How Carolina Blue evolved from a debating team color to a school icon

Posted Feb 20, 2019
Long before Carolina Blue evoked thoughts of Kenan Stadium and the Smith Center, the school color originated with a campus debate society. The Dialectic Society, now half of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, started the tradition when it decided to put light blue ribbons on its diplomas. Two centuries later, the color is trademarked and part of the campus landscape. (Daily Tar Heel)

Related: Campus Connections

Spring at Carolina
Spring is in the air at Carolina, and the warmer temperatures bring plenty of favorite University traditions. Nothing feels more like spring than graduation pictures...
Tue Apr 22, 2025

Sonja Haynes Stone’s legacy lives on at UNC's Stone Center
The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History aims to raise awareness of and appreciation for Black culture as one of...
Mon Apr 21, 2025

The Legacy of UNC Professor Emeritus, Preeminent Historian William Leuchtenburg
North Carolina Professor Emeritus William Leuchtenburg died on January 28. He was born on September 28, 1922. According to the history department, Leuchtenburg became a...
Fri Apr 18, 2025

UNC's Order of The Golden Fleece: Behind the secrecy, unity and nomination process
Founded in 1904, the Order is said to consist of campus leaders and changemakers, with the purpose of fostering connections among different University groups. “There...
Thu Apr 17, 2025