Wear it loud and proud

Wear it loud and proud
Donning gear from another school is a bit of a slap in the face
http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/28102
Derrick Skaug
The Daily Evergreen
Published: 03/12/2009

I am not a fashion guy. What brand someone wears does not define who they are. However, there is one fashion choice that just really bothers me – when a WSU student wears another college’s gear.

Sure, sometimes in the morning I just throw on a sweatshirt, but just the fact that people own a non-WSU sweatshirt is telling of their Cougar pride. When I committed to WSU, I gave all my random college gear away so I could avoid the very mistake that these spiritless students have made. These students are intentionally undermining our school.

Gonzaga and Harvard are the schools that seem to be sported the most often by these ashamed WSU students, and it really sets me off. If Harvard and Gonzaga are so amazing, the students should go there and then their shirts will fit in with every other student. Problem solved. My instincts tell me these students suffer from a uninformed sense of self-loathing for attending a public state school.

There is nothing wrong with going to a public school. Some of the best schools in the nation are public schools. WSU is one of those high-level state schools and has often been ranked in the top 100 schools in the nation, matching the so called “elite” private schools. These students should be proud of attending this great university – not ashamed.

For the most part, where you go to college doesn’t matter nearly as much as what you do. George W. Bush went to Yale and Harry Truman never even attended college, yet there isn’t a single historian that would call Bush a better president than Truman. In choosing a running mate, Barack Obama passed on Yale-educated Hillary Clinton for University of Delaware graduate Joe Biden. John McCain picked University of Idaho graduate Sarah Palin over Harvard-educated Mitt Romney for his running mate.

Sure wearing Gonzaga and Harvard gear is bad, but I must say wearing “University of Pink” gear just crosses the line. I am a guy and know more about rocket science than fashion, but trust me on this one. Not only is there no University of Pink, but the concept of it is just ridiculous. What do “UP” students major in, pink studies? If you go to WSU, your school colors are crimson and gray, not pink!

Imagine if a University of Washington student saw a WSU student wearing another college’s gear. It’s a perfect insult setup: “Your students are so ashamed to go to WSU, they wear other college’s shirts and pretend they go there.” WSU students don’t wear UW gear. Aside from the fact that it indicates a desire to go to UW, it would also probably lead to a serious beat-down.

Any other college shirt should be no different. Not that I am advocating violence; subtle insults and rude looks will suffice. A line like, “Oh are you transferring to Gonzaga?” every time they wear their sweatshirt will make a world of difference.

I know it can get tough during some of the sports seasons when our teams don’t shine, but wearing gear from the opposing team on a game weekend is treacherous backstabbing. You’re just letting everyone know you didn’t get accepted there and are still licking your wounds. The only time a high school student wears another school’s gear is when they are acting in a bad skit during an assembly. Considering we actually chose our college – unlike high school students – shouldn’t we have higher standards?

To the student who thinks University of Pink is the greatest school to ever grace the earth, put away the shirt until your acceptance letter shows up.