ASUSU View: Show a little school pride
It is an amazing and intimidating sight to see the Spectrum filled with fans in blue. Many teams hate to play us because of the rowdy students that fill the seats and make their presence known. The tradition of wearing blue to basketball games has been around for years and it is time to take it to the next level. It is time to have a sea of blue at football games and other athletic events. It is time to clean the polluted classrooms full of students wearing other universities’ apparel. It is time to show our true colors.
Why is it important to be proud of our Aggie alliance, to wear Utah State apparel and not “the enemy’s” colors? To answer that question, I would like to refer to a letter to the editor written by Scott Teichert on Wednesday, April 7, 2004, discussing the issue of school pride. In the letter, he called all those students who go to Utah State and support other rival schools (in-state rivals in particular) “wolves in Utah State clothing.” How true that statement is. Students on campus who support other school programs by wearing their apparel do nothing more than tear down our Aggie pride. It shows that we are ashamed of who we are and of our peers. It shows a lack of identity. It is proof of our school’s weakness.
Recently, I visited the campus of the University of Colorado. When talking to students there about athletic events, one thing was for sure, you always wore black or gold to the games and never any other color, especially not red. CU has a big rivalry with the University of Nebraska and no one would be caught dead wearing their colors. One student told me, “if someone is stupid enough to wear red to a football game, it won’t be long before the fans will strip them down and they will be cheering shirtless.”
I am not suggesting that we have this attitude. USU students hold themselves higher than this. All I am suggesting is that we show our school spirit more by wearing our school colors with pride. It is time we wear our colors during academic programs, at student activities and at all athletic events.
On Sept. 16, we have the chance to prove ourselves. The Utes are coming to town and I hope that Romney Stadium is filled with blue-clad Aggies who are not afraid to show their allegiance. We can have the stadium filled with blue that night, but it will take the students to make it happen. I challenge you to bring your blue that night and take a stand for our school. As for all of those on campus who are wishy-washy on your allegiance, I encourage you to see the light and become the Aggie that you ought to be.