Wednesday marked yet another birthday for the University of Iowa.

To mark it, the Campus Activities Board held a celebration for the UI’s 168th birthday in the IMU. The event, the second of its kind following last year’s 167th celebration, included 750 black and gold popcorn-flavored cupcakes placed in an “I” formation.

The UI was founded on Feb. 25, 1847, the state’s first public university.

“We want the university’s birthday to be a bigger tradition,” said Alexis Nguyen, the Campus Activities Board traditions director. “This tradition should matter. We’re going here for a reason, and the university is our home. Feb. 25 is a date that people should remember. In later years, we hope to eventually have some type of party or big festive event for it.”

Hundreds of students attended the event, which occurred during the same time as the annual spring Job and Internship Fair.

“[The university] still continues to grow. Iowa City is such a diverse place,” said freshman psychology major Claire Wilson. “There’s so much to be proud of: the culture, the Writers’ Workshop, an active nightlife, and Hawkeye athletics. Everyone is revolved around Iowa athletics; because we don’t have any sort of professional team, it makes it that much more special.”

Campus Activities Board members hope to host future birthday celebrations for the university.

“I think making it a bigger event could promote even more school pride, because students would be taking a day to celebrate their university and its history,” said UI sophomore Zara Teichroew, a member of the group’s traditions committee.

Students took the time to step back and remind themselves of why they chose to attend school here. The university’s birthday is not only a day to celebrate strong academia and athletics but to recognize how beautiful and diverse our campus and school is.

The birthday party was not the first tradition the Campus Activities Board has tried to revive or put in place.

This past fall, the group brought back the tradition of a Corn Monument in front of the Pentacrest during Homecoming.

One UI Libraries official said introspection could be one result of the occasion.

“This university supports the arts, creative works, film, writing, and all of those activities that I think we should be proud of,” said Greg Prickman, the head of Special Collections and University Archives. “I think during university’s birthday, we can take a moment and reflect on where we once came from and appreciate what the university has provided for us throughout all the years.”