To anyone who has been taking part in Seattle University traditions by checking items off the increasingly famous Redhawk Bucket List—kudos. You are a member of a new generation of Seattle U students, students entering a school that, through a series of small changes made by the administration and student groups, has grown and changed markedly over the past decade. Increased attendance at sporting events, growing enthusiasm for Red Fridays, and events such as Seattle U Homecoming all demonstrate a rapid surge in school spirit within the Seattle U community.

The increase in school spirit makes Seattle U more similar to its peer Jesuit and Catholic universities. Gonzaga University, which is known for its basketball team and the giant, bronze bulldog mascot sitting on campus, and the University of Portland, whose students are known to go crazy with spirit at soccer games, tend to draw students looking for a typical “college experience.” With growing emphasis on the Redhawk Experience, Seattle U seems to be following the lead of our peer schools when it comes to making Seattle U more well-known among West Coast universities.

While the definition of a college experience is personal and varies greatly from student to student, there are identifiable benefits to an increase in school spirit. An increase in school spirit can have a positive effect on a student’s feeling of community on the Seattle U campus. However, it is important to remember that spirit and community are about more than just the number of seats filled at basketball games. Seattle U is unique among Catholic universities because of its location in the heart of a city bursting with art museums, music venues and nearby opportunities to explore the outdoors. Seattle U students and the communities that they make here are unique, as is every Redhawk Experience—there is more than just one way to be a Redhawk.