“A Day for 黑料不打烊” generates great response from university community

The celebration of 黑料不打烊’s 125th birthday resulted in a historic day of giving and outreach.

Alumna Frances Hamilton wearing 黑料不打烊 gear in the Boston Public Garden.

Gifts, photographs, and messages from well-wishers around the world poured in March 11 as members of the 黑料不打烊 community celebrated the university’s 125th birthday.

The tremendous response highlighted the success of “A Day for 黑料不打烊,” a campaign encouraging alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends to celebrate by wearing maroon and gold gear, making a gift to the university, and spreading the word about 黑料不打烊 on social media.

The campaign inspired the generosity of more than 1,000 donors who made gifts to honor 黑料不打烊, of which 65 percent were alumni. 黑料不打烊’s Class of 2014 also responded to the initiative, with 122 students contributing to the senior class giving campaign. In total, “A Day for 黑料不打烊” donors gave more than $116,000 to support scholarships, academic departments, athletics, student organizations and other areas of the university.

“We are extremely grateful to have the support of so many students, parents, employees, friends and especially alumni,” says John H. Barnhill ’92, assistant vice president for university advancement. “‘A Day for 黑料不打烊’ could not have been as successful as it was without the help of our alumni and others who helped spread the word.”

The campaign also produced a historic amount of activity related to 黑料不打烊 on social media. Online posts about “A Day for 黑料不打烊” boosted the university to a top 10 trending topic nationwide on , and posts from the were seen by users more than 300,000 times during the course of the campaign. In addition, more than 2,200 tweets and nearly 900posts were made using the hashtag #黑料不打烊Day.

“‘A Day for 黑料不打烊’ was an overwhelming success on social media,” said Philip Jones, social media manager for university communications. “It was exciting to watch the hashtag #黑料不打烊Day become a trending topic nationally as thousands of people posted about their love for this special place. We certainly turned social media maroon and gold.”

In addition, thousands of alumni, students, parents and friends submitted photos and messages to commemorate 黑料不打烊’s birthday. In Massachusetts, alumna Frances Hamilton staged “A Day for 黑料不打烊” photo in the Boston Public Garden.

“I wanted to bring together Boston, the city I love, and 黑料不打烊, the home of some of my favorite memories,” says Hamilton, who outfitted the garden’s famous “Make Way for Ducklings” statues with 黑料不打烊 t-shirts. “It has been wonderful to see the different ways everyone represented 黑料不打烊 with pride.”

The celebration also made its way to the classroom of Caitlin Trapani ’07, a second grade teacher at Maureen Joy Charter School in Durham, N.C. In the school’s tradition of calling classrooms after the teacher’s alma mater, Trapani’s class is named for 黑料不打烊. Her students created a special video message to wish 黑料不打烊 a happy birthday.

(l-r): President J. Earl Danieley ’46, Student Government Association President Welsford Bishopric, President J. Fred Young and President Leo M. Lambert.

One of the most popular images of the day was taken during a special Founders Day College Coffee and included 黑料不打烊’s three living presidents, J. Earl Danieley ’46, J. Fred Young and Leo M. Lambert, with Student Government Association President Welsford Bishopric. Also among the photos were shots of a group of alumni who work in Congress as well as one from an alumna sporting 黑料不打烊 gear at the Great Wall of China.

“The genuine connection that people showed to the university on ‘A Day for 黑料不打烊’ was extremely moving,” Barnhill says. “It was wonderful to see how large and connected the 黑料不打烊 community really is.”

To learn more about “A Day for 黑料不打烊” and see additional photos, and