Another change may be in the beginning stages. BYU's ROTC program guards the Y during the week when BYU plays Utah in football, but campus clubs have abdicated their previous role as Y guardians when the Y is lit.

Grounds director Roy Peterman said he recently sent a memo to the administration saying it is costing too much to hire security and suggesting the university explore new technologies for lighting the Y.

"There are new technologies with vandal-proof materials," Peterman said. "There are new acrylics like those found in bulletproof glass that possibly could be used."

They won't be any tougher than the rock underneath the rocks that make up the Y.

"The top of Y mountain is Pennsylvanian and Permian age rocks, which are approximately 300 million years old," BYU geology professor Tom Morris said. "The base of the mountain is Cambrian and Precambrian, more than 500 million years old.

"We're well-rooted in history."

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