the tradition of a classical liberal arts college. Revelle's stated goal of creating "Renaissance scholars" is reflected in these requirements, which ensure that a graduate has experience in humanities, calculus, physical science, biology, social science, a fine art, and a foreign language.
context_section_description: The most well-known Revelle College tradition, the annual Watermelon Drop, takes place every June prior to finals week. The tradition began in 1965, when a physics professor asked his students to calculate the terminal velocity of a watermelon dropped from the seventh floor of Urey Hall. Prior to the event, Revelle College hosts a pageant to name a Watermelon Queen, who drops the watermelon from the same building each year. The Watermelon Queen need not be female. Rarely, a Watermelon Queen and Watermelon King have both been elected. 
  Other traditions at Revelle include painting the Revelle Anchor, a centrally-located anchor that serves as a bulletin board and artistic outlet. UCSD students can spray-paint the anchor every night. Revelle College students also celebrate Roger Revelle's birthday at the end of winter quarter with a barbecue lunch. In the spring, Revelle College Council organizes the Revellution concert, which features local stars and rising independent artists.
caption: The June 2007 Watermelon Drop
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