Each year at freshmen convocation, incoming students learn a simple cheer.

“I-L-L…I-N-I.”

For some students, cheering athletes on is a way to show school spirit. For others, school spirit is present in intangibles such as memories of college years and family connections to the University. But many people say Illini spirit is high.

Reasons for school spirit

School spirit comes mainly from traditions, pride in athletic teams and each individual’s connection to the school, said Andrew Meyer, graduate assistant in kinesiology.

“You get school pride when you come here and you feel like part of the family,” said Seth Slagel, freshman in Engineering. “No one discourages you from doing what you want to do and saying what you want to say. It’s definitely an all-encompassing family.”

As an alumna, Shirley Havel, 1982 graduate, said the pride she still has in the University comes from the memories she made here.

Students also said academics and smaller groups on campus, such as sororities and fraternities, can contribute to school pride.

“People can take pride in whatever they want,” said Andrew Logeman, president of Illini Pride and junior in LAS. “Academics is a huge thing that people can take pride in, but it doesn’t do it for everyone.”

Factors of school spirit

The win-loss records of the University’s athletic teams have the biggest influence on school spirit, said Cory Shumard, manager of Gameday Spirit.

“It’s a perfect correlation,” Logeman said. “The enthusiasm of the crowd is really just based on how the team is doing.”

Wins and losses affect how many people attend each game, but Meyer said there will always be some people who attend games and show spirit just for the enjoyment of cheering.

Participation in spirit groups associated with Illini Pride, such as Block I, Spike Squad, Blue Crew and Orange Krush changes in a cycle depending on which teams are doing well at a certain time, Logeman said.

Illini Pride has about 2,600 members this year, which is down from its average of 3,000, Logeman said. But Block I has brought in about 1,800 members this year, which is more than usual.

The number of other athletic teams in the area also affects how many people show school spirit and how much energy they invest in it, Meyer said.

Billy Jones, junior in Media, transferred this year from the University of Iowa. He said he noticed much more school spirit in Iowa City than he sees in Champaign-Urbana. The difference may be that most people in Iowa do not come from big cities like Chicago where professional teams can offer a distraction from college school spirit, Jones said.

Displays of school spirit

Students say simply wearing orange and blue is the best way to show school spirit, whether it be an “Illinois Business” shirt or a football jersey.

Steve Pearson, sophomore in Engineering, and Slagel said they show spirit by attending volleyball games with Spike Squad as often as they can.

In the time since March 13, 2007, when the Board of Trustees voted to discontinue the Chief as the University’s mascot, Meyer said he has not noticed a change in overall displays of school pride. He thinks students have been wearing Chief clothing more often, including shirts with the official logo and cartoonish designs.

All merchandise with the official Chief logo or the words “Chief Illiniwek” is trademarked by the University. Anything currently in stores with the official logo must have been manufactured on or before Dec. 31, 2007.

Other products that are similar in appearance to the Chief, but are not the circular logo featuring the Chief’s face and headdress, are not under copyright, so they can still be manufactured and sold, said Renee Romano, vice chancellor for student affairs.

Shumard of Gameday Spirit said he stocked up on Chief products, but he thinks his stock will run out at the end of the holiday season in January.

Alexa Bluemke, junior in LAS, said the decision to discontinue the Chief as the symbol may have affected school spirit to an extent, but that students and fans still cheer and stand by their teams.

“School spirit is only going to go up from here,” Logeman said.