{"id":217205,"date":"2022-01-26T16:18:33","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T21:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=217205"},"modified":"2022-01-26T22:45:36","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T03:45:36","slug":"school-spirit-rocks-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2022\/01\/26\/school-spirit-rocks-on\/","title":{"rendered":"School Spirit Rocks On"},"content":{"rendered":"

For decades, campus organizations, including Greek Life, athletics, cultural and community service groups, have left their mark by painting the boulders that dot the Montclair State University campus.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tradition kept alive with each incoming class, which repaints or refreshes the rocks of about 100 different student organizations, and by members of new clubs who see painting a rock as an inauguration ritual. Through the years, the rocks have become a meeting place on campus for students and alumni and, at times, a sacred space for vigils.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people would think it\u2019s just a rock, but it\u2019s very important to these student organizations,\u201d says Associate Director of Student Involvement Julie Fleming. \u201cI think in a lot of ways it cements their place on this campus and establishes them as part of our campus community.\u201d<\/p>\n

But as Montclair continues to grow, \u201cthe rocks move and they change and some get turned upside down,\u201d says Fleming. She found herself inundated with queries over the location of particular rocks, remnants strewn across the landscape of a sprawling campus built on top of a quarry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know, maybe I\u2019m the only one, but I spent a lot of time during this pandemic thinking there’s got to be a better way for a lot of things. The rocks were one of those things,\u201d Fleming says. <\/p>\n

Collaborating on a geological survey with Anthony Mennuti, Facilities information manager, Fleming set out to catalog 283 rocks that have been painted by campus groups and the ones still available to claim. Mennuti built the digital tool called \u201cRock Map<\/a>,\u201d which allows users to search for rocks by organization, to find \u201cavailable rocks\u201d to paint, and provides descriptions and photos of specific rocks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI totally geeked out over this,\u201d Fleming says. \u201cI was excited and then I discovered other people care, too. For some organizations that\u2019s their spot on campus. That\u2019s home base.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now with a click on the digital map, students can continue to rock on.<\/p>\n

Learn more at the Center for Student Involvement<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Photo Gallery: Rock of Ages<\/h2>\n
Each year, students make their own mark on their group\u2019s painted rock and freshen up others. Shown, a photo from a past Day of Service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Student
Painting the boulders is a tradition for Montclair\u2019s athletics, Greek Life, clubs and organizations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Two
Over the decades, the painted rocks serve as a meeting place for friends\u2026and music.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Students
Students and alumni can now locate and find descriptions of specific rocks on an interactive digital map created by the Center for Student Involvement and University Facilities.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Lehren<\/a>. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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