Johnnies Day 2023: The Culmination Of A Widespread “SJU Elevates” Marketing Campaign

St. John’s University is taking Penn Station and Madison Square Garden by storm Feb. 11.

St. John’s University held the first-ever “Johnnies Day,” a day-long celebration that represents the culmination of a far-reaching “SJU Elevates” marketing campaign, Feb. 11.

Starting with the Men’s Basketball game against Providence College at Madison Square Garden at 12 p.m. and returning home to Queens for the Women’s Basketball game against DePaul University at 4 p.m., the University hosted festivities in-person and on social media.

But although was the first “Johnnies Day,” the University has overhauled its branding in and around New York City for months.

“I wish I could claim credit for that, because I really like it,” said University President Brian Shanley, referencing the “St. John’s Elevates” branding, in an interview with The Torch. “I think it speaks to a lot of dimensions of St. John’s about social mobility.”

There were numerous ways the University could have revitalized its marketing campaign, but it chose upward mobility as its pitch due to the makeup of the student body. Forty percent of freshman classes are eligible for Pell Grants, according to Shanley. Pell Grants are federal grants given to undergraduate students “who display exceptional financial need,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.

“We have always been a school of opportunity, particularly for first-generation college students,” Shanley said. “And so we change whole families by elevating [and] getting kids a college degree.”

Shanley spoke passionately about the “St. John’s Elevates” campaign, and firmly stated that it is going to continue to be the University’s brand going forward.

“I think elevate is also at the heart of education in terms of minds and hearts, to elevate your mind, broaden the sense of compassion and concern for the human condition,” Shanley said. “I keep telling people, ‘we’re not changing that while I’m here.’”

The summation of the University’s branding efforts, which range from billboards to installations at New York airports, is “Johnnies Day.”

“We’re going to plaster Penn Station, like we’re taking over the building, and it’s going to be Johnnies Day at Madison Square Garden,” Shanley said. He made it clear that he didn’t choose the date of Johnnies Day, which is centered around the Men’s Basketball game against Providence College, where Shanley served as president for 15 years.

The University already has large advertisements in the rotunda of Penn Station, and it had t-shirts, rally towels and more for “Penn Station Domination.” The festivities started at 10 a.m. and continued until tip-off around noon. It also happened on social media, where people posted with the hashtags #SJUElevates and #JohnniesDay for a chance to win a $1,000 Visa gift card.

“Our primary market is still the New York metropolitan area, and so we need to make sure that the brand is well known [in that area],” Shanley said. “We want to be New York’s team, as we say.”

Taco Bell Returns To DAC Eatery In Late-Afternoon Launch

After closing for nearly three years, the popular dining location is back.

St. John’s University Dining Services reopened Taco Bell on the first floor of the D’Angelo Center on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at around 4 p.m. The re-opening comes after the restaurant was temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and permanently closed as of Spring 2021.

After the restaurant was added to the Dine on Campus website as an on-campus dining location, an Instagram post shared by St. John’s Now revealed it would open the week of Jan. 23. Minutes before 4 p.m. on Jan. 25, St. John’s Dining posted a photo of the Taco Bell logo with the text, “Now Open 1st Floor DAC” with the caption “open now.”

The account also tagged Chartwells Higher Ed in the caption, the company that provides dining services for the University.

Taco Bell opened to a soft-launch during off-peak dining hours, as only certain students have Wednesday classes. Additionally, demand is typically lower for dining locations in the academic buildings later in the day

The restaurant rests without permanent signage, and the fountain soda areas have been refurbished to carry trash bins and other utensils. Large, rollable screens are placed in the front of the restaurant reading the menu for students to order.

Students with dining plans can use a meal exchange and get two crunchy taco supremes, two soft taco supremes, a chicken quesadilla or a crunchwrap supreme as a main entree. It is paired with a bean burrito, crunchy taco, soft taco or chips and nacho cheese sauce as a side; complete with a bottle of water or a 16-ounce fountain beverage.

Meal exchanges can only be used from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., which represents the lunch dining period. Though Taco Bell is open for two hours during the dinner period, meal exchanges are unavailable during that time. Students with dining plans can still use a premium swipe for the same purchasing power as a meal exchange during the dinner period.

In Taco Bell’s first hour of business, dozens of students lined up to order food. Juniors Kiranjyot Kaur and Emily Hernandez were among the first students to order Taco Bell.

“I remember when Taco Bell closed during my freshman year, and we were really looking forward to it, Kaur said. “We were bummed that it closed and we never got the chance to order from here.

“There used to be so many food options in DAC, but I’m excited to finally get food from here,” Hernandez said.

As commuters with no meal plans, Kaur and Hernandez wish there were more places to get food other than Marillac Cafeteria. “For the past three years on campus, I’ve been getting the same things,” Hernandez said. “I hope this is the start of more dining options on campus.”

The restaurant will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the D’Angelo Center.