The first football game of the year has come and gone — for some it was their first Vandal football experience. The tailgaters have dispersed, the football players have hung their pads for the week and the Sound of Idaho marching band has left the field.
In the wake of this slurry of gold and silver is a feeling unmatched by other college experiences: Vandal pride.
Attending football games, regardless of interest in football or sports at all, is a great way for students to immerse themselves in what it means to be a part of the large community of alumni, community members and administration that are invested in the Vandal experience. And with recent developments regarding changes in administrative policy creating waves across UI, football games are a way to remember why we’re all here and who we are.
We’re all a part of the Vandal family.
Although students, faculty, alumni and community members may have disagreements over campus issues, these pride-centered events allow for everyone to find common ground.
When the campus tobacco-free policy came to light as everyone returned to Moscow, surprise and adjustments were to be expected from the entire community. Students were especially apprehensive. Questions of enforcement rose, leaving gray areas surrounding the new policy.
On top of that, UI tailgating events are now dry due to a recent vote from the Idaho State Board of Education denying UI’s proposal for alcohol-friendly zones for tailgating and reinforced the policy of alcohol-free public lands. Reactions to this new enforcement were widely negative, with fingers pointed toward the state and university.
The instatement of these policies may not be popular among students or members of the UI community, but these disagreements must be set aside for everyone to reap the benefits of university events such as football. These events allow for us to enjoy the company of fellow Vandals in a display of school pride.
It isn’t often that we’re all together, so we should use times like football games to celebrate what we have in common — not what we view differently.
This is important especially for the sake of Vandals who have just found their footing in Moscow. Now is a time for discovery and celebration, not debate and hard feelings.
For those who experienced the madness of Vandal football for the first time Thursday, take note of what it feels like to be a part of this community. While not everyone in the Kibbie Dome shares the same background, goals or outlook, we are all Vandals, and there are few times in life when being a part of something bigger will come along so easily.
As Vandals, we join a force thousands strong of scholars and professionals that spans the globe. Despite differences, times when Vandal pride is in full force are times to stop and remember what it means to be a part of something bigger than our issues with policies.
Don the gold and silver, sing the fight song and be proud to be a Vandal.
-LK