It Is Not a "Coat of Arms"

In a recent (January 22, 2011) story, the Graduate Studies at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, has adopted a new "coat of arms" to replace its earlier "logo."  As nearly as I can make out from the story (found on-line at http://www.dartmo.com/archives/1289), the "logo" was placed within an oval; while the new one, because it's placed in a standard heater shield shape, must therefore be a "coat of arms."

I really wish sometimes that I could say it more strongly: Just because it's on a shield shape, that doesn't make it a coat of arms!  (Conversely, just because it's on a oval, that doesn't mean that it's not a coat of arms!)

Oh, well, I suppose I should be grateful that they didn't call it a "crest."