Dear President Roth,
I graduated from a university, University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC), that was known as the “hippie” university and whose mascot is the banana slug. We are proud of all that, and they have brought much publicity to the campus, probably more so than its academic excellence and many exceptional graduates. Has it hurt UCSC in any way? Not at all.
Similarly, I believe that Zonker Harris Day, contrary to the opinion apparently held by you and some other administrators and board members, brings Wesleyan far more and more positive publicity than the solid, middle-of-the-road reputation that your university has among those who are aware of it. As with UCSC, I am aware that Wesleyan is a quality institution, but most people in this country know nothing of either university.
Revel in the fun of Zonker Harris Day and the off-the-wall character that it adds to the campus’s image. Appreciate that it makes many people aware of your institution, as with UCSC, who knew nothing of it before. Maybe it will help attract new students, new donors who would be interested that Wesleyan is not a button-down, stuffy university with no sense of humor.
Cheers,
John Hogle
Hogle is a freelance academic librarian and an instructor for online research.
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