How Important is Football?

As a Freshman, coming to a university with a great reputation for academics and networking, I wondered what could ever be an issue with the school. Then football season started. 

Coming from a family with season tickets to USC football games, I had high expectations. USC exudes tradition and confidence within both the team and the students. At any point during the game, one could look to the student section to see everyone simultaneously chanting the same cheers that have been proclaimed for decades. That kind of unity brings a school together and provides school spirit. However, at SMU it is rare to see anyone starting a cheer other then “Ole ole ole ole.” Students leave the game at halftime, if they come to the game at all. To be honest, it’s kind of pathetic. Where’s the school spirit?

After leaving the homecoming game, my friend and I were approached to fill out a survey for the school about football games. It asked us to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 how much the options would make us attend games and stay (1 being not at all and 5 being definitely). Some of the options included raffles, better food, better music, shirt cannons, etc. It almost seemed like the school was trying to bribe us to come to football games. However, I think one thing would work above all others. Winning some games! I know that it isn’t as easy as it sounds. But once that happens I feel like students will have pride in our school and our team, rather than having to make fun of ourselves. 

Another factor I feel like doesn’t help our football spirit is “boulevarding.” Every school I have been to that has a decent team, has tailgating. Not just getting drunk tailgating, but legitimate tailgates. Ones in a parking lot, with a truck, where you can have your own space to hang out with friends. Boulevarding is too uptight. Fraternities and sororities stand at their booths while alumni have their “reserved” spaces. What is there to do for the rest of the student body? They are forced to wander around with nothing to do. Maybe if SMU had a parking lot it would be a little bit more fun.  

What do you think would help out our school spirit?

Are the Obama’s the next Kennedy’s?

Now that Barack Obama has been elected the new President of the United States of America, it is interesting to think how our country will be affected. There seems to be a very real sense of excitement and intrigue into how Obama is going to carry our country through such rough times. With this is mind, it hit me that this same sense of wonder happened before in our nation’s history. John F. Kennedy held that same charisma and charm that won over this same nation is the 1960 presidential election. 

Both Obama and Kennedy were considered to be long-shots as presidential candidates. Kennedy was considered too young for the job at age 43. As a Catholic, he was also considered to be an unlikely candidate because of his religious views. Similar to JFK, Obama was also considered to be too young and inexperienced for the job at the age of 47. His African-American heritage also made him a controversial candidate for presidency, considering that the United States has never had a black president before him. Both of these men overcame their adversities and are a symbol of unity within the country. 

The Kennedy and Obama family are also similar in their structure. Both families are young, beautiful and stylish which have captured the attention of the American people. Michelle Obama and Jackie Onassis are considered style icons by the American people. They are featured in magazines wearing the “latest and greatest” in fashion. Both families also have two young children living in the White House, representing a new generation. I believe that the American people look at these two families as a symbol for change. It was a change with the civil rights movement in the 60’s and its a change for a new economy and peace in 2008. 

Both of these families represent hope for the American people. However after the assassination of JFK in 1963, the nation was in disarray and was divided once again. I believe that Obama represents that same hope and unity for America, and a very similar situation could occur if he too was assassinated. It is incredible to think how far our nation has come since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950’s. However, racist and hateful people still exist in this country that could threaten our nation’s progress. There is so much excitement about our country’s potential with Obama as our president. I just hope that people can look back at our nation’s past and learn from our mistakes so that our nation is not divided once again.

The next four years will be paramount for our nation, and as an American, I am excited to experience it first hand. America is about to experience a great change that could be quite similar to that of the 1960’s. I just hope that our country can stay united in this case. 

Blue Highways Discussion

What does Alice mean when she says, “I’m not even sure we’re an island anymore, unless you spell it capital I-hyphen-l-a-n-d?”

 When Alice refers to the island as an I-land, I think she is talking about the broken connection between the residents and the land. Before this statement she is discussing how the Belle boat has changed the island. It allowed the outside world into the island with medicine, news and ideas. People at one time were appreciative of the land they lived on and respected it. When the outside world entered the island and islanders could exit, there was not that relationship any longer. I believe that people became more interested in themselves than the well-being of the island. Hence the name I-land. Alice mentioned earlier in the passage how people once relied on the island and appreciated its beauty. Now people are so introverted that they are being destructive with their “junk” and excessive demands from the landscape. People have forgotten the value of appreciation.