January 26, 2022

School Spirit Rocks On

A new digital map of boulders on campus paints the story of a favorite tradition

Julie Fleming and Anthony Mennuti — Julie Fleming, associate director of Student Involvement, and Anthony Mennuti, Facilities information manager, collaborated on creating a digital map that details every painted rock on campus.

For decades, campus organizations, including Greek Life, athletics, cultural and community service groups, have left their mark by painting the boulders that dot the Montclair State University campus.

It’s a tradition kept alive with each incoming class, which repaints or refreshes the rocks of about 100 different student organizations, and by members of new clubs who see painting a rock as an inauguration ritual. Through the years, the rocks have become a meeting place on campus for students and alumni and, at times, a sacred space for vigils.

“Most people would think it’s just a rock, but it’s very important to these student organizations,” says Associate Director of Student Involvement Julie Fleming. “I think in a lot of ways it cements their place on this campus and establishes them as part of our campus community.”

But as Montclair continues to grow, “the rocks move and they change and some get turned upside down,” says Fleming. She found herself inundated with queries over the location of particular rocks, remnants strewn across the landscape of a sprawling campus built on top of a quarry.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m the only one, but I spent a lot of time during this pandemic thinking there’s got to be a better way for a lot of things. The rocks were one of those things,” Fleming says.

Collaborating on a geological survey with Anthony Mennuti, Facilities information manager, Fleming set out to catalog 283 rocks that have been painted by campus groups and the ones still available to claim. Mennuti built the digital tool called “Rock Map,” which allows users to search for rocks by organization, to find “available rocks” to paint, and provides descriptions and photos of specific rocks.

“I totally geeked out over this,” Fleming says. “I was excited and then I discovered other people care, too. For some organizations that’s their spot on campus. That’s home base.”

Now with a click on the digital map, students can continue to rock on.

Learn more at the Center for Student Involvement.

Photo Gallery: Rock of Ages

Each year, students make their own mark on their group’s painted rock and freshen up others. Shown, a photo from a past Day of Service.

Student touching up the MSU Athletics rock — Painting the boulders is a tradition for Montclair’s athletics, Greek Life, clubs and organizations.

Two students sitting on a painted boulder, one playing guitar — Over the decades, the painted rocks serve as a meeting place for friends…and music.

Students gathered around painted boulder — Students and alumni can now locate and find descriptions of specific rocks on an interactive digital map created by the Center for Student Involvement and University Facilities.

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Lehren. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters.