Ten statues of everyone’s favorite hound dog have been erected around campus. While the announcement of the statues led to great excitement from students, faculty, staff and alumni alike, what do people think about them now?
The statues were conceptualized by the Student Government Association earlier this year. While the idea started as a way to honor Smokey, the SGA thought it best to honor every dog who has ever been the mascot of the university, leading to the creation of ten different statues scattered around campus.
The statues were pushed through by Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Jeff Maples, who, in a news release made by the university, said, “We’re proud of our campus traditions, and this seemed like a unique and exciting way to celebrate one of our longest-running traditions.”
The statues were officially revealed at the pedestrian bridge near the Student Union on April 13, right before the Orange and White game.
After the reveal, however, many were left disappointed, such as Allison Spradley, junior in psychology.
“I think that (the statues) are a really nice addition to campus homage to Smokey,” Spradley said. “But they are a little hyper-realistic, and it’s pretty off-putting.”
Others were less bothered by the hyperrealism of the statues, and instead by their quality.
“When I first heard about these statues, I was really excited, because I think that the Smokey dogs are a really cool UT tradition,” Gwyneth Doppelt, freshman in communication studies, said. “I was expecting a little more than what I got … They look pretty cheap if I’m being honest. I was expecting something cast in bronze, and I thought that would’ve been a really nice memorial, but these just feel fake and dense.”
Some, such as senior studying cinema studies Becca Marley, are worried that their tuition money is being wasted on the statues.
“I think the Smokey statues are kind of pointless, to be honest” Marley said. “It seems like a silly expenditure, and that the money could’ve been spent better elsewhere. If they looked better, I might like them more, to be honest.”
While reception for the statues may have been worse than expected, many have embraced them, posing for pictures with the statues and filling social media with posts featuring them.
If you haven’t checked out one of the statues around campus yet, you can go and see them at one of these locations: the UT Gardens, the Tennessee Recreation Center for Students (TRECS), the corner of Lake Loudoun Boulevard and Phillip Fulmer Way, Circle Park, Hodges Library, the courtyard between Strong Hall and Clement Hall, the Student Union Pedestrian Bridge, Gate 21 of Neyland Stadium, the Hill and the Engineering Quad.
