On the Saturday of Homecomings weekend, students, families and alumni alike enjoyed pancakes and basked in sunlight and nostalgia. In the early afternoon, thousands filed into Scott Stadium for the UNC football game. The crowd was an overwhelming sea of orange, and the cheers were deafening. Our defeat was last minute — but not necessarily unexpected considering our recent football history. Nevertheless, it was a disappointing loss.
School pride is bountiful at football games. We sing the Good Old Song and watch as Cav Man struts up and down the field. However, sometimes school spirit goes too far. I was startled at the football game to see a sign that read “UNC: University of No Classes” in reference to UNC’s recent academic scandal. After the defeat, Yik Yak exploded with insulting and bitter responses to the loss, with phrases like “at least our football players go to class.” While Yik Yak — as eloquently expressed by my fellow columnist, Brennan Edel — is not representative of the entire student body, the insulting Yaks were “up-voted” by hundreds of students. On a similar note, last fall I saw a sign at the Syracuse game that read: “Syracuse was my safety school.”
This spirit of superiority does not just manifest itself through sports rivalries. A certain line often inserted into the Good Ole Song regarding Tech speaks for itself. Often our collective attitude toward other universities shoots past competitive straight towards dismissive and callous. Of course, not everyone at the University is fond of putting other schools and their students down. However, it is enough of an issue to be worth addressing.
As someone not too concerned with football (or more generally: sports), I find these instances representative of a greater issue. The distinction between school spirit and degradation of peer institutions seems to have been blurred in our community. One factor that may contribute to this mindset is the competitive nature of the University. Once admitted to the University — a huge accomplishment in and of itself — there is still competition around every corner, both academic and social. Students who were the shining stars of their high school classes or families face unanticipated challenges at the University. In an effort to remain at the “top,” in our own minds, we emphasize the University’s prestige at the detriment of others. Congratulating yourself for attending the University — over other, perhaps less prestigious, options — can soften the blow of a failing grade or rejection from a club.
The student body should not feel comfortable insulting and trivializing other peer institutions. It’s true that the University boasts the highest ranking of any university in Virginia (according to US News & World Report). However, that does not mean that we have nothing to learn from other institutions both within the Commonwealth and beyond. It certainly does not mean that every student at another university in Virginia wishes they were at our university. In fact, resting on rankings — which are problematic and can be arbitrary — will get us nowhere in terms of improving the University.
When we return to our hometowns, we are ambassadors — whether willing or not — of the University. As such, we each have the power to alter our arguably nasty reputation as a pompous and self-satisfied student body. There is no denying that the vast majority of University students are intelligent, talented and hardworking. This is not something that is unique to the University. When we allow rhetoric of superiority and singularity to prevail, we lose the ability to be adequately self-critical. We can be proud to be Cavaliers without losing sight of the fact that we are not — and never were — entitled to our spot here.
If the University were to come under scrutiny we would not want other universities to abase us. Rather, we would want their support. We can be proud of our University — and proud of ourselves — without being deluded into thinking that it is perfect and that we, as students, are blameless.
Mary Russo is an Opinion Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at m.russo@cavalierdaily.com.
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