UConn moves historic Spirit Rock: ‘A blatant attempt to suppress’ speech

The University of Connecticut relocated a historic venue for free speech on the Storrs campus Thursday, sparking concerns among some students who say the surprise move was politically motivated.

The UConn Spirit Rock , which generations of students have painted and repainted as part of a decades-old tradition of free expression, was moved to a new location Thursday morning.

Since 2021, the rock has sat in a highly visible section of campus beside the Hillside Road rotary in close proximity to the Visitors Center, Jorgensen Theater, North Parking Garage and the UConn Foundation.

In a UConn Today article, the university said a crane hoisted the 11,300-pound rock and its 23,000-pound base to their new home, a tree-lined pedestrian quad in between the Recreation Center and the new South Campus residence hall.

The university said the new location “accomplishes two goals: It places the rock in an area that is both easily accessible and highly visible to students, and resolves pedestrian and vehicle safety issues caused by its previous proximity to the busy Hillside Road rotary.”

But on Thursday, several students said they were skeptical of the university’s rationale, arguing that the new location is intended to limit the public’s view of the rock, which has been the subject of administrative scrutiny since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war.

Political messaging on the rock reached an all-time high in the days following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel when its use volleyed between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel supporters, raising administrative concerns about potential conflicts at the location.

In December, the Daily Campus revealed that UConn President Radenka Maric endorsed a plan to remove the spirit rock and retire it to a university building. At the time, the university said it ultimately decided not to move forward with that plan or any other proposed changes.

The move Thursday came as a surprise to Student Body President Lorien Touponse.

Touponse said she was not included in any discussion about moving the rock to a new location.

“Since it’s an integral part of the way that students interact with their community, they should probably be involved in what’s happening with it, but I’m glad that it’s not being completely removed,” Touponse said.

Jon Heiden, the former president who served until Toupounse assumed the position in March, said he was equally surprised by the change.

As president, Heiden said the UConn administration kept the Undergraduate Student Government “properly included” in discussions about the rock when concerns about its role on campus came to a head in the Fall Semester.

“If they made this decision without speaking to any students, that would be a very big reversal,” Heiden said.

In a statement to the Courant Thursday, student leaders from UConn Divest, the coalition that led the pro-Palestinian encampment that ended in the arrest of 25 peaceful demonstrators, said they see the rock’s relocation as “racist, Islamophobic (and) anti-Palestinian.”

“This is a blatant attempt to suppress the speech that is afforded to students and move the rock away from the eyes of parents, donors, and prospective students touring the university,” UConn Divest said.

The coalition pointed to copies of an Oct. 15 email UConn Divest obtained through Freedom of Information Act Requests in which UConn Provost and Executive Vice President Anne D’Alleva requested to move the rock to a “less visible, more student-centric space.”

In the email, D’Alleva said she started to wonder about “moving the rock to a less prominent location on campus” after the rock “became a flashpoint for competing messages” about the war in Gaza and “the fossil fuel free uconn group got into the mix and painted several messages on the rock during Family Weekend.”

“The administration’s internal communications make clear that the move is intended to quiet Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian speech in particular, and speech critical of the UConn administration generally,” UConn Divest said.

The coalition alleged that on at least three occasions, UConn Facilities Operations painted over pro-Palestinian and UConn-critical sentiments students left on the rock. Students captured one incident on video in which an alleged university employee painted over the message “Hands off our students! Free Palestine,” early in the morning on May 4, ahead of UConn’s commencement ceremonies.

The original message was painted to criticize the university’s decision to arrest student protesters.

The university did not directly respond to questions regarding the alleged repainting of the spirit rock, the lack of communication with student leaders about its relocation, and claims that the new location intentionally conceals the rock from public view.

In a statement to the Courant, University Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said the rock is “easily accessible to individuals and groups, and is visible from Gilbert and Whitney roads.”

Reitz said the previous location was close to active roads and could not easily accomodate larger groups of students.

Reitz said thousands of students live in nearby residence halls “and untold numbers traverse the quad on their way to the adjacent Student Recreation Center and other locations.”

“We’d encourage people to visit the new site in the quad, where they’ll find that the rock is now in a welcoming green space with seating, trees, grassy lawns, and sidewalks leading to some of the most popular areas of campus,” Reitz said. “We’re confident that generations of UConn students will enjoy the rock in its new space, where it will be a familiar landmark whether surrounded by autumn leaves, winter snow, or the greenery of spring and summer.”

The relocated rock is the most prominent of three paintable spirit rocks on the Storrs campus. Two other rocks are located outside of the Monteith academic building and the Buckley-Shippee residence halls.

While the rock’s location has moved over the years, the tradition of rock painting dates back to the 1940s. In 2008, the main spirit rock was resurrected after it was dumped at UConn’s Depot Campus during a construction project in the late 1990s.

Over the last decade, the spirit rock has been no stranger to controversy. In 2015 , 2017 , and twice in 2020 the rock saw Black Lives Matter messages defaced. Those incidents led the university to significantly revise its rock-painting policy in 2020.

Covered in more than an inch of paint, the main spirit rock has captured student life for generations.

To the UConn community, Touponse said the rock is more than a venue for political speech. Students use the rock to write birthday wishes to friends, honor students who have passed away, recognize awareness months and advertise for clubs, events and fundraisers.

“It’s really important for the spirit rock to be on campus,” Touponse said. “Regardless of any political statements that are being made, it’s important that the spirit rock remain a part of UConn tradition.”

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