The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: News

Media Credit: SARA GUEVARA Junior international affairs major Bina Patel grabs a permanent marker in order to sign the beam. It will be used to construct Tate II, said Tate II Advisory Board member William Draper. The beam, which weighs between 800 and 1,200 pounds, will be put in its place around late May, according to Assistant Director of Campus Life Bobby Woodard. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: SARA GUEVARA More than 1,000 students came out to Tate Lawn Tuesday in order sign the beam. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: SARA GUEVARA University President Michael F. Adams takes a turn signing the beam. [Click to enlarge]

Students left their mark on the University Tuesday by signing a 22-foot steel support beam that will be a part of Tate II.

Stephen Dorner, a sophomore from Alpharetta and chair of the Tate II Advisory Board, said the beam will be placed in the building and covered with drywall.

"The beams are the support of the building," he said. "Students are contributing, both financially and with their signatures, to the support of the beam and the building."

Members of the Tate II Advisory Board volunteered at the event, which was held in Tate Plaza, and handed out permanent markers for students' use.

Tommy McGahee, a junior from Athens and member of the board, said he saw more than 200 students sign during his shift.

"We've had a great turnout," he said.

McGahee also said he saw more than 12 people take pictures of the beam with camera phones.

"People are really excited. It's amazing how many people want to come out and sign their name," he said.

For some, signing the beam was a way to commemorate Earth Day, which was also on Tuesday.

"I'm excited because it's a visual expression of our excitement for going green," Emily Rieder, junior from Peachtree City, said.

Other students said signing was a way to leave a mark at the University.

"It's cool to leave a legacy at the school that you enjoy," Sumita Dalmia, a sophomore from Alpharetta, said.

"I'm signing because I feel it will be a great feat to have my signature immortalized within the folds of Tate II," Mara Price, a freshman from Martinez, said.

Some students were eager to make their names a permanent part of the University's architecture, and others expressed excitement comparable to winning a tournament.

"Nothing makes me more excited than winning a sports championship," Jimmy Hammond, a senior from Tyrone, said. "Except signing the one and only Tate II beam."

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