The 2006 class gift has been placed, and some seniors are concerned about the choice of the gift and its location.

This year's class gift is a replica of the 1906 rock in front of Old Science Hall. The 2006 rock has been placed on the new research campus off Jenkins Avenue.

"I don't get it. If I'm going to spend money on a big rock, it better be in the form of jewelry," said Jessica Cohn, international and area studies senior.

David Hail, adviser for the Class Gift Committee, said the story behind the original rock shows the importance of the gift. In 1906, a few seniors found a gravestone that had fallen off the flatbed of a truck. The students decided to engrave the stone and leave it on campus to mark their time at OU, Hail said. This rock became the very first class gift.

Cohn said she feels like other class gifts have been more useful than a rock. Other classes have left behind fountains and places to hang out, Cohn said.

Other students said they are excited to leave behind the replica rock.

"It's not just a rock. It's a tradition," said Justin Osborn, microbiology senior.

To Osborn, it's the location of the rock that confuses him. He said he doesn't understand why the rock would be placed on the new part of campus when the class of 2006 didn't have much involvement on that campus.

"If it's about marking our time, leave it somewhere where we spent time, like the North or South oval, the union or the gym," Osborn said.

Hail said the students chose to place the 2006 rock on the new part of campus because it shows the spirit of marking the new campus as a gift.

"When the 1906 rock was placed, there were only a few buildings here on campus, and look what it has turned into now," Hail said.

The Class Gift Committee is composed of students, and they are the ones who make the decisions. The committee sends out student body-wide surveys to gather information about the class gifts. The committee meets several times throughout the year to come up with ideas for the class gift. Once they have a list, administrators make suggestions on the ones they like, Hail said.

Hail said there are plans to plant some flowers and trees to create scenery around the site of the rock. There will also be a plaque placed near the rock to explain its importance.

"The class gift is a way for students to say, 'I was a part of this group of students who made the university a better place,'" Hail said.
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