The obverse has a raised cast double outer border, pellet within line surrounding a design of a squirrel holding an ear of wheat facing left sitting on a torse, with the lower case letters h and m overlapping in the field, The squirrels torse is curved and sits on top of the curved part of the h. Under the curve of the h is a shield of arms with 3 books with the inscription VE//RI//TAS on the books. This is the Harvard coat of arms. Underneath the shield is the date: 1885.

The reverse has again a double line border and at the top a cast design of a folded banner with the inscription VERITATEM - FORTITER - DICERE. Underneath this the name 'Swinburne Hale' is inscribed followed by the year 1905 underneath, and under this 'October 19.1903'

At the top of the medal there is a separate wide silver loop clasped over the border from the top of which projects a small silver ring. A separate, larger, silver ring is looped through this.

The medal is 52.1 mm long from base to the top of it's loop, 38.5mm wide, and 3.2mm thick.

This medal was given to students for their achivements during their time at University. Swinburne Hale was a lawyer and poet who was very influential in American civil rights movements in the 1920s. He graduated with a Bachelors in Arts in 1905, which fits with the upper date on the medal. From this we assume that this medal belonged to Swinburne Hale, rather than it being a medal given in his honour. It is not clear how it came to be lost in Somerset although his first wife was English and spent time in England after their divorce, as did his daughters.