David Breland is the entertainment editor at The Reflector. He can be contacted at [email protected].“One State, One Team,” “The Great Bulldog Nation” and “Step Into The Maroon” are our new catchphrases here at the university. Very iconic, very monolithic, these new phrases or mottos are how we supposedly define ourselves here at MSU.
All the while, these handy new mottos are being spoken and splattered all over every MSU publication, commercial and official communication. I’m left wondering, what happened to “The People’s University”?
I’m not trying to be old fashioned, but isn’t that what we are? We are a land-grant institution, founded for the public good and advancement of the state of Mississippi.
What is alarming about these new mottos is their solidarity. At first glance, these statements seem like a great declaration of purpose, but at closer inspection the meanings grow less and less benign.
“One State, One Team” – it just sounds militaristic and socialistic. Shall we start referring to each other as “Bulldog Buddies” or “Maroon Comrades?” What does this one team entail? Do I have to be part of this team just because I go to State?
I was made to play intramural ultimate Frisbee one semester and didn’t like it. What happens if I don’t like this team? I love MSU, but all of a sudden we’re a team or nation.
When I first became enchanted with MSU, it was because it seemed like a family here, not because I was going to be given a team position or rank. Even though muster was held on the Drill Field years ago, it still feels like the front lawn. Does the “Bulldog Nation” have a front yard or will we have a “Maroon Square?”
We’re all members of a university and from what I’ve learned, this is a place that is supposed to foster learning and curiosity about our world. In the process of learning and forming our opinions about the world around us, some won’t see eye to eye. If we’re disagreeing with another student, which one of us is still on the team? Also, do those who aren’t on the team receive the same privileges as those who are?
What about the “Great Bulldog Nation”? I thought we hung dozens and dozens of flags proudly in Perry Cafeteria (Trademark Aramark Corp.) to display the diversity of this institution.
During the Civil Rights Era, MSU was integrated without incident. What if there was some “Great Bulldog Nation” back then? Would we have accepted black students as part of our “nation?”
I really am not understanding these labels we are being given. If anything, shouldn’t we be called the “Great Brown Campus” because of all this mysterious painting? I told a friend the other day he shouldn’t leave his bike chained up too long lest it be covered in National Forest Service brown.
What are new students to think when they’re told to “Step Into the Maroon?” It’s the same slogan as the Air Force only the color is different. Most students come to college hoping to find acceptance of their individuality, but this seems more like a stifling of it.
When you start throwing around these monolithic statements and this commonality of thought, or “hive” mindset, things are a lot less likely to be subject to change or discussion. The thought process behind a collective is slow and lumbering, not the vanguard on the forefront like a modern research university should be.
And what is with this “Future State 2015?” Someone else had a whiz, bang plan like that; his name was Mao Tse-Tung and his plan was “The Great Leap Forward.”
I think it’s great we have a plan for where we as a university want to be in so many years, but why not call it “Our Future Plan”? That sounds a lot more like a family or community effort rather than the name of some out-of-control Defense Department plan or bad ’80s sci-fi flick.
These new mottos with such heavy imagery and connotation do not project happy thoughts. In fact, the names are intimidating and make the school seem cold and institutional. I truthfully do not like them. Also, I don’t see Ole Miss running around calling themselves “The Great Rebel Nation.” Well, in this day and time, a name like that may just have you at the top of the “regime change” list.
I just think we should be called Mississippi State University, home of the Bulldogs and good cheese. That’s much more friendly than “Bulldog Nation.”
Let’s conquer a great homecoming or have a good season in football before we start putting ourselves in the “nation” category.