Lets See If This Appeal Works ------------

[50's PONY]

OPINION


The Apathy Must End
Ed Board wants a full student section tonight at Moody Coliseum


Editorial
February 16, 2005


Apathy. Roughly defined, apathy is a lack of interest, concern, emotion or feeling, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; in other words indifference or impassiveness.

When Ed Board looked the word up, we found a picture of the SMU student body. The problem of people not showing any interest in campus events has increased this semester more than any in recent memory. Did anybody hear that we had two competitive basketball teams… and that they both won big games on Saturday night? Mustang basketball games at Moody Coliseum are some of the most exciting events on campus. That is, when students show up.

Now Ed Board is not asking Mustang Maniacs to be like the “Cameron Crazies” at Duke University, perhaps the craziest fans in college basketball. But at the very least come to the game. Maybe even throw on a red shirt. Heck, throw up your “pony ears” and shake a pompon.

Ed Board has heard all the excuses: “I’m busy tonight,” “I have a new member/group meeting,” the pompous “It’s SMU athletics, how fun can that be?” or perhaps the ever-popular (and very lame) “I’ve got a ton of homework/I have a test tomorrow.” Last time we checked, a lot of people probably have some from of homework due tomorrow, and maybe even (gasp!) at test. While Ed Board fully supports academic endeavors, we would like to remind you that yes you are in college. College students go to basketball games. Since when did we all turn into a bunch of sniveling, day-planner-toting Dilberts?

If there was ever a student body that knew how to have fun, it is at SMU. Ed Board has seen you at countless parties and social events, and we know you can be rowdy, loud and unified for a cause. Just look at how strong many of the Greek organizations and multicultural groups can be with philanthropies and socials. Well, Ed Board also realizes that these groups also advocate interaction and support of each other.

SMU basketball games are a blast, and the teams are very competitive, while the games are social events that have the capacity to unite the entire school beneath one common voice. The band is loud, and best of all you get to sit, or even stand a few feet from the action, right on the court.

Tonight, Ed Board encourages… implores you, the student body, to attend the men’s basketball game against Louisiana Tech. The game tips off at 7 p.m. in Moody Coliseum. So be a leader, get a group of your friends together and head to the game and cheer your Mustangs on to victory.




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[BarbaraAnn]

Fantastic!

[MrMustang1965]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[MrMustang1965]

Heh. Maybe about a dozen more students in attendance than is normal for a weeknight game. Too bad. The rest of the student body missed a 'barn burner'! FINAL: SMU 73, LA. TECH 70

[MrMustang1965]

It must be something in the water! The following editorial also appeared in today's issue of the student newspaper at my alma mater, Sam Houston State! Ironic, to say the least!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

By Randy Goins
Published: Thursday, February 17, 2005

Going by the attendance at games, it appears as if more people would rather get a sigmoidoscopy than be at any Sam Houston State sporting event.

The apathetic Bearkats are well-known for their lack of school spirit, especially during basketball season.

Around 2,600 people attended the men's basketball game against Lamar, which while not horrible, filled less than half of the available seats in the 6,110-capacity Johnson Coliseum. The women's game drew a crowd of around 970.

Why does no one show up to support the Bearkats?

It has to be a general lack of school spirit or laziness, right?

The teams aren't sucking this year. The football team did exceptionally well compared to past performances and the men's basketball team aren't exactly building brick houses on the court either.

Bribery doesn't seem to be working either.

The coliseum is hosting another 25-cent jumbo hot dog night when the men's and women's teams play Nicholls State tonight. During the last hotdog night on Jan. 27, 2,588 hot dogs of the 2,640, a record, were sold.

The idea of free food at the Johnson Coliseum may attract the cheap and/or overweight, but whether they stick around to watch the game is a different story.

Are the students not energized at the games, get bored and leave?

The Orange Pride team won national champions and Sammy the Bearkat also won a national competition.

In theory, two national champions can entertain the crowds, so it is doubtful they are the weak link causing such poor attendance.

Baseball seems to have the right idea, with their whole Bearkat Ballgirls team, made up primarily of girls from the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.

The attendance at the game against Texas A&M was 521, rather high considering Holleman Field can only hold 700 spectators.

Whether or not this idea has been the contributing factor in filling seats is unknown, but hearing the phrase "Ballgirls" would get the attention of most people.

Sam Houston State students generally don't seem to care, due to in part to many being "suitcase students" or former Aggies.

This is a state university, and many people seem more worried about getting a degree than watching sports. It's not that school sports are unimportant, they just aren't high on many students' priority lists.

The problem with poor event attendance will probably never be solved, no matter how good teams are, who is handling balls at the games or how many wieners are available.

[No Cal Pony]

I'd love to see folks post that more students are going, but until more kids coming to SMU really "love" their school, only winning will help. This seems to always be a problem. If more were like MM65 (who we know didn't even go) or like many of us, this wouldn't be such an issue. I liked SMU as I applied. I felt stronger as a freshman. SMU was mine. Do or die.

It should be mandatory that they all go to some event. More of the history should be drilled into their brains. SMU is theirs, love it or leave it.

Well, it is a thought anyway.

Go Ponies!

[abezontar]

Didn't we have a discussion about this (or something similar) a while back? It was suggested that an SMU history class be required of all incoming freshman. If I remember most seemed to scoff at the idea. I personally think it would still be a good idea. I know that SMU wasn't my first choice, and if I hadn't had a friend that convinced me to join the band the summer before my freshman year I seriously doubt that I would care about the university the way I do now. I love the school because the band required that I learn the history of SMU and the band and go SMU events. There isn't another organization on campus that I know of that does that with it's members. Granted that is really the whole point of the band, but I doubt there is anything similar with the cheer and pom squads. If you remember from last night, it looked like most of the dance team left after they performed during their timeout in the first half. Those girls should be the ones that want to stay. Maybe if they knew something about how great SMU has been, and began to understand that they represent a great tradition (despite what Eric Dickerson said) they will be more inclined to support the teams even when they aren't required to be at the games. I would think the same could be true of the student body as a whole.