Home Being a Roadrunner

Being a Roadrunner

Being a Roadrunner means becoming an actively engaged member of our academic community. UTSA is home to many student-initiated and inspired traditions. These campus traditions unite our community and showcase our spirit and pride in UTSA.

Learn more about campus terminology with our Beak Speak guide.
Learn more about some of the signature events that shape our campus life identity.

Roadrunner Creed

The University of Texas at San Antonio is a community of scholars where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration, and innovation are fostered.

As a Roadrunner, I will:

Uphold the highest standards of academic and personal integrity by practicing and expecting fair and ethical conduct;
Respect and accept individual differences, recognizing the inherent dignity of each person;
Contribute to campus life and the larger community through my active engagement; and
Support the fearless exploration of dreams and ideas in the advancement of ingenuity, creativity, and discovery.

Guided by these principles now and forever, I am a Roadrunner!

Learn more about the history of the Roadrunner Creed

Alma Mater

From the hills of oak and cedar
To the Alamo
Voices raised will echo
As, in song, our praises flow
Hail Alma Mater!
Through the years our loyalty will grow
The University of Texas
San Antonio

Learn and listen to the Alma Mater

Fight Song

UTSA Football fans, fight song

Photo by Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News

Go, Roadrunners, Go!
On to vict’ry with all your might.
Fight, Roadrunners, Fight!
For the Blue and the Orange and the White.
We fight for U-T-S-A
Alma Mater proud and strong.
Win, Roadrunners, Win!
And unite in our battle song.
(Repeat for second verse)

Hear the fight song performed by the UTSA Pep Band

Monument & Student Union Lights

The UTSA Monuments at the John Peace Blvd. entrance of the Main Campus and the Student Union towers are lit in a spectacular variety of colors at key times during the academic year and to celebrate special UTSA academic and athletic achievements. The Monuments, an award-winning architectural element, welcomes everyone to the UTSA Main Campus, highlights the university’s presence in the community and shows that UTSA’s spirit burns brightly. The Student Union lights bring the same symbolic lighting schemes into the heart of Main Campus.

As a university tradition, every August the campus community gathers at UTSA Midnight Light to welcome students back and celebrate the beginning of a new academic year.

Learn more about the lighting color schemes

Roadrunner Hand Sign - Birds Up

UTSA President Taylor Eighmy with U.S. Rep Joaquin Castro

Make the roadrunner hand sign by opening your hand with your palm facing away from you, as if you were telling someone to stop. Then, curl your first three fingers toward the center of your palm, leaving your thumb and little finger upright. Mimicking the body of a roadrunner bird, the thumb is the head and the pinky is the tail. This is what we do whenever we hear or say, “Birds Up!”

Roadrunner Memorial Garden

The Roadrunner Memorial Garden is a designated area at the UTSA Oval where the community can reflect on those who have passed away.

The Roadrunner Memorial Garden was championed by the UTSA Student Government Association and is a testament to the character of the UTSA community, where all Roadrunners belong. Dedicated in February 2018, the garden was made possible in part by UTSA donors through the university's crowdfunding platform. The original goal was to raise $25,000. By the end of the fundraising campaign, that total exceeded $39,000.

Roadrunner Statue

UTSA dedicated its six-foot-tall, thousand-pound Roadrunner statue in 2014. R.G. Box handcrafted the 11-foot-long statue in his forge using fires upward of 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit. Each of the statue's 1,000 feathers was hand-sculpted.

Learn more about the history of the Roadrunner Statue

Fountain of Luck

The Sombrilla Fountain is easily the most iconic landmark at UTSA. It stands in the middle of Sombrilla Plaza near the John Peace Library and brings a certain beauty to the Main Campus’ most popular hangout. But it’s also known for its luck-bequeathing powers. Campus superstition says that if you touch the fountain wall during finals week, you’re on track for good grades on your exams. It’s a double-edged sword, though. There’s also a legend that if you touch the wall any other time of the year, you’re asking for bad luck.

Bridge of Love

The bridge that connects the Arts and Flawn Sciences Buildings on the Main Campus is known as the Bridge of Love. Legend has it that in the 1970s, this bridge was the site of a Roadrunner love story. Two students, known as Julie and Jason, fell for each other but were separated when Jason was drafted to war. When the pair were finally reunited, they met in the middle of that bridge. Could this be the site of a future Roadrunner romance?

Milagros

UTSA has heart! Thirty-one hearts, to be exact. Hidden in plain site on the facades of Downtown Campus buildings are 31 bronze hearts sculpted by alumna Diana Rodriguez Gil MFA ’86 for her “Milagros” art project. The hearts, scattered across the grounds, are said to represent the love and dedication that characterizes the UTSA community. It’s a common game for new 'Runners to explore the campus and try to find them all.