Only at DU—Pioneer Traditions
Whether they graduated in 1910 or 2006, DU students are united by a family of traditions that celebrate academic life, and stories that keep our history alive.
The Chancellor's Red Vest
On February 17, 1900, Chancellor Henry Buchtel hosted a senior breakfast in his home. In the interest of festivity and to invest the occasion with dignity, he wore a handsome red vest. In later years, DU quarterbacks were promised a similar red vest if they led the team to victory.
The tradition lapsed for many years, until Chancellor Chester Alter, who served from 1953 until 1966, resurrected it for gala occasions. Since then, many University chancellors have sported red vests of their own, wearing them as symbols of leadership, hope and promise.
The DU Rose
The one-of-a-kind DU Rose blooms around the time of Summer Commencement.
The DU Rose, a special variety known as "Rosa Denvera," came to campus in 1912 when a friend gave Chancellor Buchtel a rose bush as a gift. When it bloomed, University botanist Ira Cutler discovered the blossoms were unlike any others. After national plant experts declared the rose unique, Cutler developed a new and distinctive variety still used for a variety of functions on campus. It begins blooming around Summer Commencement ceremonies.
Founders Day
Once a year, members of the DU community gather to commemorate the University's founding. The ceremony recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions from across the DU landscape at a special dinner in downtown Denver.
The Victory Bell
In the highest spire of University Hall, a bell once tolled to signal class changes and herald sporting victories. Ringing the Victory Bell is a DU custom that dates back decades. Now the bell hangs in the Buchtel Tower and rings during Commencement.
Crimson and Gold
DU's colors are crimson and gold, a choice made by a special committee convened in 1947. They're only very slightly different from DU's original colors, scarlet and maize.
Boone
One of DU's original mascots was designed by the man who revolutionized entertainment with an animated mouse. In his early career, Walt Disney designed a cartoonish mascot resembling Daniel Boone for DU. The design was one of just two college mascots Disney created before giving the world Epcot Center, Space Mountain, Fantasia and "When You Wish Upon a Star." Boone was officially retired in 1999.
The Hanging of the Greens
This Women's College tradition dates back to 1930, when the school was known as the Colorado Women's College. Based upon the medieval practice in which the lord of the manor gathered all of his people to the main hall for an annual festival, the hanging of the greens calls for seniors to celebrate by festooning The Women's College with garlands of greenery.