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SYMBOLS OF SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
SYMBOLS OF SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY The original Coat of Arms was granted to the university in 1965 by the Lord Lyon, King of Arms, in Edinburgh. The 1965 arms was registered in Canada in 2007.
In 2007, the Canadian Heraldic Authority granted a modification of the Coat of Arms at the request of the university. The arms are based on the arms of Fraser of Lovat, from whom the university’s namesake was descended via the Frasers of Culbokie. The blue quarters with white “fraises” i.e., strawberry flowers (a pun on the name Fraser) are the basic Fraser arms, while the white quarters with red crowns are those of Lovat. There are three books at the top of the shield, representing education. The heraldic description of the arms is: “Quarterly; first and fourth Azure three fraises Argent; second and third Argent three antique crowns Gules, all within a bordure quarterly Argent and Gules, on a chief Gules three open books proper, bound and edged Or.”
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The university’s motto “Nous sommes prêts”, meaning “We are ready”, is a variation of the traditional motto of the Clan Fraser. The mace was commissioned by university architects Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey, and was presented to the university at the opening ceremonies on September 9, 1965. The mace is 61 inches long and weighs 23 pounds. Pieces of cut and polished jade, which were taken from the university’s jade boulder in the Academic Quadrangle reflecting pond, were set in silver by its designer, Haida artist Bill Reid. The mace is crowned by a silver stag’s head, derived from the coat of arms of Lord Lovat, head of the Clan Fraser. The Fraser tradition was to fasten sprigs of yew in their bonnets before entering battle, and the mace was carved from two hundred-year-old yew, gathered on Burnaby Mountain by a resident in the 1940s.
Lord Lovat presented the university with a claymore, or great sword, on September 9, 1965. The claymore was first used by a Fraser at the Battle of Culloden Moor in 1746. It was also used by a Fraser at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. The claymore is approximately 36 inches long and weighs two pounds.
The university’s flag is based on the coat of arms, and was first flown at the Convocation ceremonies in June 1981.
REGALIA The regalia worn today by our graduates has a colourful history.
Regalia originated in the monasteries of the Middle Ages. At that time, university faculty were men of religion who wore the habit of their Order when teaching. Over time, their garments came to identify their university. In Europe, laymen did not commonly teach in universities until the 19th century. Only by 1858, for example, did British law no longer require university dons to be in holy orders. Nevertheless, professors continued to wear clerical garb, with modifications in cut and design.
Regalia colours often matched those of the university patron, or of the city in which the university was located; Simon Fraser regalia combines the red and royal blue of the Clan Fraser.
The degree hood was originally part of the monk’s habit — a carryall for food or other small items. Eventually, the hood became separate from the gown, variegated in colour, and emblematic of scholars and degrees from particular universities. Hoods in Canada and Europe are unique in design and colour to each degree and each university.
The history of the mortarboard worn by our Bachelors and Masters begins with high church dignitaries in the 16th century. These officials wore hats consisting of little more than a cap with a raised, squared crown. By the 18th century, the crown had evolved into a cloth-covered board, and the wearers into the deans and rectors of universities. The 19th century saw the top knob replaced by a tassel and the cap become required student attire. Reminded of the square board masons used to hold mortar, students dubbed the headgear a “mortarboard” — college slang of the day.
Doctoral hats are patterned after the Florentine hats in the time of the Medici. Students purchased hats of the appropriate university colours when continuing with advanced studies after completing the bachelor degree. THE PRESIDENTS’ AND CHANCELLORS’ REGALIA In early 2020, following on the Calls to Action presented in SFU’s Aboriginal Reconciliation Council report, SFU undertook to renew the President and Chancellor’s regalia with a design that would respectfully honour the first peoples and the traditional lands on which the SFU Burnaby Campus resides.
The motifs that appear on the regalia were chosen and designed by Hereditary Chief Janice George (Chepximiya Siyam’) and Willard ’Buddy’ Joseph (Skwetsimeltxw) of the Squamish Nation. Local designer, Beverli Barnes designed the gowns.
These motifs can also be seen on Newxniw’chet (The Teachings) Salish blankets that hang in SFU’s Saywell Hall Atrium. They represent the first peoples that lived on Burnaby Mountain and the food they harvested there. The motifs also represent leadership and nobility, adaptability, the past and the present. Arranged on the gowns in contemporary colours and fabric, the patterns evoke the style of a traditional Salish blanket.
“The Salish blanket, worn as a ceremonial robe, is an object of extraordinary complexity. Said to exist in the supernatural realm, these robes are made manifest in the natural world through Ancestral guidance. Wearing a woven blanket during ritual is transformative, moving the individual from the mundane to a sacred space. They are protective garments that at times of great changes in a person’s life… offer emotional strength. The object, the maker, the wearer, and the community itself are bound and transformed through the creation and use of the Salish blanket”.
~ Salish Blankets - Robes of Protectio
DIGNITARIES
Chancellor
President
Board of Governors
Blue gown, red lacings, red linings in sleeves; blue velvet Cambridge bonnet with blue tassel
Senators
Black gown, no bonnet
Mace Bearer
Red gown, red stole with blue trim and tassels; blue velvet Cambridge bonnet with light blue tassel
Claymore Bearer
Scottish dress regalia with the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band tartan
Faculty
Regalia from alma mater or black gown, black mortarboard; Hood: alma mater or none
