Aggies, be proud of your school

By Debra Hawkins

October 27, 2008 | As this year's game day shirt boldly exclaims, we are proud of our "A's." Excitedly lining up for that first chance to kiss on the A at midnight, grabbing a scoop of free Aggie ice cream whenever the opportunity presents itself and eating cheeseburgers in the shape of hot dogs are all a part of what makes us Aggies.

Educating students since 1888, USU has a rich heritage and deep-rooted traditions. Thousands of students have walked these grounds and called it their home, and thousands proudly boast their alma mater.

So, while we're here, we should be proud of USU. There are many USU students who consider USU a second-rate university, preferring to go to other "more prestigious" schools, while for some reason or another ended up here. Instead of embracing their school, many of these Closet Cougars continue to sulk in corners watching football games from hours away instead of heading down to the stadium and partaking of what is in front of them.

So the football team isn't what any school would envy. That doesn't make watching them play any less a part of the whole college experience. Every time students don their Aggie Blue, they are showing some school pride.

School pride. What does that mean exactly? It's tossed around like some collegiate buzz word, but what does it mean to have school pride, Aggie pride?

For starters, come to athletic events. Believe it or not, there are more sports than football and basketball. These smaller sports boast talented teams that perform well in the WAC. In fact, one of the smallest teams, the cross country and track teams, are the only USU athletic programs to have a WAC title under their belts.

When you come to an athletic event, cheer. It's not a time to text message your love interest or do homework. Come to enjoy the event and time with other fans. Join in on the chants. Make opponents fear the Spectrum.

Besides athletics, there are many academic ways to show school pride. USU was recently named one of the Best in the West universities by the Princeton Review. That should evoke some pride. Our engineering and education programs are some of the best in the country.

Even if your specific program isn't one of those, seek to build your program up. Get involved in active learning by participating in study abroad, service learning and internships. When you do, you carry the banner of USU to wherever you go.

School pride is all about what you make of your educational experience. The more you put in, the more you'll get out. So put on that blue shirt and be proud of your A.

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