School arrogance, as opposed to school pride?
North Texas Daily, 9/13/02

[Note: This column sparked some considerable controversy and resistance -- but it was mostly from Mean Green sports boosters and alumni, most of whom I made peace with when I explained humility from a Biblical standpoint.]

Fall is upon us. The drums of grid-iron warfare are beating. Spectators attempt to fill Fouts Field, some even painting themselves green in a display of love for NT not witnessed since the days of Mean Joe Greene.

The concepts of school pride and school spirit are repeated ad nauseum in an attempt to teach a predominately commuter campus how to express its latent, untapped love for the university (or at least for the football team).

Are we in the midst of a renaissance of student involvement? Or have our student leaders invented a “school spirit simulator?”

Am I the only one upset at the Napolean complex of our otherwise outstanding alma mater? If the students complain about rising fees, the first thing our fearless leaders do is break out the charts and compare the price of NT to other universities. If the stadium is half empty on game night, our spirit organizations rally to mimic colleges with higher student participation. If other universities have a Rec Center, then come hail or high water we must have one too, or we will lose students (even if our enrollment increases every year and we’re busting out the seams).

Must we constantly compare ourselves to other universities? We have an exceptional music program, a talented art faculty, an award-winning newspaper (forgive the shameless plug), a beautiful student Union, a mind-blowing selection of scholastic journals in our libraries and an optimistic athletic department— our engineering department even built a car that runs on liquefied air! Incredible.

Yet for some reason we feel inferior, like a 5 feet tall high school freshman who didn’t grow much over the summer break. We let other universities bully us into feeling like we’re a second-rate university. As human nature would dictate, we overcompensate.

Truly great institutions don’t have to flaunt their advantages. If we’re really all that great, then why prompt our students to cheer at events and wear green on game days? The excitement should come naturally as a result of a warm, welcoming student body and the success of our academic and extracurricular programs. Why fake it?

Might I advocate a rather unusual concept? Let’s give school humility a chance. And may we learn a little contentment.

I came here because NT was somewhat humble—and by humble, I don’t mean hilariously pathetic or laughable. By humble, I refer to the strict definition of it: the opposite of arrogance.

NT isn’t half-full of educationally-apathetic freshmen seeking only a brand-name athletic label. NT’s focus, for now, is on academics and cultural enhancement.

We were once content with attracting a “grassroots” student body, perhaps a holdover from our “state” university days. The cost of an education here is low. Given this will attract some underachievers, I’m forever grateful that I was able to afford to go to college without going into debt. Hundreds of thousands of successful NT graduates are thankful for this opportunity as well.

Either we learn contentment, working to improve what is outstanding about NT and to develop areas in which we are lacking, or we will continue to unsuccessfully mimic other institutions, while our cost increases and programs stagnate.

A spiral of mediocrity awaits all those who lack an insightful vision, and ruin is the outcome of those who cannot learn the simple virtues of service and humility. Afterall,

"Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18).