Rolling the Oaks on Toomer’s Corner with toilet paper is a sacred tradition for Auburn fans.
It is one of the greatest and wide-ranging Auburn traditions.
The act is rooted in rolling the Oaks after winning a football game.
It is a tradition that encompasses every Auburn fan, or at least those who have a decent throwing arm.
This act, however, is sanctified by many.
Those who hold tree rolling in the highest regard claim it may only be done after something the whole school can get behind, usually a win in some sort of athletic competition, more often than not a football game.
So when this Auburn tradition is used after events that may isolate a group of Auburn fans, the sanctity of rolling the Oaks is called into question.
Who may roll the Oaks?
When?
For what purpose?
What does rolling the Oaks even mean?
Most recently the Oaks were rolled after Clemson won the College Football National Championship.
Why, pray tell, would any Auburn fans roll the Oaks for another team?
Did a band of vandal Clemson fans besmirch Auburn’s sacrosanct tradition of throwing toilet paper into the leaves of oak tress?
As any good detective would do, before coming to any conclusions, all of the facts need to be considered.
Clemson was playing the University of Alabama, Auburn’s greatest rival.
Another National Championship would only allow Bama fans to gloat for another year about the successes of their football team.
Therefore, no Auburn fan would want Alabama to win the National Championship.
So the rolling of the Oaks was not because of Clemson’s win, but actually because Alabama lost.
Was this act of rolling the trees really justified? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
But there’s no reason to get mad about someone rolling the Oaks, for any reason.
So long as that person is celebrating a success and they are an Auburn fan, then let them celebrate amongst their friends, amongst their Auburn family.
The trees were even rolled after the presidential election of 2016.
Not every Auburn fan wanted Donald Trump to win.
But that doesn’t mean that we can’t support our fellow family members.
Family means supporting and including everyone, despite their differences.
If any Auburn fan can’t roll the tree, then why roll it all?
The act in and of itself is a symbol.
A symbol of the Auburn family, that we can succeed and share together in an act that represents that success.
Before condemning your fellow Auburn family members for rolling the trees, ask yourself, why does the Auburn family roll the trees?
Brytni Emison is a junior in political science.
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