The following piece is an opinion and does not reflect the views of The Eagle and its staff. All opinions are edited for grammar, style and argument structure and fact-checked, but the opinions are the writer’s own.
This year, the American University men’s basketball team won the Patriot League championship for the first time in 11 years. Bender Arena was sold out, and the crowd was energetic. Despite the team’s success this season with a 22-13 record, many of my friends and people I talked to did not know AU was a Division I school until this game. This felt ridiculous to me since AU has pretty good athletics, even for sports other than men’s basketball.
This lack of awareness about athletics indicates a lack of school spirit in general; people don’t take pride in going to AU. Students wear AU merchandise, but I see gear from other universities on campus more often. A 2023 retention rate of 88.2 percent demonstrates that some students transfer from AU to other universities, making the University feel less cohesive. The University definitely has a community, but it lacks true school spirit.
So, how can AU fix this lack? The first solution is to have on-campus events that students are excited about. Kogod School of Business hosted Flo Milli for a concert in Bender Arena last November, giving students something to look forward to. This shared experience between students creates community and pride.
Not every event needs to be as high-profile as a Flo Milli concert. AU hosts an “All-American Welcome” during orientation week, including events like an outdoor movie night and drag bingo. These events help incoming freshmen find a sense of community at the University, and this should not stop after orientation week. AU should have similar events throughout the school year to promote community and make people proud to attend the University.
Another way the University can improve school spirit is by highlighting student achievements to everyone, not just prospective students. When I was a high school student visiting AU, my tour guide told me about the various places that AU students end up and how successful many alumni are. Now that I’m a student, I rarely hear about the accomplishments of my peers. AU was recently named a Top Fulbright Producing Institution for the ninth time in 13 years. The University should highlight achievements like this, demonstrating to current students how motivated and involved students can be.
AU should also find ways to improve merchandise. I’m not a huge fan of many of the school’s current merchandise options. Friends I’ve talked to share that opinion. An easy fix for this could be for the University to create a form where students can express what kind of merchandise they want the University to sell. AU could also create a program where students design merchandise. That way, the merchandise would reflect student tastes and utilize student talent.
Once students have gear they enjoy wearing, AU can partner with local restaurants or stores, potentially offering a discount for students wearing AU merch. Wagshal’s, a market near AU, offered a happy hour in 2021 where students got 15 percent off their purchases. Combining this concept with merch could be effective. Students would definitely wear their merchandise more if they could get an extra discount at local stores.
Finally, the most straightforward way to improve school spirit is to promote athletics. Though the men’s basketball Patriot League championship game in March was packed, most AU sports games don’t have a great turnout. Some ways the University can remedy this include pre-game events like barbecues and tailgates. By having free events before the games, AU can promote interaction among students and create better fan bases for our sports teams.
The University should also be more informative about when games are. I love basketball and played in high school, so I like to attend basketball games when possible. However, I often forget to check when the games are. AU can utilize social media and other resources to inform students about athletics schedules. More students would likely show up if a certain post mentions the time of a game and if there are pre-game events with food or other perks.
AU currently lacks school spirit, but the University can turn this around through events, showcasing student achievement and capitalizing on student talent for merchandise. AU should also continue the momentum of the men’s basketball team’s Patriot League championship, using the engagement in that game as inspiration to promote our other teams.
Avyay Sriperumbudur is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences and a columnist for The Eagle.
This article was edited by Quinn Volpe, Alana Parker and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Emma Brown and Nicole Kariuki.
