As a whole, school spirit is extremely important to the school. It dictates the attendance of athletic events and helps one feel involved within their own college community. As the years progress, people try to find new ways to express their school spirit, unique ideas that will spread the loyalty to the school. Enter the Spirit Wall, soon to be a part of our own campus.
Strolling through campus, you can see various art forms, ranging from statues to free form.
In the near future, you will also be able to see the Spirit Wall, which will be near the Student Union, is “a space where UNC Charlotte students can express their 49er pride, publicize upcoming athletic events, advertise for student organizations and communicate in ways that contribute to student life on campus,” says Megan Smith, Secretary for Environmental Sustainability. The Spirit Wall isn’t for all free expression; it is a place for “a unified campus identity, culture, and community,” said Smith.
Tim Ernst, last year’s Student Body President, and Mandeep Gill came up with the idea, thinking people needed somewhere to express school pride, according to Smith. “The design is durable, inexpensive, and cutting edge ‘green’ technology,” said Ben Bowers, a Civil Engineering Graduate Student.
The Spirit Wall is another idea to tie the community into not only the “greener” lifestyle, as in environmentally friendly, but also “greener” as in the sense of Niner Nation spirit. Last year, Job Fickett, Student Government’s Secretary for Athletic Affairs, met with several different planners in order to be able to confirm and plan the Spirit Wall.
Fickett researched developments in order to pay for the wall, in which “we decided an environmentally sustainable Spirit Wall might be a great way to secure funding, contribute to our campus’s ‘green’ image and give the wall an identity unique to our campus,” said Smith.
When asked about the importance of the Spirit Wall, Bower said, “An important facet of this project is the use of sustainable materials, which show the responsibility, progression and ability to adapt to a new and ever-changing world, which is in essence at the core of the Niner Spirit. The design is durable, inexpensive and cutting edge ‘green’ technology. It was created by Dr. Helene Hilger’s Sustainable Design class in the Civil Engineering Department.”
The effort to push for a more “green” campus may encourage more students to be more involved and proud of the campus, as people are taking initiative in order to protect the environment. Both Bowers and Smith are part of the Charlotte Green Initiative, which involves students for a sustainable UNC Charlotte, according to the Charlotte Green Initiative website. “The Spirit Wall will encapsulate all that is UNC Charlotte, and more importantly its student body, through day to day expression as well as design,” said Smith.
The Spirit Wall will not only connect the campus but will also bring the community closer together as we bring in the “green,” as Niners and as people aware of the changing environment.
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