The Michigan Daily’s Campus Life Beat organized an interactive map of places to visit throughout campus and Ann Arbor, along with important traditions to participate in before graduating. Find the rest of the project here.
On the corner of Washtenaw Avenue and Hill Streets sits the Michigan Rock. Covered in years of various types of paints, “The Rock” is a remnant of one of Michigan’s glacial periods, having originally been deposited by glaciers on the Pontiac Trail.
The Rock was moved to Ann Arbor in 1932 to become a memorial honoring George Washington’s 200th birthday. Though it was originally painted gray, the Rock has since been continuously painted over by students and community members looking to make their (temporary) mark.
The tradition of painting the Rock began in 1953 when a resident of Ann Arbor graffitied a Michigan State University logo on the Rock right before the week of a rivalry football game. To show their solidarity with the University of Michigan, some U-M students decided to paint over the logo, leading to the tradition of covering the Rock with different paintings significant to the Ann Arbor community.
LSA freshman Nikita Khanna told The Daily she believes the tradition has had a long-lasting impact on the University and U-M students.
“It gets painted for various different reasons,” Khanna said. “I think it’s important since it keeps getting added on to and nothing gets taken away. It shows what is important to students at the University. It’s like a history or a book. Also, since it is such a highly-trafficked area, many people are able to see what is important to our school at the time. It is a very public display of what people want to say.”
Though the city of Ann Arbor initially wanted to keep the Rock clean and stop people from painting it, their efforts were not successful. As the tradition of painting the Rock continues on, the Rock is always being painted with something new. Many students come together to partake in painting the Rock, including Fraternity & Sorority Life, social justice advocates, campus clubs, artists and athletes.
LSA freshman Isha Saini spoke with The Daily about the various paintings she has seen on the Rock since coming to the University.
“I remember there was something painted for the MSU shooting, and I know sororities and (fraternities) also painted it,” Saini said. “I know (students) also painted it during Welcome Week. I think it’s important that all of the paintings prior are still there. It’s like you are adding on to the history of (the University of) Michigan. That’s why it’s still important; it’s a fun way to make your mark on the school.”
The tradition has made a lasting impression on many in the Ann Arbor and U-M communities. After seeing it painted, LSA freshman Isabella Brown told The Daily she realized how the Rock brings the campus community together.
“It is a long-lasting tradition and it’s nice that our campus has some kind of a symbol,” Brown said. “It is something that the students can add to and create themselves. They can leave pieces of themselves behind. It creates a legacy.”
Daily Staff Reporter Maddyn Shapiro and Alexis Spector can be reached at maddyns@umich.edu and alexissp@umich.edu.