Here today, gone tomorrow. Not just a saying for reality TV celebrities and nonsense fads, this too is the tradition on Beta Bridge, the University's very own ever-changing canvas of expression.
Clubs and Greeks often wake in the wee hours, sluggishly sleep-walking to the bridge with a paint bucket in one hand and a brush in the other. Blink and you just might miss this week's most popular party or club function, while political groups use the walls to make their cause known. Individuals also find the bridge useful to celebrate birthdays or remember those who are no longer with us.
The bridge has served many purposes throughout its 150-year history, but painting the bridge did not become the phenomenon it is today until the 1970s. In its early years, the bridge was formally known as the "Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Bridge" and remained wooden until automobiles became popular in the early decades of the 1900s, according to a Sept. 1976 issue of The Forum, a periodical of the Inter-Fraternity Council. The name shifted to the "Rugby Road Bridge" in the coming years as the bridge was used for bragging rights to display football scores during the 1920s and '30s. Anti-war slogans made their mark on the bridge during the turbulent 1960s.
University alumnus Jay Race, who graduated in 1956, said he can't remember the bridge ever being blank, and even in those days was amazed to see so many layers of paint on one wall. His son Steven Race, a 1980 University graduate, echoed this message.
"Oh yeah," Steven said. "The bridge was always being painted."
St. Patrick's Day, 1966 sparked the fuse in the popularity of the bridge as we know it today, however. John Herring, a former University staff member, related the story in an April 1989 issue of "The University Journal."
While one side of the bridge donned the phrase "Happy St. Patrick's Day," decorated with shamrocks and harps, Kappa Sigma pranksters painted the mirroring side with Union Jacks and the contradictory saying, "God Save the Queen." The battle of the bridge had begun.
Since then, many memorable layers have been added to the bridge's thick history. National events such as Sept. 11 have been remembered on the wall, as well as events that touched the local community, such as fighting racial discrimination that occurred on Grounds last year.
On Sept. 14, 2005, 271 volunteers wrote the words of the entire Gettysburg Address on the walls in hopes that the words would inspire students to unite in their differences.
"The finished product reflects the spirit of equality," said Sanda Iliescu, assistant professor in the Architecture School and the mind behind the project.
In 1999, the commemoration of Roe v. Wade added itself to the list of ways students have expressed themselves politically on Beta Bridge.
Memorials to those who passed away are also common on the walls of Beta. Students, faculty and even celebrities such as John Lennon have been mourned on Rugby Road.
Humorous and uplifting subjects also find their way onto the wall, such as last fall's public marriage proposal. "Sharon Ann, will you marry me?" graced the wall, along with boxes for responses "Yes", "No" or "Maybe." The answer was yes.
The message the bridge had while awaiting Queen Elizabeth II's visit in July 1976? Uncharacteristically, nothing. For once, the bridge was urged to stay blank, neat and proper, according to a 1989 "University Journal" article.
Student government also plays a role in painting the bridge. Last year, running mates for the class of 2008 elections Christine Devlin and Laura Hussey advertised on the bridge in an attempt to gain votes.
"Everybody at U.Va. should paint the bridge before they graduate," urged Devlin regarding the tradition.
Her running mate also encouraged students to take up the task.
"It's a lot of fun, and you really bond with those around you," Hussey said.
Third-year College student Kelly McMunigal echoed Hussey -- painting the bridge with her Air Force ROTC members "was extremely unifying" and made them feel as if they "were really able to make a mark in the University," she said.
Today's painters seem to have it easy. Only in the past 30 years has the City of Charlottesville loosed its grip on restrictions for painting the bridge. Before 1971, painters caught red-handed were sent before a local judge and sentenced to the "Farmington Shuffle," which consisted of cleaning the railroad tracks from the bridge to Farmington Country Club, according to an April 1977 article in The Cavalier Daily. The University Police Department today has no problem with students painting on the bridge, as long as the message is not crude or the method dangerous.
Where did the name come from, exactly? According to an e-mail from University Guide Service historian Megha Agarwal, a third-year Commerce student, the Beta Theta Pi house was originally located adjacent to the bridge, ergo the label, "Beta Bridge." But students today know the Delta Upsilon house neighbors the bridge. The switch can be explained by an old fraternity rivalry.
Agarwal said during the 1960s, the two frequently threw dueling parties on the weekends. Legend has it that after the Beta Theta Pi brothers lost their charter, they decided to play a practical joke on DU. With everything to gain and nothing to lose, they pulled quite a stunt, throwing flaming arrows at the DU house and setting it on fire. As reparation, Beta Theta Pi gave up their spot on Rugby Road to DU. The Cavalier Daily articles from the summer of 1969 suggested the fire was caused by an arsonist.
Through the years, movements were made to change the bridge's name to "Duck Bridge" and "Zeta Bridge" (Zeta Psi is located across the street), but Beta prevailed.
The only rule for painting the bridge is that there are no rules. In the late 1970s, Dean of Students Robert T. Canevari and his assistant dean attempted to establish and publish "Bridge Etiquette" to no avail, a 1981 Cavalier Daily article reported.
Any group or person can share their message, but several unwritten rules are advised. Thanks to DU must be given somewhere on the mural, often abbreviated as "Thx DU," to ensure the work is not painted over before sunrise. And if the sun is out when you are painting, you have just broken another Beta standard.
Several students have set up their own traditions when it comes to painting the bridge.
"You just have to wear camo," Hussey said.
Creativity helps certain messages stick in students' memories, with bridge grading even becoming popular in the 1970s, a 1976 article from The Forum said.
"C -- lacks imagination," said one design.
So how much paint has actually accumulated over the years?
"It's got to be a lot," fourth-year College student Jennifer Shumate said.
If one were to do the math, estimating that the bridge is painted five times a week for a year, the total comes to almost 260 layers in a single year.
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 4 days agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 5 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
