Huskie Pride Lights

Purpose

NIU Huskies accomplish and celebrate great things, and Huskie Pride Lights is an initiative designed to increase the visibility and awareness of those key moments. This effort is grounded in the university’s mission, vision and values. The iconic Holmes Student Center (HSC) tower can be seen for miles in any direction around the DeKalb area. The standard lighting configuration of HSC tower is white, but when special events or recognition happen, the tower can be lit red to make the entire community aware that there is cause for celebration at NIU.  All members of the university community (students, faculty, staff, alumni, DeKalb community members) can be part of the Huskie Pride Lights initiative.

Policy Narrative

The tower will be lit red during the following university events:

• Commencement Weekend
• Homecoming Weekend
• NIU’s Anniversary (July 15)
• Welcome Days
• Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day
• Faculty and Staff Award Ceremonies
• Red and Black event
• Special events at the Holmes Student Center

Additionally, the tower will be lit red in recognition of the following athletic achievements:

• Mid-American Conference Championships (individual or team)
• NCAA Tournament wins
• NCAA Tournament selection (individual or team)
• Bowl wins
• Boneyard (Power 5) wins in all sports

Other occasions to light the tower red will be when the university receives national recognition or at the president’s or president’s designee’s discretion. 

Huskie Pride Lights Website and Subscription for Tower Lighting Alerts

The Huskie Pride Lights website will provide visitors with information about lighting updates and the history of the HSC and Huskie Pride Sculpture. Additionally, visitors can subscribe to receive updates on tower lightings by e-mail. They will be alerted when the tower is lit red and the occasion for the lighting.

February 14 ^th Remembrance

The standard lighting configuration of the HSC tower will be white with the tower lit red to commemorate or recognize special events. However, in memory of the five students who were lost on February 14, 2008, the HSC tower will be dark.

Huskie Pride Lights Guidelines

The southern face of the Holmes Student Center (HSC) can be lit in over 16 million different colors through digitally programmable, RedGreenBlue LED lights mounted at the base of the tower. The north, east and west faces of the HSC are lit using an only white LED fixture.

The lights can be programmed ahead of time or can have five colors preset on a push button for HSC staff to press at the last minute if needed.

Standard Configuration

White light only on all sides the HSC Tower. The lights turn on about 30 prior to sunset and are scheduled to turn off at 11:00 p.m.

Huskie Pride Lights Configuration

Red light on the south side of the HSC tower. North, east, and west sides of the tower are white. The lights turn on about thirty minutes prior to sunset and are scheduled to turn off at 11:00 p.m.

February 14 ^th Remembrance Configuration

All sides of the HSC tower are dark.

The HSC staff and university web team will maintain a list of regular events (e.g., commencement, homecoming) where the tower will be lit red.

For other events that are not scheduled (e.g., athletics wins; presidential discretion) either a member of the athletics department sports information office or the president’s designee will contact the HSC staff and the university web team to make them aware that the HSC should be lit red. The tower will then be lit red as soon as possible following the event.

The web team will send out a notification to those who have subscribed on the Huskie Pride Lights website.