Pen Madness is a library event that allows students, faculty, friends and alumni to vote for the annual library pen color. Since 2011, participants have voted between 32 various color combinations in a bracket style competition similar to the NCAA March Madness bracket. This year, the pen competition has been changed to only involve Milligan school colors.
The competing pen colors for the year are posted on the Milligan Library Facebook page beginning on February 1, and the event lasts for two weeks.
“[This year] they started it for the first day or so and then they took it all down. Which was a little confusing,” said a junior library work study student. “I was looking all over for it. I love participating in it. Then it came back a few days later but with all new pen colors, and I was very bummed out by that.”
Pen Madness has traditionally been a fun way to get through February and provides an opportunity for the community to get involved.
“It helps break up the monotony of spring semester, and by telling the library they can’t do it with the fun colors, in a way it is ending what had become a Milligan tradition,” said senior Bryan Lay.
The annual library pen competition served as a way to engage the Milligan community with the library’s social media as well. Members of the community have not taken this change lightly. Many Facebook followers expressed discontentment and frustration in the comments section of the announcement post regarding the color restriction.
“It’s a simple thing. Why do you need to control the pens? Just let us have this one small thing,” said sophomore Megan Wagner.
With no explanation given, it is unclear at this time what caused the changes to this standing Milligan tradition.
“I have talked to my supervisor and the library staff is not commenting on this story,” said Milligan’s Librarian, Mary Jackson.
Pen Madness will continue with the new and restricted color combinations, and voting is open on the library’s Facebook page @milliganlibraries.
Headline photo: Last year’s Pen Madness winner was a purple and silver pen.