The Carrier Dome and Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw’s head were both glowing with orange pride in celebration of Syracuse University’s 133rd birthday.

On Monday, the university community commemorated the founding of SU in 1870 by celebrating National Orange Day. The chimes of Crouse College rang out the Alma Mater at noon and the Dome lit up the night sky with an orange glow. Students, faculty and alumni gathered in the Schine Student Center to serve up slices of SU birthday cake.

Shaw was on hand for the cake-cutting ceremony, sporting a curly orange wig. He reflected on National Orange Day’s importance in keeping SU’s rich history alive.

“It’s always good to celebrate birthdays,” Shaw said. “Birthdays remind you of what’s happened in the past and what you should remember fondly and allow you to look forward to the future.”

Lil O’Rourke, associate vice president of the Office of Alumni Relations, said that the tradition of National Orange Day was started about a decade ago as a way of raising awareness about SU’s history, as well as an occasion for SU alumni clubs across the nation to get together to serve the community. She said that the Alumni Relations Office, which sponsors the day’s events, asks each alumni club to preform a service activity in recognition of National Orange Day.

Clubs scattered across the United States, from Arizona to Central New York, helped out by feeding the needy and raising money for youth organizations, said Scott Setek, associate director of the Office of Alumni Relations. Donald Doerr, incoming president of the Alumni Association, said that the Central New York club raised money to fight heart disease by participating in the American Heart Walk.

“It just helps to raise awareness [of SU],” Doerr said. “We have clubs all over the country doing different community-involved activities.”

Despite the day’s focus on alumni activities, SU students took part in the Orange Day festivities as well. Several Student Association members attended the cake-cutting ceremony. SA President Andrew Thomson said it is important for students to celebrate the university’s heritage and show their orange pride.

“I think its great and it’s important that students at SU celebrate National Orange Day because if we don’t, who is?” said Thomson, a junior information management and political science major.

Published on March 24, 2003 at 12:00 pm