On Wednesday February 18th at 5:00, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey students gathered in the campus center eagerly awaiting the announcement of university status and the reveal of the new logo. It was so crowded that there was hardly room to move around. Cupcakes, cookies, tea and coffee were available for consumption. There was a camera crew shooting clips of the students and the College Board. The students gathered on the main floor of the campus center. A level above was the president and others looking down at the students.
The ceremony started off with some speeches. The speeches were short, probably because the speakers knew why all of the students were actually there: to see the logo. There was a rolled-up banner hanging along the railing that the speeches were given in front of. After the speeches, the banner was untied and the crowd went crazy.
Confetti was shooting out in every direction, people were cheering, and cell phone cameras shot up as the banner rolled down. It was an iconic moment filled with school spirit and pride. Free hats were distributed, and pictures were posed for. Conversations about the new logo and university status were happening in every section of the room. Osprey pride was at an all time high.
After the initial excitement, students filtered out. The event was short-lived, but the stories about it definitely weren’t. Becoming a university bonded the students because we would be the only group of people to have walked into the campus center as Richard Stockton College of New Jersey students and left as Stockton University students.