New group striving to make Hawk spirit soar

KRIS STIVERS
THE SIGNAL

The Hawk Spirit and Traditions Council (HSTC) came together to encourage and support the creation, promotion and preservation of pride in UHCL through educational and social programming including school spirit and campus traditions.

More than 20 individuals representing students, staff, faculty and alumni began meeting last summer to come up with ideas.

“The group formed [last June] and was given three goals,” said Patrick Cardenas, coordinator of Student Life. “To work on existing spirit events and campus traditions, brainstorm and research other universities and use the information to help create new spirit events and traditions that fit the UHCL mission and goals, and develop an organizational structure for the new council, so that it can continue with its mission in the future.”

New school spirit initiatives have been discussed, including a proposed spirit day encouraging students to wear school colors (blue and green) on Wednesdays.

The initial idea for a spirit day began as a joke from members of the First Year Initiative-New Traditions Sub-Committee within HSTC.  The idea mimics a familiar movie line, “On Wednesdays, we wear pink,” from the 2004 film “Mean Girls.”

“The more we thought about it, the more sense it made because UHCL does not have an active student life on Fridays like University of Houston,” said Carla Bradley, president of the Student Government Association (SGA) and member of HSTC.  “If you were to look at how busy the campus is on a typical week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays seem to bring in the most students onto campus and those are days we would want to show off the most school spirit.”
Universities traditionally foster school spirit to create a sense of unity and pride amongst a student body.

Joyce Delores Taylor, chair of the UHCL Alumni Association and member of the HTSC, believes new initiatives, like the proposed spirit day, will benefit the university as whole.

“In order to promote a spirit of camaraderie and love for UHCL, I think it is important for those who are a part of the university to recognize and support school spirit,” Taylor said. “These school initiatives will show our support for UHCL, help the current and new freshmen students to feel a part of the university and give an avenue for celebration, fun and pride in being a UHCL Hawk for not only the students, but faculty, staff, alumni and administration as well.”

Bradley is very passionate about the impact these initiatives can have.

“I have always told students never to just come and leave campus,” Bradley said.  “Being active doesn’t always mean [you have to] join a student organization.  With initiatives like this, I hope that it will encourage students to stop and see what’s offered to them and take advantage of all the resources available to them.

Although UHCL is a non-traditional university, Bradley anticipates the four-year initiative that will make the university a full, four-year university in fall 2014 could change the expectations of the student body.

“Freshmen and transfering sophomores will want to experience a university life like the ones portrayed in the movies and media,” Bradley said.  By starting something like this, they can help us keep it going after we are long-time alumni.”

Bradley also noted that any students who have ideas or suggestions to further the spirit initiative should bring them to the SGA office located in SSCB 1.205.

“Sometimes, students do not realize that they have immense power to influence the way things are done at UHCL,” Bradley said. “The support or lack thereof from students can either make or break this grassroots initiative.”

Colden Snow, HSTC member and anthropology major, echoed Bradley’s thoughts on being part of the spirit movement.

“It has been exciting being a charter member,” Snow said.  “The council is extremely important for the future of UHCL with our first freshmen and sophomores coming in the fall. We are working hard to bolster our current traditions and create new traditions for current and future students.  It is important to create a sense of community outside the classroom, so students want to stay at UHCL. I feel HSTC has an important role in the future of UHCL.”