USU Eastern Gibby tradition unites college community in Price

Every student at Utah State University’s Logan campus knows what it means to be a “True Aggie.” In 1914, the block A was erected and later became the spot for Aggies to share a kiss at midnight. This tradition has become a famous part of the Logan college experience, and some of the statewide campuses have similar traditions. 

USU Eastern students have the opportunity to become a “True Eagle” about once a semester by kissing over Gibby on a night with a full moon. 

So, what is Gibby? 

Gibby is a rock, and its full name is Gibraltar. 

Madysen Probst, USU Eastern chief of staff, is a junior in integrated studies. Probst said Gibby is located outside the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center at USU Eastern.  

“Gibby has been there for years, like years and years and years when people were first going to college there,” Probst said.  

Sailor Jensen, director of events for USU Eastern, said there are different stories of how Gibby arrived at the school.  

“What I’ve heard is one day, students didn’t want to go to class,” Jensen said. “They went and got a big rock and put it in front of the door, so they’d have to cancel school.” 

What is agreed on is all 1,500 pounds of Gibby was lugged onto campus in 1940. The rock spent some time encased in glass in the school’s library before going into storage. 

Later, it was placed in front of the original G.J. Reeves Building by the student body president of the time. The Reeves building was torn down, so Gibby was again relocated to it’s current place in front of the student center.  

Lily Hyde, a first-year student in marketing, is the traditions and events coordinator for USU Eastern. Hyde said she heard a different story of Gibby’s origin at the school, but the rock has become a legend at the school regardless. 

“The rock has kind of traveled around a lot of different places,” Hyde said. “Students would come, and they would take it and move it, so they had to cement it down.” 

According to Hyde, people look forward to the biannual event, especially since each True Eagle night is themed differently.  

“The rock is something everybody sees all the time,” Hyde said. “It’s not always decorated the same.” 

Mollie Horsley, a sophomore in cosmetology, is the public relations manager for USU Eastern. Horsley’s job is painting Gibby, which she described as “another form of advertising.”  

“I try every week to paint one of our biggest events of that week,” Horsley said. “I just go spray paint it, and then I’ll just write the events.” 

According to Horsley, painting the rock for the “True Eagle” events is a little different. 

“I spend a little more time on it and try and incorporate the theme,” Horsley said. “When our event was ‘country kissing,’ I painted a cowboy boot on it.” 

Probst said the paint was a great addition to the tradition. 

“He has so many thick layers of paint,” Probst said. “It’s insane.” 

Unlike True Aggie events, True Eagle events have prizes larger than lip balm. For starters, in addition to the official card, participants also get a shirt. There are also prizes couples can win if they have the best kiss in a certain category. 

“We’ll do most creative, most romantic, the worst kiss,” Jensen said. “This year, someone dressed up as a gorilla, and they came in and tackled another person, and they pretended to kiss.” 

Another memorable kiss from a previous True Eagle event was when two people dressed up as an old couple, complete with canes and wigs. 

Some events have giveaways, including tickets to a Jazz game. 

Apart from the giveaways and prizes, Probst said the True Eagle and True Aggie events are very similar. 

“True Eagle is just not as high scale, and it’s not as hard to become one,” Probst said. “You don’t have to wait in line for hours and hours on end.” 

According to Hyde, being part of the team who sets up the events is a rewarding experience. 

“Setting up the event is fun because we get to see everything beforehand,” Hyde said. “We get to really see the effort that goes into it to make it fun for students.” 

Jensen said the setup for the event has been something she’s enjoyed since joining the crew. 

“I think it’s rewarding, just the aspect of the team setting it up too,” Jensen said. “You’re just hanging out with your friends during it.” 

Hyde said the influence the team can have on the student’s experience is a reason she has a good time doing the work she does. 

“We get to be there when students see it for the first time,” Hyde said. “It’s really rewarding to see their reaction to how we set it up and the effort that we put in.” 

According to Probst, the tradition can be seen as weird from an outsider perspective. 

“I don’t really understand why schools in Utah kiss,” Probst said. “It’s just one of those Utah traditions.” 

Despite this, Probst has gone to each True Eagle event during her time at USU Eastern. 

“I don’t know why we do it in the first place, but I’ll participate,” Probst said. “It’s fun to do it at least once, so I do think that we should keep doing it.” 

Horsley also said she believes the event should continue. 

“I’m from Price, and both of my parents went to college here,” Horsley said. “They still talk about memories that they had at their True Eagle.” 

According to Horsley, USU Eastern is really important to the Price community, so traditions like this can help solidify the bond between the school and the city. 

“We are such a small college town,” Horsley said. “It  should continue to keep going so we keep talking about these memories that we’ve made.”