In 1897, Mark Twain wrote “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” Twain wrote this in response to public confusion between a cousin’s illness and his own demise. I thought about that when I read the opinion piece about the entrance sign and College logo in the The Guilfordian on Feb. 6.

The piece, written by staff writer Lesly Vasquez, suggested that the College dropped the tree from its logo altogether because it does not appear on the recently updated entrance sign. In fact, the tree remains an important element in the expanded logo system that was launched in mid-2013.

With the new logo system we have options for communicating the Guilford name and identity. The marks include a signature (Guilford College) as well as an emblem (Guilford College and tree) that has versions with and without the seven core values.

The emblem, including the tree, is displayed on the website, social media pages, major publications, stationery and business cards — making highly visible impressions far beyond the corner of Friendly and New Garden. Also, the banners along the entrance road and Founders walk feature the emblem.

The signature was chosen for the entrance sign because it clearly communicates the name of the college to people in transit and is best suited for the horizontal format of the sign. It is typical for colleges and universities to display their signature on entrance signs.

I am heartened by the enthusiasm for the tree and respect and understand the opinions about the change in the sign. Moreover, I would like all interested parties to know the tree is alive and well in our hearts, minds and in the new logo system.