Charles White, senior physical therapy major, said tugging is all about tradition and is something that got him into the Greek system.

“I’ve done this for four years and I think we have a really good team this year,” White said. “We’re pretty heavy and this is my last year doing it so obviously I’m going to give it my all.”

Tugs is an annual tug of war competition held in the spring. Starting Monday, fraternities will go head to head for the week-long event on the east side of Huskie Stadium.

Phi Kappa Psi has been preparing since December, White said, training by conditioning and holding team-building exercises.

Hantac Chang, senior rehabilitation services major, said tugging is a way to show off the strength of his fraternity, which, like all teams this year, will compete without the help of other fraternities.

“I think I owe it and the guys here owe it to themselves to strive for excellence,” said Chang, who tugs for Phi Kappa Psi. “We have a tradition to uphold and we’re on the championship rope, so I owe it to myself to uphold that tradition in the future.”

Kyle Grant, junior operations management and information systems major, said NIU Tugs is unlike the contests offered at other schools that have a version of the competition.

“Other schools do something like it, but it’s usually over an even surface, over a lake — not in the trenches,” Grant said.

Grant coaches for Tau Kappa Epsilon, which is looking to come back after sitting out last year’s Tugs. While training new members has been “difficult,” Grant said there are plenty of experienced tuggers to keep the fraternity hopeful this year.