The University of Connecticut has been repairing its campus seal, located at the center of the Storrs campus, for the last two years with no finalized date to replace it.
In the summer of 2021, UConn facilities removed the seal located on Fairfield Way, UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said.
“It was removed because the seal and the area around it had deteriorated over time from snow and ice, creating cracks that posed a tripping hazard,” Reitz said.
On Aug. 20, 2021, UConn made an Instagram post further explaining the need to remove the seal.
“The UConn seal in front of the UConn Library has been temporarily removed for repair. The seal and the area around it have deteriorated over time from snow and ice. It will be kept safe in storage this winter until next steps can be determined in the spring,” the post said.
However, no steps have been taken that have led to the replacement of the seal, which has been temporarily replaced with plain bricks since its removal.
Seventh-semester mechanical engineering student Joe Meredith shed light on the importance that the seal had when first coming to UConn.
“Everyone talked about it on campus and the meaning behind it,” Meredith said. “I hope that they are able to finish it by the time I graduate, it would be nice to have it done by then.”
UConn kept the pieces of the seal in storage while facilities determined if the original pieces could be repaired and placed back on their spot on Fairfield Way, Reitz said. However, it was ultimately concluded that the seal was too deteriorated to refurbish.
The date when the seal will be replaced is still unknown. Reitz explained that while it’s on UConn facilities’ list of things to do, there is not enough funding for the project.
“We do not have a firm timeline on when its replacement may occur,” Reitz said.
When the seal was intact, students did not walk across it as a UConn superstition held that stepping on it would lead one to not graduate on time. Now that plain bricks lay in place of the seal, it is up to student discretion whether to walk across it or still choose not to.
Meredith expressed how university traditions, like not walking across the seal, bring the UConn community together and act as a point of connection for students.
“It’s a tradition that only UConn students know about so it allows students to be brought together to be able to carry on this tradition during their time here at UConn,” Meredith said.
