2008 Woodie Awards
Pep rally encourages students' IUPUI sports spirit
Latoya Coleman
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: Sports
IUPUI students and faculty held a pep rally during the April 9 Campus Center Dedication to encourage support for the campus' sports teams and athletes.
At 2 p.m., the cheerleaders and pep band hyped up the crowd by performing the IUPUI fight song.
Kevin MacDonald, former public address announcer for the Jaguars, said the pep rally is a fun way of getting students welcomed to the Campus Center. It's also a way of letting students know how important their support for the athletic teams on campus is.
"We had great student support this year and we want more student support next year for all our athletics," MacDonald said.
Many speakers gave remarks about their campus pride and spirit. Chancellor Charles Bantz spoke about the impact the Campus Center will provide for the school. After 35 years of waiting for this building to be built, he said, the students and faculty made it their own.
"A day like today is a celebration of a new cycle at IUPUI, and it is literally the time we have a home for all of us," Bantz said.
Bantz made known the Campus Center will lead to students' success in the future. He ended his speech shouting, "Go Jags!"
Jesse Kilgore, an IUPUI student and Jaguars fan, is forming a new spirit organization called The Player's Club, which will encourage student involvement on campus.
"What we're going to try to do is get people who aren't normally on campus excited about basketball," Kilgore said. "To make sure (they) come back to campus to coordinate (games), get loud and make the other teams hate coming here."
Kilgore didn't leave the stage without giving a cheer screaming, "IU what?" The crowd answered with, "PUI!"
MacDonald introduced a surprise guest to the stage - head coach of men's Jaguar basketball team, Ron Hunter.
"I said this before with no question in my mind: We got the best pep band in the country, we got the best cheerleaders in the country and we got the best students in the country," Hunter said. "From the bottom of my heart, I really want to say thank you. Enjoy this beautiful building. Continue to support it. I work with the best institution in America. Thank you and God bless."
At 2 p.m., the cheerleaders and pep band hyped up the crowd by performing the IUPUI fight song.
Kevin MacDonald, former public address announcer for the Jaguars, said the pep rally is a fun way of getting students welcomed to the Campus Center. It's also a way of letting students know how important their support for the athletic teams on campus is.
"We had great student support this year and we want more student support next year for all our athletics," MacDonald said.
Many speakers gave remarks about their campus pride and spirit. Chancellor Charles Bantz spoke about the impact the Campus Center will provide for the school. After 35 years of waiting for this building to be built, he said, the students and faculty made it their own.
"A day like today is a celebration of a new cycle at IUPUI, and it is literally the time we have a home for all of us," Bantz said.
Bantz made known the Campus Center will lead to students' success in the future. He ended his speech shouting, "Go Jags!"
Jesse Kilgore, an IUPUI student and Jaguars fan, is forming a new spirit organization called The Player's Club, which will encourage student involvement on campus.
"What we're going to try to do is get people who aren't normally on campus excited about basketball," Kilgore said. "To make sure (they) come back to campus to coordinate (games), get loud and make the other teams hate coming here."
Kilgore didn't leave the stage without giving a cheer screaming, "IU what?" The crowd answered with, "PUI!"
MacDonald introduced a surprise guest to the stage - head coach of men's Jaguar basketball team, Ron Hunter.
"I said this before with no question in my mind: We got the best pep band in the country, we got the best cheerleaders in the country and we got the best students in the country," Hunter said. "From the bottom of my heart, I really want to say thank you. Enjoy this beautiful building. Continue to support it. I work with the best institution in America. Thank you and God bless."
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