One of the older historical moments on Capital’s campus is the university seal. It is located right outside Blackmore Library and showcases our university logo. As is the case with many universities, there is a superstition around it. What exactly that superstition entails is open to debate.
On my college tour, I was told by the student ambassador that stepping on the seal means failing your next exam, and the only way to stop this from happening is by getting down and kissing the seal. One of the people on my tour stepped on it before this was explained and the guide told us that the rule did not apply until after you became a Capital student.
During my freshman year, I was walking out of a class in Blackmore and my friend stepped on the seal. He immediately got on his knees and kissed it because he told me that he didn’t want to take any risks. The same friend also went and rubbed the bread in the monk’s hand, and not long after, he found the expensive sunglasses he had lost.
I asked many students and faculty about the superstition involving the seal and received a variety of responses about what happens when you step on it and how to save yourself.
One student suggested that you had to run over to the monk statue outside of Batalle and rub the head after stepping on the seal. Some people told me that you had to make it there in under 10 seconds, but others told me that there was no time limit as long as you hurried. The distance between the seal and the statue is considerably far, which would make it extremely difficult to make it there in 10 seconds.
Another person mentioned that there were additional consequences after stepping on the seal. The first was failing your exam. The second time you stepped on the seal would cause you to fail the semester, and the third time you stepped on the seal would curse you to drop out.
Who’s to say whether or not any of these superstitions are true? The thing in common with all of them is that it is generally a bad idea to walk on the seal.
I, personally, am not brave enough to see if any of these superstitions are valid, as my grades would be on the line.
Come winter, it’s clear that students have a healthy respect for the superstition, especially given the lack of footprints in the snow on the seal. At the end of the day, the fear of the repercussions for walking over the seal is ingrained in Capital’s traditions.
