Student section at Manhattan Madness on Oct. 23. BRIAN HATTON/ COURTESY
Zendrah Bonnick, Staff Writer
Manhattan University merchandise is worn proudly on campus year-round by athletes and students alike. Whether an athlete is representing their team through apparel or students are sporting the latest shirt giveaway from basketball, apparel plays a large part in the campus community.
Eleanor Sak, a junior political science major at MU, discussed her perspective on the impact merchandise plays at popular school events like Manhattan Madness.
“School merch overall just helps students connect,” Sak said. “It brings a sense of community, especially in such a small school. We’re able to show that pride. Personally, I like wearing school merch. Madness is definitely one of the events every year where every student comes out, whether [they’re] commuter or residential. We all come collectively, wearing our school merch. It just shows the pride in the community that we have as a school, and we’re able to support both our men’s and women’s basketball teams in their journey for their season.”
Lucas Haas, a senior environmental studies major, shared his opinion of how merch shapes the atmosphere on the MU campus.
“I would say when you see people walking around campus wearing the merch, it definitely enhances the school pride, it enhances that morale that people look for.”
Haas elaborated further, describing how the sense of school pride changes the general tone of the school. Additionally, he referenced the university’s financial uncertainties that arose in the previous few years.
“Since then [2023] the financial situation has improved,” Haas said. “I feel that it has improved this year. I think it has improved the pride, especially having new students around.”
As a senior on campus, Haas has watched the feeling of school pride shift and change over the years.
“Last year, me and my senior friends, we were all there for all the Milo (Riverso) stuff, the former president, the budget cuts, and the firing of the tenure staff and all that,” Haas said. “That was kind of scarring for us, but the new students kind of reinvigorated the school pride. The new class doesn’t really know too much about that, so it’s nice to bring school pride back, with a blank slate.”
Margret Groarke, Ph.D., a MU professor and the chairperson of history, political and international studies at the Kakos School of Arts and Sciences, spoke to The Quadrangle about how community building can be sustained even outside of the campus.
“I think around Manhattan, seeing sweatshirts and caps kind of connects people,” Groarke said. “Sometimes, you see people away from campus wearing Manhattan gear, and it is a point of connection with them…it is school spirit building.”
Aureliano Morales, a senior communication major, shared his thoughts on possible improvements for MU merchandise.
“There is potential in it,” Morales said. “Though I would like to see new designs…But I would say pricing should be better, and also definitely do some of the designs because some of the designs are good, but then some are just lazy, just plastered on like the logo and all that.”
Morales later described how merch improvements could boost its popularity on campus. In addition, Morales shared details on his relationship with school pride as a member of this year’s senior class.
“I think we would see more people wearing it, for sure,” Morales said. “The Manhattan Madness shirts, or the ones for the basketball game, the ones that we got for Manhattan Madness, were really cool…Not [even] two years ago, people just did not want to wear merch as much. Now we’re at a better spot. We should be more prideful …There is a good opportunity, if it’s possible, for next semester to get a throwback to old designs and all that.”