Spring Break
Editorial
Showing spirit through sports
Editorial Board
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Ed-Op
Something great has been happening on campus over the past year - we, the Drexel student body, have begun to shed the old stigma outsiders have of us being unhappy, unspirited, and unenthusiastic.
During the Feb. 17 men's lacrosse season opener between No. 18 Drexel and No. 3 Virginia more than 2,500 people attended the game, compared to the 97 people that were at the 2007 home opener against Binghamton.
One could make the argument that greater attendance at college sporting events does not necessarily equate to happier students. At the same time, the one area where all students can come together happens to be in sports.
An English major may not be empathetic toward a biomedical engineer's work load and the biomedical engineering major may not care about the influence Shakespeare had on the world, but both majors can have the same appreciation for Drexel sports.
There is a general understanding that college students root for their school's team. This is our school - these are our Dragons taking on other schools.
As support for athletics grows, it should have a positive effect on student morale. Sporting events are chance for us as students to do something together as students - the more the merrier.
Students should take advantage of the fact that we have some of the most talented sports teams and players in the Colonial Athletic Association and the country. For example, our soccer team clinched a share of the regular season CAA championship and we have All- Americans in diving, wrestling, and women's field hockey.
If more students start attending sporting events, we can guarantee that those same students will garner a stronger appreciation for Drexel and in turn be happier students.
The various dynamics at Drexel, like a large commuter population and a co-op program that changes the students on campus every six months, make it more difficult to grow school spirit than at a conventional school. When promoting athletic events, we hope University administrators will take those challenges into consideration.
One possibility to improving the visibility of our athletics programs would be the conversion of the armory into a basketball arena. That is an issue that has been on the table for over 10 years, and keeps getting delayed. We want to be certain that it is not due to a lack of commitment from Drexel.
The new arena will do a lot for school spirit as well as increasing the prominence of our athletics program.
During the Feb. 17 men's lacrosse season opener between No. 18 Drexel and No. 3 Virginia more than 2,500 people attended the game, compared to the 97 people that were at the 2007 home opener against Binghamton.
One could make the argument that greater attendance at college sporting events does not necessarily equate to happier students. At the same time, the one area where all students can come together happens to be in sports.
An English major may not be empathetic toward a biomedical engineer's work load and the biomedical engineering major may not care about the influence Shakespeare had on the world, but both majors can have the same appreciation for Drexel sports.
There is a general understanding that college students root for their school's team. This is our school - these are our Dragons taking on other schools.
As support for athletics grows, it should have a positive effect on student morale. Sporting events are chance for us as students to do something together as students - the more the merrier.
Students should take advantage of the fact that we have some of the most talented sports teams and players in the Colonial Athletic Association and the country. For example, our soccer team clinched a share of the regular season CAA championship and we have All- Americans in diving, wrestling, and women's field hockey.
If more students start attending sporting events, we can guarantee that those same students will garner a stronger appreciation for Drexel and in turn be happier students.
The various dynamics at Drexel, like a large commuter population and a co-op program that changes the students on campus every six months, make it more difficult to grow school spirit than at a conventional school. When promoting athletic events, we hope University administrators will take those challenges into consideration.
One possibility to improving the visibility of our athletics programs would be the conversion of the armory into a basketball arena. That is an issue that has been on the table for over 10 years, and keeps getting delayed. We want to be certain that it is not due to a lack of commitment from Drexel.
The new arena will do a lot for school spirit as well as increasing the prominence of our athletics program.
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