Marceline Lee | Contributing Illustrator

When I first got to WashU, I heard many students call our university an Ivy League reject school. It seemed that a large chunk of students didn’t identify with WashU as “their” university; instead, it was their “Plan B.” This mindset doesn’t just appear in conversation, but in the clothes students choose to wear. 

More often than not, our students wear other schools’ merch. In fact, for every piece of WashU merch I see on a student, I see at least five other schools’ merch items. Maybe it’s because they have family who went there, they visited the school, or they just like how it looks. Nonetheless, this affinity for representing other schools shows a reluctance to wear our own school’s merch with pride.

Many students see WashU as their indisposed selection, regardless of its prestige and low acceptance rate. This can stem from its location in the Midwest, far from the prestige of the East Coast or the relevance of the West Coast. Or from the fact that St. Louis is the 90th largest city in the U.S., far from the likes of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. However, the most likely reason is that, though we rank 20th in the country overall and have the best-ranked dorms, WashU is relatively unknown when compared to other universities. Our main claim to fame is our STEM programs, when it should be for so much more.

Students create a self-fulfilling prophecy when they forgo wearing WashU merch. If students don’t see their peers wearing merch, then they don’t either. If people don’t wear WashU merch, then fewer people see said merch and thus don’t know about the school. All it takes is a couple of daring individuals to break this norm, and eventually, it will snowball to more and more people.

This winter break, I almost exclusively wore WashU merch. I was back home, and I felt obligated to show off my gear and talk about my adventures. I worked hard to get to WashU, and I wanted to show that I am proud of my university. Now and again, a stranger would ask me about WashU. Simply wearing my university’s clothes raised other people’s awareness of WashU. 

Just last year, we spent $2.8 million on a university rebrand, which gives us a chance to establish a whole new brand identity. With a new logo, an original name, and a fresh motto, we are completely reinventing ourselves. Now is the perfect time to raise our awareness. As students, it’s up to us to inaugurate this new WashU. Only you can make your university more recognizable and thus, your life outside of college far more notable.

Wearing the WashU name would foster culture and community on campus. It can build school spirit and a sense of camaraderie amongst students. You may not be proud of WashU, but by wearing WashU merchandise, you can make others proud and eventually yourself.

Beyond general University merchandise, tons of clubs and extracurriculars have their own. This club gear informs people about the organization and advertises the club to potential members. Wearing the tiniest logo or name can lead to the effect of more and more people joining said club and then wearing merch.

We are here to learn, grow, and — let’s face the facts — get a degree. By increasing the University’s image, not only do we make WashU “cooler,” we raise our self-worth and reject the narrative that we are “Ivy League rejects,” not to mention that more recognition will also raise the value of our degrees. The job market may be suffering from degree inflation, but a degree from a well-known, prestigious institution will open a lot of doors for you. 

You can’t complain about your school’s lack of recognition while wearing other schools’ merch. If you want to better your university both inside and out, you need to wear your school’s memorabilia. So the next time you find yourself deciding between a Harvard hoodie or WashU swag, ask yourself, “Why not WashU?”