The new Jumbo superfan group Jumbo Stampede kicks off today with a rally at noon in the Mayer Campus Center hosted by Programming Board subgroup Tufts University Spirit Coalition (TUSC).
The superfan group, which is operated by TUSC, was founded in order to improve attendance and spirit at Jumbos sporting events, according to TUSC Co-Chair Nick Vik.
"Tufts has school spirit, but it doesn't necessarily manifest itself at athletic events like it does at other schools, and that's something that we really want to change," Vik, a junior, said.
"We decided that we really wanted to change the school spirit scene at Tufts," he added.
The group, which received a $15,000 event grant from the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate in the fall, will send out weekly emails to subscribed students advertising upcoming games and providing recaps of previous events.
Students attending today's rally will have the opportunity to join the group and receive a free Jumbo Stampede tank top to wear at games.
TUSC hopes to use the group's e-list, as well as the allure of Tufts-themed giveaways at meets, to improve attendance at future sporting events, according to TUSC Co-Chair Jon Bird, a sophomore.
"Our goal with Jumbo Stampede is to bring Jumbos together in celebrating the athletic accomplishments of our peers," he said.
"It's a good way to socialize," he said. "Sporting events are a place where you can get together as a community."
Vik anticipates that an increase in visible school spirit will be beneficial to the university as a whole.
"At schools where sports are a really big part of the experience ... that sort of indoctrinates school spirit and caring about the school," he said.
"I think that's really important for helping Tufts advance as a university," he said.
Vik added that the group plans to focus initially on boosting spirit at NESCAC and home games but will likely expand to organizing fan buses to away games in the future.
"We'd like to get a lot of hype this year so we can be even more successful next year," Bird added.
