During UIdaho Bound, the University of Idaho Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) challenged businesses and Vandals to show off their Idaho pride with the Pave the Road Silver and Gold campaign.
“Show your silver and gold … so that ideally as students are traveling — wherever they’re traveling from — to campus, they will see the Vandal spirit colors and feel welcome,” said Whitney Schroeder, OAR marketing and communications coordinator.
This promotion gets all Vandals involved, Schroeder said, especially in the community — UI’s extended family. She said students repeatedly say they join UI because of the friendly family feel, not just on campus but along the Palouse.
A few years ago, OAR staff brainstormed ideas about how to promote Vandal spirit in tangible ways, said Sam Koester, assistant director of Alumni Relations and Career Programs. He said the idea help to provide a visual and tangible experience for newcomers.
“So the students heading for UIdaho Bound, they’ll be able to see the (Vandal) spirit along the way,” Koester said.
There is a unique community connection when one Vandal runs into another Vandal, Schroeder said.
“Compared to some schools, I mean, we have the beauty … of still having that just strong sense of community,” Schroeder said. “It lives on in our alumni and we like to continue to support that.”
Schroeder said some businesses were hesitant to join last year, but the promotion has expanded since.
Koester said more businesses and Vandals have signed up for the campaign this year. He said many people are becoming more involved everywhere, especially Vandals in Boise.
Koester and Schroeder said this promotion is meant to welcome potential students. She said OAR mostly represents the alumni, but they also want to involve others.
“We have alumni and friends of the university, everybody that’s part of the community,” Schroeder said. “(But) we don’t want to limit ourselves in this narrow view of just alumni.”
The community is a unique presence surrounding UI compared to other college towns, Schroder said. She said students don’t stop being a Vandal once they graduate — it’s a lifetime connection.
“As an alumni, you get more nostalgic when different parts of the year, things happen and look back when you were a student and reconnecting with the university,” Koester said.
Catherine Keenan can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CKeeneye