COLUMN: Student spirit still lacking at USD

Being in marching and pep band, I attend a lot of the University of South Dakota athletic events. I had always envisioned these events to be full of energy and have a lot of support from the student body.

However, I have found this to be quite the opposite. At the basketball games, there was low attendance, and even if there was a crowd, they seemed to be bored. Sure, we aren’t the No. 1 seed in the nation, but our basketball teams are well trained and can play a great game.

I don’t mean to say that I expect everyone at every game, because that would be impossible. A lot of people have jobs, other activities or things they have to attend outside of school. Also, I’m not saying if you don’t go to one game you are not a true USD fan, but it is important to make an effort to support your school.

I hear a lot of people complain about how USD is terrible at everything. First of all, we are not a bad school. We have some very talented students in athletics, fine arts and academics.

Secondly, if we always have a negative attitude, we will never grow to our true potential as a student body. As a student body, we need to learn how to cheer and support our school to create school pride. Wear red on Fridays, talk well about our school and always try to attend events. Students should not only attend athletic events, but fine arts events as well. You might just be surprised at the talent we have in our music, art and theatre departments.

So, instead of watching a re-run of a sitcom you have seen 20 times, go online, find events and go support our school and peers. If we get more student body support, USD will be a more enjoyable experience for every student.