MURFREESBORO — A
monthlong wait was rewarded Monday (May 4) when 12 of 13 eggs hatched from a
mallard duck dubbed Ivy, who chose to nest in the ivy at the base of the
columns in front of the MTSU Honors College.
After finding Ivy and the eggs were protected by the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, the college summoned campus police to rope
off the area with yellow tape. Suitable warning signs were posted to keep
well-wishing bystanders, some of who had thought the mother was in distress,
away and at a safe distance.
Ivy timed her ducklings’ arrival to correspond with MTSU
final exams for the spring semester, reducing the normal flow of students into
the college’s Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building.
She also chose a day in which the honors bells twice tolled
for students who had successfully defended their theses.
By the afternoon of their hatching, their mother was leading
them across campus to a bigger pond, where they could meet their father and
from whence it is hoped they will grow into adulthood and fly south for the
winter, spreading the news of the Honors College.
Ivy thus got a jump on graduation, which is not scheduled
until Saturday, May 9, when commencement ceremonies will be held at 9 a.m. and
2 p.m. in Murphy Center. (Visit http://www.mtsunews.com/graduation-info/
for more graduation details.)
The hatching also corresponded with the announcement of the
naming of the brood, the honor (and a $50 award) of which went to Honors
College student Kyeesha Wilcox, who chose to name the ducks after the eight
virtues listed on the building and others related to them. Wilcox is a freshman
global studies major from Smyrna, Tennessee.
The ducklings’ names and their associated virtues include:
• Valliant, for
integrity.
• Harper, for
creativity.
• River, for
creativity.
• Emery, for an
industrious leader.
• Jasper, for a
keeper of treasure.
• Spirit, for
faith and spirituality.
• Sage, or wise
one.
• Alina, for
light.
• Irie, for
blessing or favor.
• Cleo, related
to glory and pride.
• Hudson, for
humanity, knowledge and creative ability.
Jada, for knowing, peace and harmony.
The second-place suggestions came from Colby Denton, who
named the ducklings Mallory (mallard duck), Dabble (dabbling duck), Muscy
(Mucovy duck), Mergie (merganser duck), Woody (common wood duck), Drake (male
duck), Waddles, Quackers, Trumpet, Preena (after preening), Peck and Loona
(common loon).
Denton, who is from Georgetown, Tennessee, is a junior
advertising/public relations major in the College of Mass Communication.
Three students tied for third place. They include:
• Samuel Hulsey, a senior Spanish and global studies major
from Lebanon, Tennessee. He named the ducklings for individuals known for one
or more quackery ideas that nonetheless contributed to human progress. His
suggestions included Ptolemy, Miasma, Hubble, Perimutter, Schmidt, Riess, Rush,
Colon, Vulcan, Aristotle, Franz and Halley;
• Gabrielle Armour, a sophomore organismal and ecology
biology major from Pleasant Shade, Tennessee. She sought identification with
the mother duck by naming them after Ivy League-type schools: Harvey (Harvard),
Stan (Stanford), George (Georgetown), Prince (Princeton), Penny (University of
Pennsylvania), Andrew (St. Andrews), Camila (Cambridge), Ford (Oxford),
Virginia (University of Virginia), Duke (Duke University), John (Johns
Hopkins), and Northwest (Northwestern); and
• Angelica Bennett, a freshman graphic design major from
Nolensville, Tennessee. She also played off the mother’s name by looking for
related flora. Her suggestions included Daisy, Snapdragon, Daffodil, Tulip,
Vine, Blossom, Lily, Aster, Rosie, Viburnum, Orchid and Buttercup.
The Honors College Facebook site features a number of
webcams of the ducklings. For those interested, a group of ducklings is known
as a “safe” when on land and a “raft” when on water.
To learn more about the Honors College, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/honors/ or call
615-898-2152
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