The SMU Spirit and Traditions Committee 'Smokescreen'
Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 8:30 pmhttp://www.smudailycampus.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/08/16/3f3eba7149ed4?in_archive=1
http://www.smudailycampus.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/09/23/3f6fc551b6118?in_archive=1
http://www.smudailycampus.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/09/24/3f712b4b35d2a?in_archive=1
Response to last link from Mr. J. Redwine Patterson that you will, most likely, not see in The Daily Campus.
Mr. Jeremy Roebuck, Editor
The Daily Campus
SMU Box 456
Dallas, TX 75275
Re: Opinion - September 24, 2003 Daily Campus
The claim that SMU lacks spirit
by David R. Hayden, Hughes-Trigg Business Manager
Dear Mr. Roebuck:
In the captioned letter, David R. Hayden (not an SMU graduate) mentioned the Spirit and Traditions Committee created by Dr. James E. Caswell, Vice-President for Student Affairs. Mr. Hayden stated this committee would revitalize our school spirit by having everyone wear red and blue on Friday, and "with the 'red sea' of shirts packed into Ford Stadium with cheers led from the field and echoed from both sides of the stands..."
By that, I presume he meant that we would somehow fill Ford Stadium with SMU students, alumni and fans who wear red shirts and encourage our team on to victory with cheers led by the cheerleaders.
After this letter was published, we played UTEP and Boise State at Ford Stadium. Before each game there was a pre-game purported "pep rally" at the Walker Plaza Memorial, which was attended by no one other than the band and the cheerleaders. There was no "red sea" of students, alumni and fans filling the stadium, nor were there any cheers echoing from both sides of the stands. Of the few students who were present at these games, most left at halftime as did many of the alumni and fans. The UTEP supporters almost outnumbered the SMU fans and the attendance at the Boise State game was the smallest since Ford Stadium opened in 2000.
So much for the Caswell/Hayden Spirit and Traditions Committee and the so-called school spirit revitalization program.
The Daily Campus should publish the mandate of this committee and list all the members and their jobs. Under the direction of Dr. Caswell as Vice-President of Student Affairs, his mechanism for our school spirit - or the lack thereof - is and has been a total disaster.
SMU is in dire straits. It is sending out an SOS, Save Our Spirit, but neither Dr. Caswell nor his Spirit and Traditions Committee have a clue as to how to do it!
The first step in this rescue is to place our school spirit mechanism under the control and supervision of our Athletic Department, who know and understand the dynamic relationship between our teams, the student body, alumni, fans, faculty and administration - and the cheerleaders and our great Mustang Band.
Sincerely,
J. Redwine Patterson, Class of 1948
Head Yell Leader, 1947-48
Student Council President, 1948-49
cc: Dr. Gerald R. Turner,
President, SMU
Dr. James Caswell
Vice-President of Student Affairs, SMU
Mr. Gerald J. Ford
Chairman, Board of Trustees, SMU
Coach Phil Bennett
Head football coach, SMU
Ms. Judith Banes
Director, Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports, SMU
Mr. Jim Copeland
Director of Athletics, SMU
Mr. David Hayden
Hughes-Trigg Business Manager
<small>[ 10-28-2003, 05:35 PM: Message edited by: MrMustang1965 ]</small>
http://www.smudailycampus.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/09/23/3f6fc551b6118?in_archive=1
http://www.smudailycampus.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/09/24/3f712b4b35d2a?in_archive=1
Response to last link from Mr. J. Redwine Patterson that you will, most likely, not see in The Daily Campus.
Mr. Jeremy Roebuck, Editor
The Daily Campus
SMU Box 456
Dallas, TX 75275
Re: Opinion - September 24, 2003 Daily Campus
The claim that SMU lacks spirit
by David R. Hayden, Hughes-Trigg Business Manager
Dear Mr. Roebuck:
In the captioned letter, David R. Hayden (not an SMU graduate) mentioned the Spirit and Traditions Committee created by Dr. James E. Caswell, Vice-President for Student Affairs. Mr. Hayden stated this committee would revitalize our school spirit by having everyone wear red and blue on Friday, and "with the 'red sea' of shirts packed into Ford Stadium with cheers led from the field and echoed from both sides of the stands..."
By that, I presume he meant that we would somehow fill Ford Stadium with SMU students, alumni and fans who wear red shirts and encourage our team on to victory with cheers led by the cheerleaders.
After this letter was published, we played UTEP and Boise State at Ford Stadium. Before each game there was a pre-game purported "pep rally" at the Walker Plaza Memorial, which was attended by no one other than the band and the cheerleaders. There was no "red sea" of students, alumni and fans filling the stadium, nor were there any cheers echoing from both sides of the stands. Of the few students who were present at these games, most left at halftime as did many of the alumni and fans. The UTEP supporters almost outnumbered the SMU fans and the attendance at the Boise State game was the smallest since Ford Stadium opened in 2000.
So much for the Caswell/Hayden Spirit and Traditions Committee and the so-called school spirit revitalization program.
The Daily Campus should publish the mandate of this committee and list all the members and their jobs. Under the direction of Dr. Caswell as Vice-President of Student Affairs, his mechanism for our school spirit - or the lack thereof - is and has been a total disaster.
SMU is in dire straits. It is sending out an SOS, Save Our Spirit, but neither Dr. Caswell nor his Spirit and Traditions Committee have a clue as to how to do it!
The first step in this rescue is to place our school spirit mechanism under the control and supervision of our Athletic Department, who know and understand the dynamic relationship between our teams, the student body, alumni, fans, faculty and administration - and the cheerleaders and our great Mustang Band.
Sincerely,
J. Redwine Patterson, Class of 1948
Head Yell Leader, 1947-48
Student Council President, 1948-49
cc: Dr. Gerald R. Turner,
President, SMU
Dr. James Caswell
Vice-President of Student Affairs, SMU
Mr. Gerald J. Ford
Chairman, Board of Trustees, SMU
Coach Phil Bennett
Head football coach, SMU
Ms. Judith Banes
Director, Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports, SMU
Mr. Jim Copeland
Director of Athletics, SMU
Mr. David Hayden
Hughes-Trigg Business Manager
<small>[ 10-28-2003, 05:35 PM: Message edited by: MrMustang1965 ]</small>