Uneducated College Kid Gets School Logo Changed

One Sarah Franco of Montpelier, Vermont wasn't too thrilled with Middlebury College's Maple Leaf logo. Why was this?

As the 21-year old Ms. Franco stated, "I was really confused by the logo. I made some joke about 'Did we open a school abroad in Canada?' It didn't make any sense to me. This simple leaf had nothing to do with Middlebury whatsoever."

She also stated, "If you're a prospective student, it really doesn't tell you anything about the college. Maybe it's near Canada. Maybe it has some mountains."

So, she started a Facebook protest, gained supporters, and helped persuade the college to alter their logo to an open book with the words "Scientia et virtus" circled around it.

When she looks at the new logo, she sees "...as the Latin suggests, we believe in knowledge and virtue."

Does Miss Franco not know that Vermont's state tree is the sugar maple and that Vermont leads all U.S. states in terms of maple syrup production? While the maple leaf logo may not have said much about the school, it did say something about the state. "Knowledge and virtue," what school doesn't believe in that? What student is going to be convinced on attending a school due to their logo of an open book with "we believe in knowledge and virtue" written in Latin surrounding that book? That's like a restaurant saying, "We believe in service and food" or a Christian church saying, "We believe in God and prayer." No kidding! Should the Hooters restaurant now do away with their owl logo and be more up front and honest about what draws male's attention there? Should the logo now be one of their waitresses or just a certain portion of several waitresses with it reading in Latin, "We believe in service and food"?

Reporter: So, Mr. Jacobs, what was the selling point for you to attend Middlebury College?

Jacobs: I've been all over the country. I perused: Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, Georgia Tech, Virginia, and there was something great about each and every university. What really sold me on going to Middlebury was their motto, "We believe in knowledge and virtue."

Reporter: Don't these other schools believe in such things?

Jacobs: I suppose so, but Middlebury really hits you over the head with it. Their logo is up front, center, and makes you truly believe and know that what they say is true.

Books, books, books. Anyone up for starting a new school with a pen and a piece of paper as our logo and mascot?