Gotta get that CD

As part of its back-to-school stuff, the University of Nevada, Reno publicity office issued a release saying that arriving first-term students would “continue the tradition of singing the alma mater and reciting the Nevada Oath during a candlelight ceremony” at Lawlor Events Center.

We never knew there was a UNR alma mater, so we asked for the lyrics. Here they are:

Where the Truckee's snow-fed waters drop from mountains crest,

And the meadows meet the sagebrush, by the sun caressed,

Cradled by the silver mountains 'neath the Western blue,

Stands our noble Alma Mater, our Nevada U.

As the miner, on the desert, prospects every place,

So Nevada seeks the future with an upturned face.

Ev'rywhere she gathers knowledge, all that's good and true,

Gives she to her sons and daughters of Nevada U.

We will every live to serve her, live to give our best,

Live to make our Alma Mater pride of all the West.

Let her praises wake the echoes, while we pledge anew,

Hearts and minds and hands and voices to Nevada U.

The sheet music reads that the air to which these lyrics are sung is the Cornell college song.

At the same time that they sang this anthem, the students were expected to take the “Nevada Oath.” It's 178 words long, so we'll spare you the entire thing. (The U.S. presidential oath, minus the name, is 35 words long.) But here's a taste of it:

“I will honor, challenge and contribute to the scholarly heritage left by those who preceded me and work to leave this university a better place for those to follow, academically, humanely, and globally. I will account for myself responsibly by keeping a flexible and open mind, utilizing critical skills and fairness for problem solving and leadership.”

To read the whole thing, see http://tinyurl.com/n9gg4lf. Students are not expelled if they fail to take the oath. Campus spokesperson Nicole Sherer said, “It's not something that's formally monitored. Students take the oath at the opening ceremony, and it is a great way for them to honor the commitment they've made by becoming a University of Nevada, Reno, student.”