About 300 people howl to set the world record for the most people howling. Photo by Adam Hammer ’05
St. Cloud State University has entered the Guinness World Records for the most people howling.
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The official record states that the Department of Campus Involvement at St. Cloud State University is “officially amazing” having achieved the record with 296 participants. Previously, no record existed for the most people howling. A minimum of 250 participants was required for consideration.
The 296 students and community members gathered on Atwood Mall on April 26 to set the record. Guinness approved the record Aug. 19 after examining videos, photos and witness statements for verification.
“As our students know, there’s no pride like St. Cloud State pride anywhere else in the world,” said Lindsey Rogers, marketing coordinator for the Department of Campus Involvement. “And we have the record to prove it.”
Rogers described the wait for verification from Guinness as “excruciating.”
Students howl for the world record. Photo by Adam Hammer ’05
“There were so many rules we had to follow to obtain the record,” she said. “During the wait, I kept thinking of all the reasons they could reject our attempt.”
Now that the department has notification of their success, Rogers and her colleagues are thrilled.
This is the university’s first Guinness World Record, however previous record-setting attempts have taken place. The City of St. Cloud even named the “Day of the Rabbit” in 1980 to mark the attempt by the University Program Board to set the record for the most people doing a dance called the bunny hop. More than 2,000 people participated, but it wasn’t quite enough to break the record. A follow-up attempt took place the next year.
According to Guinness World Records, 60,000 applications for record attempts are received each year, but only a few are approved and even fewer are successful.
The department will receive its official Guinness World Records certificate within the next couple of weeks. It is not yet known if the record will be included in the print edition of the Guinness World Records book.
