My first taste of college spirit came from visiting my sister at Boston College when I was little. I sat with her in the student section in a sea of gold and maroon, learning their fight songs and taking pictures with their mascot. As the smallest person in the crowd, when the Eagles scored a touchdown bringing their score up to 42, I was thrown in the air by five collegiate men 42 times. The student section was a huge presence in the stadium. My exposure to college fans continued after visiting my brother at Penn State and attending a football game. People dressed in blue and white were around every corner and the "We Are" chants permeated through every section.

While this open show of school spirit is certainly felt at many universities, there are some that are not quite so gung-ho. Coming from a small university, I have experienced firsthand how hard it can be to entice students to participate in rallies and tailgates and game days without the presence of a large state school student body to reinforce why we would deck out in spirit colors and chant ridiculous fight songs.

This one lacking piece of the campus puzzle affects more than just attendance at sporting events. In essence, a strong school spirit creates an overall unity among the students at the university. No matter what clubs or organizations students are involved in, school spirit is one aspect that everyone can band together and agree on. There is no singling out when the entire school is wearing the same colors and cheering on the same group of individuals.

Just last year, my university celebrated its 150th Lehigh versus Lafayette rivalry football game at Yankee Stadium in New York. The entire stadium was packed with fans from both sides decked out in brown, white and maroon; I don't think I've ever experienced such an outward showing of pride in my university until that day. While walking through NYC before the game, I met complete strangers also head-to-toe in brown and white who gave me a friendly wave from across the street or a "Go Lehigh!" shout while walking past. On the subway on the way to the game, the car was packed full with fans and a very loud "L-E-H-I-G-H Go Lehigh!" chant was kept up until we reached the stadium. In these moments, I felt like I was a part of something much bigger than just a football game. School spirit brought together current students, alumni, families and friends from all different parts of the country.

School spirit truly does create the holistic college experience. It improves relationships with students and administration, as well as alumni and the current campus. It is a representation of the pride the students have for their university and the first thing opponents and prospective students may see. School spirit is the ultimate pillar of school tradition — it may start on the field or court, but eventually permeates all campus aspects and is passed down through generations. Every college campus deserves to feel the sense of unity and belongingness that result from a strong, proud student presence. School spirit isn't just fans at a football game; it is ultimately the lifeline of the student body and the greatest way to show united pride in a university. School spirit is the essence of makes a university.