September 20, 2012
Confused delivery men, disoriented visitors and frantic ambulance drivers no longer have to deal with attempting to find the little road behind the Sadove Student Center in order to get to the Darkside. In order to remedy this confusion, Hamilton has officially named this driveway Green Apple Way.
“Several people who sponsor events on the south campus, most notably those in the arts, suggested it would be easier to direct people to their events if the road leading to that side of campus had a name. After consulting with a number of people, we concluded that it would be appropriate to give some recognition to Kirkland College since the road leads to the campus where Kirkland was founded in 1968,” said Michael Debraggio, assistant vice-president for Communications.
The decision to name the street “Green Apple Way” was rooted in honoring the tradition of Kirkland College. The land that was formerly known as Kirkland College was the site of an apple orchard. Kirkland used the apple as its formal symbol, as the apple represented a certain “organic” quality of the changing college.
“We thought of individuals associated with Kirkland, but most of those people are already recognized in some way. Ultimately, Green Apple Way was selected because the campus was built in an apple orchard, and the green apple has become a symbol of Kirkland over time,” Debraggio explained.
The symbol of the Kirkland green apple is still very much alive today in modern Hamilton traditions.
“To acknowledge Kirkland, many graduating seniors place a green apple on the Commencement podium when they receive their degree, and Kirkland graduates often wear green apple pins to show their affection for the all-women’s college,” Debraggio said.
Besides honoring Kirkland, the naming of Green Apple Way also provides much needed clarification for visitors to the campus.
“Other names such as Kirkland Road or Orchard Drive were considered, but there are already streets in Clinton with those names,” Debraggio continued.
The College encourages students to use the name Green Apple Way when directing visitors on campus.