Web Story
Spirit Week, Spirit, and the Lack of It
Written by Julius Johnson
Homecoming Game at Climate Pledge Area - Photo by: Yosef Kalinko
Monday, November 8, 2021, began Seattle University’s annual Homecoming week, and with Homecoming comes Spirit Week. This year, Redzone—SU’s campus pride and spirit organization—planned a week of spirit days in hopes of garnering participation and excitement for Homecoming and its associated events.
Redzone kicked the week off with Pajama Day, then Denim Day on Tuesday, “Anything But a Backpack” Day on Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, and finally Spirit Week’s annual Red Friday.
In the past two years, the results have stayed the same—Spirit Week comes around with little to no student participation and if you hadn’t been told it was Spirit Week, you probably wouldn’t notice. Other Homecoming events like the Homecoming Parade, sports games, and ‘Class Cab’ have no issue bringing community members together, so Spirit Week’s challenges are a conundrum.
At SU, school spirit gets expressed in a multitude of ways and although Spirit Week seems like an obvious outlet for expressing it, that hasn’t been the case. De’Andre Jones, Assistant Director of the Center for Student Involvement—with a focus on events and traditions—said, “I think there is a lot of spirit and pride on campus, I just don’t believe that Spirit Week is the best representation of that.”
For visual arts and art history major Chloe Rawlins, Spirit Week challenges authenticity and causes discomfort. “I just want to wear my own clothes all the time. I don't know, it feels kind of weird to wear stuff that everybody else is wearing. I don't know, it just feels not me,” Rawlins said.
Other students believe that it’s SU’s lack of school spirit that makes Spirit Week participation almost nonexistent. Environmental studies major Julieta Dentone said, “In my home state of Virginia, there’s a lot of school spirit—people participate in anything for the school. [At SU], it's more like people stick to their little, [friend] groups. I feel like people don't really care about participating as a school, people care more about [their own social circles].”
While this may be the case, Asst. Director Jones is confident about Spirit Week’s potential at SU. “I believe that Spirit Week can become a valuable part of Homecoming. It just requires members of our community to come together, embrace it, and have fun with it.”
For more information about upcoming events and traditions, on campus, head to ConnectSU or follow SU’s Instagram to stay up to date on all things Seattle University.