The school's mascot is the Saxon, a knight
in shining armor. Since the year 871 is when King Alfred the Great succeeded his brother,
Ethelred I as King of Wessex and
Mercia (see Alfred
the Great's childhood), the phone exchange of Alfred University is 871 (i.e., all Alfred U numbers take the form
1-607-871-xxxx).Hot Dog Day is held in early
April of each year since 1972 at Alfred to raise money for local charities and
community-based civic organizations.Alfred's carillon can often be heard while on campus. The bells of the carillon,
purchased in 1937 from Antwerp, were thought to
be the oldest bells in the western hemisphere. Research later (2004) showed that the bells
were of a more recent vintage, and that Alfred had been the victim of a fraud. On the brighter side, the non-historic nature of
the bells allows the university to replace those which have a poor quality tone. Concerts continue four times a week when school
is in session, and during the summer months at least once a week.