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Standing on a platform draped with a �󷢲�Ʊ banner, President Rebecca Chopp along with a group of alumni and university friends rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange this morning, officially kicking off �󷢲�Ʊ Day. (To watch the event, click .)
From coast to coast and around the world, �󷢲�Ʊ faithful are sporting their favorite maroon gear in celebration of the university’s with the number 13.

�󷢲�Ʊ President Rebecca Chopp is flanked by alumni and friends of the university as she opens trading today at the New York Stock Exchange.

By celebrating �󷢲�Ʊ every Friday the 13th and scoffing at triskaidekaphobia, the university community is enjoined to not be superstitious.
“Our alumni are clearly passionate about �󷢲�Ʊ and consider wearing maroon to be lucky on Friday the 13th,” said Marty Bair, of the �󷢲�Ʊ Bookstore.
And the proof is in merchandise sales, especially those online, which have doubled this week.
Bair said �󷢲�Ʊ alumni from as far away as Australia are snatching up everything from T-shirts and polos to belts and ties.
Online, you can post photos of yourself decked out in �󷢲�Ʊ gear on the university’s . If you’re not a Facebook user, e-mail pictures to news@colgate.edu and we’ll upload them for you.
The page has gone viral; more than 1,300 people have become fans since it was created in early May.
Jason Rand ’07 is using the online community to get word out about a Friday the 13th gathering tonight for �󷢲�Ʊ alumni in San Francisco.
“Despite the fact that we’re 3,000 miles away from �󷢲�Ʊ, there’s no doubt that ‘gaters from the West Coast will be rejoicing in the fact that we love the number 13,” said Rand.

Students, staff, and faculty members celebrate �󷢲�Ʊ Day with a campus ice cream social outside Merrill House. (Photo by Adriana Brodyn ’08)