Starting from the moment students receive their acceptance letters, Colgate University’s student body knows just how special the number 13 is for our school. The institution was founded upon 13 dollars, 13 prayers and 13 articles, making the number especially special. Today, Colgate has an affinity for including 13 in anything, such as our address of 13 Oak Dr., the on-campus speed limit of 13 miles per hour and our own ZIP code, 13346, with the first two digits being 13 and the last three adding up to 13. The University’s connection with 13 runs deep and thus, every Friday the 13th has been declared “Colgate Day,” and last Friday, the celebration was a little extra special.
Colgate’s C Store has been a recent development to the O’Connor Campus Center, supplying anything from toothbrushes to a tub of ice cream. In the fall, the C Store underwent a soft launch, sending surveys out to students and trying to curate the store to match the needs of the student body. After months of receiving student feedback on what they would like to see in the store or what the store could do better, the C Store was finally ready for its official grand opening. The timing couldn’t have been better with Colgate Day approaching, so Colgate staff decided to merge the two celebrations into one, helping to build student morale while bringing together students.
Tiffany Simmons, marketing manager for Colgate Dining, shared how the celebration for this month’s Colgate Day was planned.
“Colgate always does something big on Colgate Day,” Simmons said. “We wanted today to have a carnival-esque feel, with lots of things for students to take home. Brands are here to build brand loyalty and recognition across campus, including Monster, Coca-Cola, Hershey and Nutri-grain. These are all brands that we sell in the C Store, and hopefully through [the event], students can come home with lots of treats and find new favorite snacks.”
Tables lined the dining space, filled with items from Monster cans to Hershey ice cream, and it was exciting to see all the students and staff enjoying the official opening of the C Store alongside Colgate Day.
First-year Lucy Emrich talked about her experience of Colgate Day.
“It was really nice to sample different foods and be able to take home so many different types of snacks, because snacks in the dorm are definitely needed,” Emrich said. “I had a lot of fun checking out all the C Store brands and enjoying the Colgate Day celebration.”
In addition to the vendor tables set out, Colgate also had a coffee station, candy bar, baked goods table and a ‘glam bot’ video camera. Music played as students eagerly waited to grab a picture from the photographer or food from the many display options. While the food, vendors and music helped make this day special, what truly lies at the heart of Colgate Day is the Colgate community itself.
Senior Endre Cattouse, a marketing intern for Boost, the digital platform used to preorder food across campus, shared her thoughts on what Colgate Day means to her.
“Colgate Day to me is sharing the joy of being here,” Cattouse said. “With every passing ‘Happy Colgate Day’ wish from fellow students, it is a reflection of how everyone cares and is happy to be here. It truly is a day of sharing the wealth of happiness and joy.”
Colgate Day is a day that unites all Colgate students to celebrate the school and who we are as a student body. Whether on campus, an alum or abroad across the world, Colgate Day brings everyone together under one color and one number.
