Symbols of Hampshire College

Unlike many other colleges, Hampshire does not have a designated mascot. Various symbols, both official and unofficial have become associated with the college over the years.

Hampshire Tree


The design for the seal is based on an older logo used since Hampshire's beginnings. Known as the Hampshire Tree, it included roots and a slightly different configuration of the branches. According to the Hampshire Enrchidion, "it appears that the tree was drawn by first Hampshire President Franklin Patterson's son Eric. The memo, dated 1968, is addressed to Franklin Patterson by Humanities and Arts faculty member John Boettiger, and points out similarities between the Hampshire tree and early Mesopotamian representations of the tree of life." It was actually modeled after a breadfruit tree. In addition to the tree, the seal features Hampshire's motto, Non Satis Scire (which translates as "To Know is Not Enough") and the year 1970, the first year students were admitted to the college. Some versions feature the year 1965, when the idea for the school was conceived.

"H" Logo
Designed in 1994, the logo features four colored bars whose negative space forms an H, representing the other four collges of the Five College Consortium.

Division Free Bell


Since the early eighties, it has been a tradition to ring the bell at the library upon finishing division III. According to some superstitions, those who ring the bell before completing their division III will never finish.

Frog


According to the Hampshire Enrichdion, frogs became a popular symbol after appearing on the first cover of a directory featuring photos and information of all the community members, including faculty, students and staff. These directories, known as frogbooks, were produced every year from 1970 to 1995.

A frog is the narrator of Taking Root, a comic that was created in 1985 (and updated every few years) to familiarize new students with Hampshire's history and structure.

Sheep
It is thought that sheep became associated with the college because Hampshire maintains a flock as part of its farm center. Today, the most prominent example of this is the sheep featured in the logo of The Omen.