The Rock (University of Tennessee)

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The Rock
UTK ROCK.jpg
The Rock on September 16th, 2024
Location University of Tennessee
Coordinates 35°57′5″N83°55′51″W / 35.95139°N 83.93083°W / 35.95139; -83.93083
Type Megalithic
MaterialStone
Weight97.5 ton [1]
Opening date1980s [1]

The Rock is a large dolomite boulder on the Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee. [2] It is a prominent part of student life and campus culture, and is often painted with murals or political messages, including paintings of mascots, coaches, and protest artwork for various causes. [1]

Contents

History

The Rock was originally unearthed in 1966 during construction work on the lawn of former Calvary Baptist Church, current location of the Fraternity Park. [1]

The tradition of painting the boulder began in the early 1980s, and after a brief attempt to keep it graffiti free, the university administration decided in 1982 to cease the removal of graffiti unless it was considered offensive. This prompted a discussion surrounding the freedom of speech implications of selectively removing messages. The university decided to depend on the student body to regulate the appearance of the Rock, a policy which has been in place since. [3]

In 2009, it was moved from its original location to the lawn of the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center to make room for an expansion of the Student Health Center, a distance of about 275 feet. The relocation involved a specialized flatbed truck, and took more than 13 hours. [4]

Controversy

In the aftermath of the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting, a memorial painted on the Rock was defaced with a swastika and the words "Stronger through Hate." [5] Since early 2017, there had been several other incidents of hate speech being promoted on the Rock, including the words "white pride" being written on the boulder. [5] It is thought that the far-right Traditionalist Worker Party was responsible, as the abbreviation TWP was included in one of the messages. After both incidents, the student body responded by painting over the messages. [5]

In response, the University of Tennessee installed a 24/7 livestream of the Rock as a "symbol that our community is taking collective responsibility for the Rock". [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "History | The Rock". The Rock. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  2. ↑ DeMarco, Alexandra (2020-01-08). "The history of UT's iconic 'Rock'". The Daily Beacon. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  3. ↑ "Rock, the". Volopedia. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  4. 1 2 "Why does the University of Tennessee livestream The Rock? | Know Your Knox". knoxnews.com. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  5. 1 2 3 Dorman, Travis. "Swastikas painted on the Rock at the University of Tennessee — again". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
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