Emily Ford design chief 

Every college has its own traditions and superstitions, in Pitt State’s case, walking on or over the Split Face logo in the Oval at the center of campus is one of them.  

Gifted to the university by graduating classes of 1997, 1998, and 1999 on Oct. 2, 2004, the Split Face of the Gorilla mascot sits in the center of campus, embedded into the Oval. Observers may notice that most students, and even some faculty, will avoid walking over it. This is because of some superstition regarding it. It is said that if a student were to step on the Split Face, they would have exactly ten seconds to run to the gorilla statue in front of the Overman Student Center and touch its foot, otherwise they would not graduate in time. 

Now, regardless of if students believe in this superstition, or if they even know of it, most will still avoid walking over the Split Face. Whether it is because they are following the flow of foot traffic or just something they were told to do, it is still an odd sight to visitors to the campus. Sometimes, faculty members and visiting alumni will continue their old habits and avoid stepping on it.  

Though uncommon, there are still a few students who walk over the Split Face from time to time. Most of the time, when it occurs, it seems to be due to a lack of awareness of their surroundings. I, myself, have nearly stepped upon it, wobbling to self-correct when the realization sets in. 

Sometimes, students can be seen playing a game of “balance,” where students would bump into each other to see if one or the other would lose just enough balance to tiptoe the border of the logo. It can be entertaining to see the moment of sheer panic on their face before they realize they had not actually stepped on the Split Face and incurred the wrath of superstition.