UCSD unveils Triton statue

As part of UCSD’s effort to reinvigorate its campus and raise school spirit, the university unveiled a 750-pound bronze sculpture of the sea god Triton, the school’s mascot, Oct. 16 on the steps of the new Price Center East.

“We wanted to build the Triton statue because we recognized the importance of symbols as a unification tool,” Chancellor Marye Anne Fox said during the ceremony, adding that she hoped the sculpture would become another one of the university’s key icons, akin to the widely recognizable Geisel Library structure.

Fox also took time to underscore the university’s ranking among the top 10 public schools in the nation, saying that the Triton sculpture was an appropriate tribute to the campus’s continuous rise in prestige.

“We’re filling the spots that were once reserved for schools like Berkeley and UCLA,” she said.

Ping Yeh, class officer for the classes of 1998 and 1999, spearheaded the push to build the statue.

Ping described the project as a step towards what he and his fellow alumni envisioned as the “Triton-ization” of the campus.

Brown said that sculpture committee wanted the statue to appear both powerful and inviting.

“He should look confident,” she said, “but not too menacing; he should be approachable and still be impressive.”