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University Daily Kansan Tuesday. Nov. 8. 1955.
This School Spirit Business:
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
School spirit, or the lack of it, has been the subject of many editorials, letters to the editor, and news stories in the Daily Kansan recently. Unfortunately, most of the writers seem to associate school spirit only with athletic contests.
There 's Something More To It-
You amble down one of the campus walks on an autumn day with an armload of books, thinking only of tomorrow's assignment. Suddenly you glance up and see the flags whipping on top of Fraser. You pause, and feel then, just for an instant, school spirit,
Among ourselves we criticize and complain about practically every phase of campus life from midterm exams to midnight closing hours. But when any outsider attacks our University we bristle with wrath and prepare to vocally defend the honor of our school.
Or you show your family or other visitors around the campus and point out "our" new science building and "our" new field house. You explain where "our" new Music and Dramatic Arts building will be and you think of it as "our" building, even though you will have walked down Campanile Hill in cap and gown long before it is completed. This is school spirit, too.
The pride you feel in a favorite professor who publishes a book or receives an award is school spirit as much as a midnight rally along Jayhawk Boulevard.
School spirit is intangible. There is no definition for it in the dictionary. It is a feeling that goes much farther than the football field or the basketball court.
School spirit is a necessary part of athletic events, but, it is not something which can be turned on and off each time a team goes on or off the field. It is a feeling of loyalty and pride. It is a constant emotion which will continue long after commencement.
Darline Montgomery
Is It Enough?
KU lost another football game Saturday—in spite of the best display of school spirit and what was probably the largest crowd of the year.
The school spirit was ignited by the theft of the K-State wildcat and grew by leaps and bounds all week. Many students were awakened by honking horns and ringing bells lasting late into the night Thursday and Friday. Enthusiasm reached a high pitch as organized and spontaneous rallies were held throughout the day. Students actually expressed concern over the outcome of the game.
Even when the score reached 33 to 0 hopes were rekindled when the second half started. But even this spirit could not be expected to remain throughout the remainder of the game.
However, almost from the opening kickoff, it was apparent that spirit was unable to help the football team.
Many people will claim KU students still exhibited poor school spirit, and that a school with such poor spirit does not deserve a good football team. However, many people claim quite the opposite—a football team as poor as this does not deserve a cheering section!
KU students have proved a point—school spirit alone won't win football games.
—Marion McCoy
And It Seems To Be Growing
It was readily apparent after last Thursday and Friday nights that there is a great deal of enthusiasm in the student body. Jim Miller, a cheerleader, and Don Smith, president of the KuKu's, were the ones responsible for the rally Thursday evening.
It was an excellent rally—good and loud, but not destructive. There was plenty of emotion packed into the three hours of whooping and hollering. It was certainly a credit to the organizers and to those who took part.
Rough estimates on the number of people at the rally ran from 700 to 1,000. At 11:30 p.m. Thursday 102 cars passed the corner of 13th and West Campus. Figuring six to seven people in each car, though there was one convertible with 19 people in it, on it, and around it there were 600-700 people at the peak of the rally.
My friend Wimdit Frustratemenot wants to prepare and publish a long paper on The Role of Education in Collegiate Athletics.
The rally began at about 8:30 p.m., but never really gained impetus until about 10:45 when the car parade created somewhat of a traffic jam in front of the Student Union.
Having established in outline form the bases of his investigation, the future Dr. Frustratemenot has already reached his principal conclusion: There is a desperate need for new courses in spectator participation in sports. "How else," asks he, "can we bring the teen-age schizophrenic back to life in America's stadiums, at midnight pep rallies and post-game demonstrations?"
—Sam Jones
Wispy Adds 2 Cents
It is high time, Windit feels, that our everyday Ivy Leaguer, our average Pacific Coast Conference Collegian and our just plain Hot-Shot, Chalk-Hawk, Ku-Ku-Rockhead be made to feel at home with athletics. The student must integrate himself discreetly but firmly in this significant aspect of his ever-expanding socio-educational experience. Football coaches and other leaders don't seem to understand—in limiting team participation to eleven men at a time, for example—that others would like to join in the fun.
"Certainly not!" retorts Frustratement, "not as long as we can add new courses to our curriculum! The aftermath of the KU-K-State game is a striking example of what a little previous instruction and organization could have done." He then proudly handed me the following list of suggested courses:
Are we to frustrate our average student by denying him this opportunity?
2. ) Pep Rally Dynamics (Required, 3 hrs. This course offers effective methods in spontaneous agitation, yelling, jumping and throwing of available objects, Prerequisite: none.)
3. ) Goal Post Defense (Elective, 2 hrs. Course includes a rapid refresher in School Spirit, kneeling and eye-gouging techniques. Prerequisite: IQ below 50.)
1. ）Elementary Counter-Vandalism (Required, 2 hrs. A survey course. Prerequisite: Two years in reform school.)
Mr. Wispy
Editor:
... Letters ...
Thanks. Thanks for settling in the minds of the dubious the age old problem of school spirit. In traveling around to the various away games and talking with the students the problem of school spirit always seemed to be prevalent. At every one of these games, the students of the respective institutions were amazed at our good spirit. At Colorado they said we made more noise than they did, and at Nebraska if you had seen the arms waving after a KU score you would have been proud too. Returning home, it actually hurt to learn Monday that all that had happen-
In concluding this first attempt at letter writing without trying to seem melodramatic, but in all sincerity I would like to say thanks again—thanks for a renewed faith.
ized yells are shouted at house parties and dorms, and when in the Friday night car rally a person can dent his fender, push the car aside, and climb into another one to continue; when all this takes place the only thing we can do is acknowledge a great and strong spirit. This doesn't come overnight, but comes rather the moment one becomes a KU student.
With two home games left and an entire basketball season to look forward to, there is more than enough time to set the strongest dribblever straight.
Well, this past week should have quieted the doubts of the most skeptical. School spirit is such an intangible thing that it is hard to measure it quantitatively. However, this past week brought about so many manifestations that any measure taken must be of the highest degree. When 2,000 students can rally in every corner of Lawrence the night before many midterms; when shouts can be heard over the entire campus during a Friday morning rally; when organized houses turn out in force to send the team off; when organ-
ed was just a figmentation of the imagination.
Jim Bickley Cheerleader
"WOW! HOW'S TH' CHOW TODAY?"
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