University of Rochester - Student Life

Student Life

UR's official symbol is the seal of the university, which features a book, representing arts and sciences, a lyre symbolizing music, and a modified symbol of medicine. The official flower of the university is the dandelion, purportedly prolific on the cow pasture that became the university's second campus.

The official mascot of the university is a predatory wasp found throughout Rochester, the Yellowjacket. From 1983 to 2008, the yellowjacket mascot was named "URBee." However, when the university re-designed the mascot during the 2007-2008 academic year, a new name was chosen and as of February 1, 2008, the school's mascot is now known as "Rocky".

The university uses Dandelion Yellow and Rochester Blue as its official colors, which are the prominent colors on the official regalia.

The motto of UR is Meliora, which loosely translates to "better" with the connotation of "ever better," the meaning adopted by the university.

The image of Rush Rhees Library's main dome serves as an additional icon for the University of Rochester.

UR also has official logos for the university as a whole as well as individual units, including the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, the University of Rochester Medical Center, and the Eastman School of Music. President Seligman, as part of his efforts to improve UR's external appearance, commissioned Bill Murphy, the Vice President of Communications, to start an initiative to develop a new graphic identity, including a new logo, in hopes of improving uniformity and overall usage of official standards. During March 2007, the communications office was soliciting opinions and comments on finalist designs for the new logo, which was unveiled later that fall.

The song most often sung at college events, led often by the school's many a cappella groups, is The Genesee. Although less frequently used, the university also has an official Alma Mater, The Dandelion Yellow.