U-Day. The day when an army of determined University students storm the lawns of campus with rakes, wheelbarrows and a will to plant flowers. Thousands went in and most ended up in stylish new t-shirts.
The onslaught began before dawn when University Day planners and members of University Central Support@@http://campusops.uoregon.edu/fs/central-support@@ showed up at East 13th Avenue and University Street to set up tents, tables, chairs, fencing and an enormous balloon arch that shut down morning traffic for a few minutes as it was strung.

Within an hour of officially opening for volunteers, more than 100 people had signed up and been sent out with tools and gloves.@@?@@
“This is the oldest ongoing tradition at the University of Oregon,” said University senior and University Day Chair Alex Hoffman.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Alexander+Hoffman@@ “It’s been going on since 1905, and I think it helps us come together as a community. We’re all working together to make campus feel like a home.”
After devoting their time to the beautification, a group of students smiled and joked as they dropped off their shovels, peeled off sticky purple gloves and brushed bark dust off their jeans.
Graduate student Ryan G. Robinson@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Ryan+Robinson@@ was one of the volunteers. He was glad he and his friends took the time to sign up.
“I think a lot of times we don’t think we can afford to spend just an hour volunteering for something like this, but then you do, and it feels great,” Robinson said.
Many other volunteers had been participating since they began college.
“I’ve been involved since freshman year,” Molly O’Connor said,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=molly+o%27connor@@ a University senior and University Day Campus Project Chair. “This is my first time helping in committee. I got involved in my first year because my friends were doing it and then as an RA with residents.”
But, not all the volunteers were students. Custodial worker Carmen Bradbury@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Carmen+Bradbury@@ has been involved since 2004.
“I clean in the residence halls, and this is a nice chance to get outside, and the shirts are great,” Bradbury said. “After today, I’ll add another one to my collection.”
Part of the University Day tradition is making a permanent installment on campus. Past projects included a “Moon Tree”@@checked@@ located on edge of the EMU lawn across from Huestis Hall.@@http://libweb.uoregon.edu/guides/architecture/oregon/huestis.html@@ It was sprouted in an experimental container on a mission to the moon in 1972.
The 2012 tradition installment will not only include bike racks shaped like fern fronds and painted lime green near the Knight Library, but also a bronze relief of the University Duck nearby made by University graduate and sculpture artist Alison Brown.@@http://www.campussculptures.com/#!about-us@@
University Day is organized by students, receiving support and assistance from Campus Operations, the Office of the Dean of Students and sponsored by numerous University organizations. The actual planning for the event takes place in a special committee set up at the beginning of every school year. University Day always takes place on a Thursday in mid-May.