SPRINGTIME BEAUTIFICATION—California Lutheran University students Laura Brain, left, and Caitlin Ellrott help spruce up the campus during Yam Yad, which is May Day spelled backward. Nearly 200 students, alumni, children of alumni, and faculty and staff members of California Lutheran University participated in a day of service and relaxation on May 1 as the school brought back a tradition from its early days called Yam Yad (May Day spelled backward).

The first Yam Yad was on May 1, 1967, when the student government planned a day off from classes as a communitybuilding event.

At the “Gunsmoke” movie set, students had mock gunfights with water guns and water balloons and ate a barbecue lunch served by the cafeteria staff. As the tradition continued, it expanded to include a service project that students and staff worked on together.

The Yam Yad tradition ended by the early 1980s but was revived this year in honor of CLU’s 50th anniversary. This year, participants planted drought-tolerant native plants around campus in the morning, and in the afternoon everyone met outside Afton Hall for a pool party and lunch