Kubsie's Korner
The Pink Tie

The Pink Tie is the symbol of the University of Waterloo Math Faculty.

Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to The Tie
Of the University of Waterloo Mathematics
And the Faculty for which it stands.
One Faculty, under the Dean, indivisible,
With lemmas and algorithms for all.

A History of the Pink Tie

A long time ago in a land not so far away, a Mathematician had a vision. He dreamed of a place where Mathies could roam free, uninhibited by societal pressures to study Arts or Science. He dreamed of a separate Faculty of Mathematics. And he chose Waterloo to realize his dream.

Professor Ralph Stanton, the visionary behind the Faculty, also dreamed of ties. Striped ties. Dotted ties. He loved outlandish ties and his colleagues favoured his pink one. The pink tie soon came to be the unofficial symbol for Math at Waterloo.

When the Math & Computer Building celebrated its official opening in 1968, a giant 85 foot pink tie appeared on the outside of the building as a tribute to Professor Stanton and his valued contributions. Every year, Math Frosh learn to worship the tie and all it symbolizes.

Unfortunately, the pink tie has been subject to sabotage and kidnapping over the years. A ruthless terrorist sect formed, calling itself The Tie Liberation Organization. The TLO stole the math's icon in 1984 and travelled across Ontario, snapping photos of the famous pink fabric in such exotic locations as Sudbury, Ottawa, and Toronto.

A new tie -- 40 feet long and 11 feet wide -- was promptly purchased when it became obvious that the TLO would not return the original. This purchase cost the MathSoc $540.35.

The second pink tie was not stolen but rather destroyed during an Engineering-induced attack in 1986. The enemy Engineers launched a barrage of paint bombs at MC, covering the pink tie with gallons of white paint. Yet another tie was purchased in 1989 but urban legend has it that should this tie be lost or damaged, it will not be replaced.

Thus, the Tie Guard came to be. These intelligent, courageous, and loyal subjects have a specific job: to protect the sacred pink tie. Pink Tie Preservationist, Marco Koechli, a UW math grad, established the first Tie Guard in 1994 by organizing a 24 hour watch during Frosh Week. Rival Faculties and terrorist organizations were no match for the Tie Guard and the pink tie miraculously survived. The Tie Guard is now a permanent fixture every Frosh Week and has evolved into a central information point for incoming math students.

These students take the legend of the pink tie very seriously and some 1000 pink ties are distributed during Frosh Week to new Mathies. Over the years, the tie has seen various styles, ranging from an historical wide version popular in the 60s, to the skinny style favoured during the 80s. (A collection of photos and pink tie memorabilia can be viewed in the MathSoc office.)

Since 1968, the pink tie has become a sign of strength and unity in the Faculty of Mathematics. The Faculty was the first of its kind (having originally been part of the larger Faculty of Arts) and UW currently has the world's highest full-time enrolment in mathematics. UW students, staff, and faculty members alike are proud of the Faculty and especially the Legend of the Pink Tie. Long live the Tie Guard!

This information was taken from the Dean of Mathematics Office's webpage.

Pink Tie Pictures


The Pink Tie
The Pink Tie
1996 Theft Attempt
1999 Tie Guard

Pink Ties given to Orientation Participants

1990 Tie
1991 Tie
1993 Tie
1994 Tie

1995 Tie
1996 Tie
1997 Tie
1998 Tie

1999 Tie
2000 Tie
2001 Tie
2002 Tie

2003 Tie
2004 Tie
2005 Tie
2006 Tie

2007 Tie
2008 Tie

The Tie Guard

Want more info on the Tie Guard?
Check out the write up at Tie Guard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Past Tie Guards

1994Marco Koechli
1995Marco Koechli
1996Neil Murray
1997Neil Murray, Kurtis "Blue" McClellan
1998Kurtis "Blue" McClellan, Diana Price
1999Ryan "JYNX" Jenkins, Marsha Cunningham
2000Ryan "JYNX" Jenkins, Adam Stanley, Mike Henhoeffer
2001Nadia Ursacki, Mike Brown, Josh Bertrand
2002Anthony Dharmasurya, Liam Dorey, Steve Kalmar, Mike Shea
2003Catherine Hicks, Soo Go, Dave Nicholson, George Dudas
2004Chris Harasemchuk, Albert O'Connor, Paul Ullrich, Philip Weiner
2005Krysta Chapman, Gillian Gothard, Greg Hines, Dean Whelton
2006Diana Chisolm, Alex McCausland, Scott Palmer, Michael Tersigni
2007Dan Swartzentruber, Natalie Owen, Heather Perry, Sean Tozer
2008Kevin Wingham, Karly Przybylski, Michelle Kinsella, Michael Finistauri
2009Jesse Kaunisviita, Toria Gibbs, Jeff Byrne, Melissa Sparks

Janet 'Kubsie' Jenkins