Is school spirit really important?

Just like emotions, people have different ways of expressing their school spirit. 

For frat guys, body paint and shouting at football games is their preferred method. For other people, wearing apparel with their school’s mascot in public suffices. And for some people, they just couldn’t care less. 

Truthfully, school spirit is different at every school. At many larger universities, having pride in one’s school is treated religiously; rituals are performed at tailgates, school colors are worn in excess and old traditions from past students are carried on. 

Yet, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) isn’t necessarily considered a “larger university”. So, does that make school spirit less of a priority here on campus?

After surveying a sample of the student body, many CMU students seemed to feel that, despite the smaller size of the school, school spirit was still a critical aspect to creating a sense of community on campus. 

According to Tyler Meyers, a CMU freshman, “…it is very important to have school spirit at Mesa because it changes the atmosphere of the whole school and makes people feel welcome…”

Many people seem to think that school spirit helps bring people together, and because of CMU’s slightly smaller size, the community grows even tighter as a result.

“…school spirit is so important… it’s like American patriotism, the school wouldn’t be great without it!” CMU freshman Peter Juntunen said. Many people feel similarly to Juntunen, because being a part of a team, school, or even country gives them a feeling of camaraderie and community.

For the most part, the common theme among students was that school spirit was the binding agent that brought people together. However, not all students seemed to think the purpose of having school spirit was to build community.

“…school spirit is important… You chose to go to this school, so why not show your support?” said Abbie Tusing, a CMU freshman studying Pre-Nursing. To some students, when one commits to a certain university, you are essentially making a decision to support that school. 

There was certainly a lot of unanimity amongst the student populace in regards to how important school spirit is to CMU. Ultimately, the general consensus was that school spirit was key in order to establish a communal atmosphere. 

Everyone has different ways of expressing school spirit. The importance of school spirit–not just at CMU, but any school–is relative to each student and staff member.  

“School spirit is the heartbeat of a campus and is contagious to the rest of the student body. Any event is more successful when there is support from the students, faculty, & staff who are showing their Maverick Pride. Additionally, it sets the tone for various aspects around campus,” Shanae Mundee, director of student life, said.