Your first game day at LSU is nothing less than overwhelming. What tent do I go to? Do I need to be friends with boys to get a drink? Where the hell is the food?

So many questions, not enough time. But that's before you realize all these questions don’t need an answer by the time you walk to a random tent and ask a random boy for a drink.

You stand with your roommate (the only person you kind of know) and look around in awe at this place that is now your school. Not only do you feel a sense of comfort knowing this is your new home, you completely forget the fact that you have no friends and a wave of relaxation falls over you.

Then you spy with your little eye … cheetah print.

I’m sorry, but I think the motto “Geaux Tigers” is forever drilled in our brain. Thus, it confuses me as to why there are girls in cheetah print dresses at every single game day. You question your peers’ outfit decisions and cant help but wonder if they bought that on purpose or accident. I mean come on, purple and gold isn’t that hard to find. Don’t get me wrong, I think cheetah print definitely brings out the sassy in anyone. But when our mascot is the tigers, it simply just irks me. 

Fast forward to sophomore year. I now walk in a pack to the Parade Grounds filled with all of my best friends. I’m filled with great company and am in for an unforgettable day. I can’t help but look around with the same awe I experienced as a freshman the year before and think how lucky I am to go to a school with so much pride. A smile is imprinted on my face ... until I see the infamous cheetah dress from afar.

I remember the confusion I felt as a freshman and laugh to myself because nothing has changed. I can only hope my LSU peers will soon discover that our mascot is named Mike the Tiger and not Mike the Cheetah for a reason.