All freshman at the Colorado School of Mines bring a litle something extra with them to college when they leave home to come to Golden. They bring a 10 lb. rock with them. Abe chose a piece of limestone, which probably came from a site less than 5 miles from our house. We live near a limestone Devonian Fossil gorge, and the local material was used inside and out in our home. It is very appealing, and there are frequent fossils that can be seen in it. Since the school is a state one, and most students are from Colorado, it seemed only fitting that Abe pick something that is homegrown Iowa, like himself.
The students rise early, to beat the Colorado sun, and are cheered on by faculty as they hike up Mt. Zion with their rocks. Each rock is placed in the 'M' that adorns the mountain face overlooking the school, and then the whole thing is given a fresh coating of whitewash, then they descend and have some BBQ to celebrate.
Well, it is clearly messy work. It is also yet another tradition that keeps a school's identity, and bonds it's students to it. I am not a huge fan of the 'letter on the hillside' grafetti, but this one seems more of a way to delineate an allegance to one's school and perhaps to oneself as one moves towards independence. It is a shared group experience and since it has limited environmental impact, it seems largely harmless.
It turns out that this 'M' is one of the oldest mountain monograms in the United States. Perched on the hillside above the campus, every evening the stone monument of the school's M logo, built by students over decades, is illuminated and can be seen from miles away. During holidays and special occasions, such as finals week, word has it the structure is illuminated different colors and patterns to reflect the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment