Why the Daffodils?

In the aftermath of last week's traumatic events, the campus seems to be blooming—or more accurately, sprinkled—with daffodils. Today, students walked around the Yard holding not just textbooks and backpacks, but also little pots of sunshine. These bits of yellow floating around, provided by Campus Services, combined with the gorgeous day seemed to be verification that spring is here.

"They're the flower version of a comfort dog," said Lisa Hogarty, Vice President for Campus Services and the woman responsible for the daffodils. She said that Campus Services had originally planned to fill the new plaza by the Science Center with a "field of flowers" last Friday, alongside student performances and a dedication by President Faust, but were forced to reschedule and reorganize early that morning due to the city-wide lockdown.

With the flowers and events postponed, the Undergraduate Council called President Faust's office, letting her know that they wanted to construct a remembrance wall in appreciation for those who have supported the student body in trying times—from the Boston Police Department to Harvard University Dining Services.

"A lot of undergrads realized that we have so much to be grateful for," said Jen Q. Y. Zhu '14, Undergraduate Council Vice-President. "We wanted some way to show our thanks and appreciation for them taking care of us everyday."

The UC got in touch with Hogarty, who had a contractor build the boards that stood in the middle of the plaza today in addition to ensuring that those flowers would still be put to use. Thus, daffodils were placed around the plaza and on the steps of Memorial Church—deemed "the porch"—free for students to snag as a bright decoration for their dorm rooms. Many students picked up daffodils and wrote on the remembrance wall on their way to and from classes.

"The Plaza gives us a blank palette to paint on," said Hogarty. "One of our ongoing goals is to bring all sorts of color to that space." Although they have now taken on a different meaning in conjunction with the remembrance wall, these bright flowers still symbolize the kind of new beginning they were originally intended to represent.

"We never would have dreamed of the events that took place, but it almost became even more special to use the flowers today and have the opportunity to share them with the community after what everybody's been through," Hogarty said.