Recently I was asked to be a part of Idaho State University’s new “Be” campaign, as a representative for “Be Informed.” I’m always happy to take part in anything that will raise awareness for “The Bengal” and support ISU as a whole, so I was really grateful for this opportunity.
As a representative of “The Bengal,” my first reaction was to ponder what I could say to show students that our paper is a great way to keep up with campus goings-on. As a woman who likes to think I’m at least mildly fashionable, my first reaction was to contemplate what I could wear.
I’ll be honest; I had already run through much of my wardrobe in my head before realizing that it would probably be appropriate to wear Bengal gear for an ISU promotional video. That realization then led to the realization that I own almost no orange and black. My high school mascot was the tiger. I have no excuse.
It’s not that I don’t take pride in this university. Most non-ISU students that I encounter have had to sit through some degree of rambling about the various merits of this school. My favorite rants include but are not limited to: our academics, the level of community pride and involvement and the plethora of opportunities available for students within their fields of study.
That being said, I still don’t have an extensive collection of orange and black paraphernalia to back up my feelings. My ISU items are often things I don’t feel are appropriate for daily public use (for example, the sweatpants I can be found in almost non-stop in a lounge setting).
I know free shirts are a staple at many campus events but for the life of me I can never seem to find one. It probably doesn’t help that crowds make me want to shrink up and cry.
Last semester I even braved my extreme social anxiety in order to procure a shirt at a SpringFest event. Unfortunately, that shirt is red and yellow.
While my (and others’) lack of apparent school spirit is disappointing, what really irritates me is students who would rather sport another school’s apparel over our own. This even happens on Bengal Wednesdays, the day we should at the very least try to remain neutral.
I get it; some people have deep-seated and long-standing allegiances to schools that just didn’t fit in with their personal higher education plans. But we’re Bengals now and that’s an allegiance that should be just as important.
In the past I haven’t been the best Bengal that I could be but it’s a new year and I’m determined to amp up my school spirit.
For me, this all comes back to the “Be” campaign which, among other things, encourages students to Be Involved. I plan to be more involved in supporting our university and I hope others will resolve to do the same.
Nicole Blanchard is a junior majoring in Mass Communication.
