Retiring assistant dean of student affairs, Liora Kian Gutierrez, knew she would get emotional as she worked her last Friday of the last day of the quarter at UC San Diego. She just didn’t realize her 38-year career at the university would end in a splat. 
Students surprised the 60-year-old administrator by electing her “Watermelon Queen,” which comes with the task of climbing seven stories to the top of Urey Hall, and hurling a giant fruit over the side for the university’s annual Watermelon Drop in June. 
“I turned 60 this year and wasn’t sure if I could make it up all the stairs, but I did,” Gutierrez said. “It’s bittersweet. It’s a little emotional realizing that I’m really going to leave.”
Before the melon toss, the Watermelon Queen is dressed in extravagant attire, including a pink sash and silver tiara, and asked to smile and wave to the onlookers from above – as the benevolent monarch of the Cucurbitales Order.
“There is nothing like this sash! I’ll wear it for the rest of my summer and retirement, you can’t beat this. The crown’s a nice touch, too,” Gutierrez said.
So why do hundreds of students gather around to watch someone drop a watermelon? In 1965, professor Bob Swanson asked his students to answer the question, “What would be the terminal velocity of a watermelon dropped from the seventh floor of Urey Hall and how far would it splat?” 
According to the MC of the event, Amanda Goya, many students calculated a similar answer on this quiz, but they were wrong. These students wanted to test what the answer would be in real life, which led to the annual Watermelon Drop tradition, where the velocity and farthest piece are measured. 
This year’s farthest splat was measured at approximately 58 feet, a pretty average distance, according to Goya, and far off the record of 167 feet.
After the event, Gutierrez was all smiles as she greeted people. “[It] was very exciting,” said the UC San Diego alumna, who plans to continue to be part of the university community and volunteer at campus events.