COLUMN: Make sure your blue is Aggie blue
Forget tuition increases and lack of parking.
The real problem at Utah State University is students who walk around campus wearing clothes containing the logos of other schools, specifically BYU.
It’s time that these students, who number more than a few, get clued in on something called school spirit, and loyalty.
In a time where the university is utilizing a great number of resources to promote the new “Think” recruitment plan and trying to build Aggie loyalty, we have students who act as walking billboards for other schools throughout the country.
What are the reasons for this? Sure the majority of students at USU are LDS, and some may feel a certain loyalty to the LDS Church-owned BYU. That’s fine; just don’t wear your Cougar shirt here.
This issue is far deeper than which athletic team a student wants to cheer for. If a USU student is such a fair-weather fan that he has to cheer for BYU athletics, then frankly, that’s his own personal problem.
The real issue is having pride in one’s school, representing the school in all facets of life and going into the workforce with that pride. When you graduate from USU, donate to the school, donate to the department you received your degree from and join the Big Blue Club to support Aggie Athletics, if you’re a fan of that.
The degree you receive from USU that is going to play a major part in your future employment will not contain the signatures of Gordon B. Hinckley and Cecil O. Samuelson. It will be signed by Kermit L. Hall and Mike Leavitt or Olene Walker or whoever is governor at the time.
Too many students appear to be graduating from USU, moving to the Wasatch Front, and jumping on the bandwagon at the University of Utah or BYU, allowing a large portion of their discretionary income to go to those two schools. Everyone has their excuse for not supporting USU, but none of them are good excuses.
If you are a student receiving a good education from this university, you owe it to the school to support it after graduation. Too many students are graduating and going out into the workforce believing that USU owes them something for all the tuition dollars they invested in the school. That’s only the way it works in the mind of a freeloader.
The problem of not supporting USU is starting now, with students who are currently attending the school. Ask an alumnus of USU how many people they saw wearing BYU clothing or U hats when they were attending the school and they will likely tell you they rarely, if ever, saw it.
Show you have pride in the university by supporting Aggie Athletics and wearing Aggie blue at those events. Participate in student leadership, get involved with service projects, do something to improve the school and in the process help improve your marketability as a graduate of this institution. As exposure for USU grows, so does the value of your USU degree.
There is a certain pride and honor in being a part of the Aggie tradition at USU. It’s a fact that some students are going to choose to not participate in that tradition. For those who do, go out into the real world with pride and support for the university. When you do, it will show the world that Utah State University is the greatest place to attend school and show your co-workers that they missed out by not coming to Logan for college.
It all starts with wearing blue at USU, but when you put on that blue shirt, make sure it’s the prideful navy blue of Utah State, not that navy blue the other school stole from us.