Students who attend the New Student Convocation Ceremony held at the beginning of the academic year are provided with a small bell at the beginning of the Ceremony.
At CSUCI, the bell is a symbol of strength and resiliency, and serves as a reminder that students will persevere through challenges. It is also a reminder that students are not alone, and they have an entire campus supporting them. Students are surrounded by faculty, staff, and administrators dedicated to their success and are here to support them throughout their journey. The campus is invested in helping students when times are challenging, but to also celebrate their accomplishments along the way. We believe each student is exactly where they are meant to be.
Our Dolphin students also have peers around them and are encouraged to reach out, make connections, and lean on each other. Dolphins are not alone on this journey and are part of a bigger pod.
Bells have many meanings and symbolize many things – from beginnings and endings, a call to order, or a coming together – much like CSUCI’s New Student Convocation. When our graduating students participate in their Commencement ceremony, a bell is rung to mark the beginning of the ceremony.
During New Student Convocation, students are asked to take a moment to think about their educational goals or intentions and write them on a slip of paper attached to their bell. The bell also serves as a symbol of their commitment to their goals and intentions as they begin their academic journey as a Dolphin at CSUCI. After the students have written on the paper attached to their bell, they are asked to ring their bells all together as one Dolphin Pod.