and end tip. The belt is emblazoned with Fordham's official Latin title in gold capital letters: UNIVERSITAS FORDHAMENSIS; between the last two punch holes where the buckle is fastened and the end looped inside to wrap around, is in gold the date of the university's founding: 1841. The University of Oxford, the only other tertiary institution in the world that uses a belt in its seal, maintains that without its belt, their seal is not official.
The mace of Fordham is traditionally carried at Commencement by the president of the Faculty Senate, who serves as the grand marshal of the main academic procession. The device, four feet in length, bears a regal crown at the summit to denote the sole power of the State of New York to grant academic degrees in its territory. Above the crown is a cross composed of four windmill sails, which signify the Catholic faith and the Dutch founders of New York City, respectively. The center of the cross displays a heraldic rose, which symbolizes Rose Hill. Immediately beneath the …
