The Bears are headed into a combat zone this weekend as some Emory students have declared war on Washington University.

In a Feb. 4 letter to the editor of The Emory Wheel, the university’s student newspaper, entitled “A New Battlefront in the War on Wash. U.,” hostilities between the two schools were reignited. An Emory student group called ‘The Department’ wrote, “We must avenge our honor. We must eat some bears.” The letter to the editor called for fellow students to “join our fight.”

The Department, formerly known as the Department of War was founded in 2005 as part of their student government. According to a Feb. 4 article in The Emory Wheel, the group is now under the control of their student programming council which tries to make the Emory experience as enjoyable as possible.

The Department’s stated purpose is to “publicly do everything in our power to expose Wash. U. for the posturing, ratings-obsessed school that they are.” Wash. U. is currently number 12 on the 2008 U.S. News and World Report College Rankings while Emory is number 17.

The organization caused quite a commotion in September of 2005 with an attack on Wash. U. soil by several Emory students who traveled from Atlanta to vandalize the Danforth campus.

Wash. U. students woke up to find the words “Wash U Girls are Ugly!-Emory University” and “Emory owns U, George Washington is Dead” spray-painted on the underpass in yellow and blue, Emory’s colors.

Emory’s scenic campus was also spoiled by toilet paper thrown all over dorms and trees. Flyers that littered their campus read, “Die Emory Die! Go Wash. U.” and “Emory sucks” according to a Sept. 19, 2005 article in Student Life. Reporters from Student Life exposed the electronic paper trail, which indicated that members of the Department of War defaced both campuses.

The war continues to be one sided as no Wash. U. groups including Red Alert and Student Union have issued a declaration of war against Emory at any time.

“Red Alert is here to promote school spirits against UAA rivals,” said senior Kristy Kramer, co-president of Red Alert. “We’re looking to dominate the entire conference. It’s not my decision to make war.”

Several current Wash. U. students including a representative of the student government laugh this declaration of war off. “Again?” said Student Union President senior Neil Patel. “I find it humorous at this point.”

The Phi Delta Theta Bomb Squad is well known around campus for voicing their boisterous support at sporting events at Wash. U.

“The fact that Emory would declare war is a joke,” said quarterback junior Buck Smith of the Bomb Squad and football team. “We smoke them in every sport.”

Some students had fighting words for Emory but many did not care.

“Emory would have been my back up school if I had heard of it,” said freshman David Zhu of the men’s tennis team. “Before I came here, I didn’t even know where Emory was.”

Freshman Adam Merzel transferred from Emory for the spring 2008 semester. “I think it’s just jealousy,” said Merzel of the baseball team. “We know that we are superior.”

The Bears that are traveling into hostile territory this weekend are not fazed. “We’re going to treat it like any game,” said co-captain senior Danny O’Boyle.

The Lady Bears respect the Eagles. “We’re excited to play them again,” said co-captain senior Sarah Tibesar. “It’s going to be a great game. I hope it’s a packed house.”

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