Nicole Blanchard
Editor-in-Chief
Somehow another summer seems to have snuck by (seriously, are we sure it’s not mid-June?), but I have to admit that I’m happy to be back at “The Bengal” and on campus at ISU.
Though the semester has barely started, I feel like I’m overwhelmed with the amount of Bengal pride I’ve seen in the short time I’ve been back in Pocatello. The quad is constantly speckled in orange and black, and Week of Welcome turnout has been fantastic thus far.
I’m really hopeful that this will be the year our Idaho State school spirit will last through the year. I get it, it’s easy to come back to school fresh and excited about everything. After classes, homework and life in general have taken their toll, it may seem like picking out an orange shirt on Wednesday is the last thing on your list of priorities.
This year I’m challenging myself and all other Bengals to go the extra mile in carrying our school spirit all the way to finals week.
While it may be tempting to settle in for another Netflix marathon some nights, it will be well worth your time to come out to a sporting event, culture night or other ISU goings-on. And when your favorite shirt is calling your name on Wednesday, consider setting it aside just once in favor of some ISU gear.
When your motivation for all things school-related seems to be waning, that’s when it’s most important to kick things up a notch and really push yourself to show how much you care about your education, your university and your fellow Bengals.
Participating may seem simple, but I think throwing on an ISU shirt or spending a few moments interacting with other students can put our minds back in perspective when the going gets tough. It can be easy to breed resentment toward the stress and monotony of attending classes each day and toiling away at homework. Sometimes that exhaustion leaves us wondering why we’re even here, or what we find appealing in our fields of study.
Taking a second to breathe, relax and enjoy Idaho State can reset some of that negativity. After all, it’s always more fun to be part of a community you can take pride in.
That’s why I’ve got my fingers crossed for a spirit-filled semester ahead. It’s funny, though the semester has just begun, the transition has me looking to December, when I will graduate and no longer be a Bengal. I want to look back on my time here and know that four years of my life were spent embracing the community I’m a part of, not simply tolerating it.
As the first sporting events of the year come and go, and homework schedules start to conflict with exciting events, try to keep in mind the excitement and positivity that our campus is bursting with in these initial weeks of the new year.
If we all hold continue to stoke that Bengal pride, I’m sure we’ll see campus covered with as much orange and black as snowy white by the time winter arrives.
Nicole Blanchard is a senior majoring in Mass Communication.
