To generate "Pirate Pride" and excitement for the basketball game against state rival Rutgers University, the Student Alumni Association is holding its sixth annual Spirit Week, from January 18 to January 22, with events ranging from a t-shirt swap to Bounce ‘N Trounce.
Spirit Week opened on Tuesday with the men's basketball game vs. Georgetown, and the White Castle Pre-Game Tailgate, in which students received free White Castle before boarding the busses to the game.
On Wednesday, in honor of those affected by the Jan. 19, 2000 Boland Hall fire, remembrance ribbons were worn by the members of the Seton Hall community and distributed throughout campus by student volunteers.
According to Dan Nugent, director of Alumni Engagement, the blue ribbons have been worn by members of the Seton Hall community each year to honor all those who were affected.
"The eleventh anniversary of the fire occurs during this year's Spirit Week and so it is fitting that those students planning the week's events chose to mark the day by distributing the pins and asking all those in our community to honor the memory," Nugent said. "The pins represent the lasting memory of those who were lost and those who continue to grieve."
Students were also asked to show their Seton Hall pride by wearing blue on Wednesday.
According to Nicholas Sena, assistant director of Alumni Engagement, SAA walked around campus on Tuesday and Wednesday doing Pirate Patrol.
"They walk around asking Seton Hall trivia and looking for students who are particularly spirited to give away prizes," Sena said.
This year, they will be passing out raffle tickets for an Apple iPad and the drawing will take place at the Pep Rally on Friday night. Students must attend the Pep Rally to win, Sena said.
Students will also be able to participate in the Pirate Blue T-shirt Swap to receive a new, limited edition Seton Hall shirt in exchange for swapping a t-shirt from another college or university. The T-Shirt Swap will take place all week at various times and locations. The swapped shirts will be donated to charity.
The Spirit Week Pep Rally took place on Friday, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Main Lounge, and featured contests, prizes and entertainment. The Cheerleaders, Dance Team and Pep Band performed for students.
According to Sena, the men's basketball coach, Coach Kevin Willard, is confirmed to attend and speak as well.
"The pride of SAA's involvement of Spirit Week is in Bounce ‘N Trounce," Sena said. "This tradition was started by SAA last year."
Bounce N' Trounce began on Friday at 11 a.m., and students will bounce a special ball for 24 hours straight leading up to the Rutgers game in order to "trounce" Rutgers. Students who bounce the ball for ten minutes will receive a free-t-shirt. To date, several student organizations have registered to bounce the ball.
The first Bounce ‘N Trounce was launched by SAA at last year's Spirit Week, prior to the Rutgers basketball game. Over 125 students participated to bounce the ball a total of 124,930 times.
The Bounce ‘N Trounce closing ceremony will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m., before the Rutgers basketball game at noon. A Pirate Pandemonium tent will be set up out the Recreation Center for face paint, tattoos and more before leaving for the game.
A complete schedule of Spirit Week events can be found online.
Brittany Biesiada can be reached at brittany.biesiada@student.shu.edu.
