On most campuses, wearing another school’s attire is a major faux pas.

By Noah Allison–

If a stranger were to take a casual stroll through Belknap campus, then they wouldn’t have much trouble knowing where they are. The multiple Cardinal birds painted on various sidewalks, the high amounts of U of L insignias on the buildings promoting the positive impact so many faculty members and schools have had on the students here, the giant pictures of student athletes hanging from buildings showing off our top of the line athletics, and countless subtle U of L treats placed around or carved into campus really set the tone for where you are.

The only area that U of L lacks in in terms of showing Cardinal pride is through the students themselves. Sure you may be walking to your class and see a few Louisville hoodies, but you will also see a UNC, Ohio State, Indiana and multiple Kentucky hoodies. The school has entered a new era of making U of L nationally known and revered by those who don’t go here. U of L is one of the best sports schools in the nation if not the best sports school in the nation, and I don’t feel the need to bring up just how good of a school it is in general. Being a student here, everyone should know the top of the line education that is being distributed to the youth here at U of L.

I understand that for many of you, U of L is just the school in the city you grew up in, it is nothing new and not all that special to you, but in all actuality, U of L is something special, and the students here need to treat it and respect it is as such. You would be hard pressed to find somebody wearing a Michigan sweatshirt on the campus of Ohio State, and an Auburn fan wouldn’t even consider showing their colors on Alabama’s campus, because on those campuses there is only one school that the students there care about: their own school.

The forces at work are turning U of L into a top program in this country; a top ten football team, a No. 2 ranked basketball team and winning programs in every other sporting event are proving Louisville too is something to be reckoned with. If U of L were a 40,000 strong state school in some small college town, then there would be nothing but red for miles. U of L is way to awesome to be treated as just the local school in the city of Louisville. No, this is the University of Louisville, and I want every student to be as excited about being here as they should be, to start letting people know where you go, that you are proud to be a Cardinal.

My hope is that a few years from now, after a few championship titles, you won’t be able to find somebody promoting a school other than U of L on campus. That everybody who applies to U of L is doing so with the hope that they will be able to attend a school that so many others around the nation wish they could. That to live and learn in Louisville means the world to its students, and that they want to be able to express their gratitude in any possible way. We aren’t at that point just yet, but we are on the right path.

So next time it’s cold outside, and you are trying to stay warm, don’t put that UK hoodie on, just use it to make a fire, they burn quite nicely.

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Photo: Austin Lassell/The Louisville Cardinal