UPC and Dawg Pound gave away Alani at their tabling event. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
LAUREN FISCHER | ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER | lrfischer@butler.edu
In the middle of winter, as cold weather and gray skies drain student energy, University Program Council (UPC) and Dawg Pound hosted Butler’s first Hoops-coming as a way to raise school spirit amidst basketball season. The clubs have hosted events throughout the week leading up to the Butler vs. Xavier basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 21.
UPC hoped to create a week similar to Homecoming that would encourage attendance at Butler sporting events while providing students with on-campus activities. UPC hopes that Hoops-coming can become a new tradition as big as Homecoming.
The week’s events included basketball trivia, tabling, giveaways, a dirty soda bar, an away game watch party, hype night and additional perks at the women’s and men’s basketball games.
Rose Cruzan, a sophomore health sciences and neuroscience double major and UPC’s executive director of traditions, noticed that the spring semester lacked events that boost student engagement.
“Not a lot happens [in the spring],” Cruzan said. “I was really looking for something that students can look forward to in the spring semester. Homecoming is massive because it’s [a] welcome back to Butler [and] a big celebration for the entire week with your friends. In years to come, I’d like it to [feel] like campus is coming back to life after the sad winter months.”
UPC decided to reach out to Dawg Pound for help surrounding gameday activities and giveaways. The organizations had not worked together before, but after this success, they look forward to future collaborations in the upcoming years.
Nolan Hamilton, a senior sports media and strategic communications double major and president of Dawg Pound, found this partnership to be very beneficial, combining UPC’s expertise in planning with Dawg Pound’s passion for the basketball season.
“They have a lot of resources, and they have a lot of good people [who are] super organized planning campus events,” Hamilton said. “Partnering with them was a no-brainer, and doing it for the Xavier game was a perfect lead-up to this entire week.”
By partnering with Brothers Bar & Grill for a breakfast club before the game, Dawg Pound engaged upperclassmen while paying homage to Butler traditions, such as seniors going to Brothers early before the Homecoming game.
Hamilton hopes that in future years, seniors will continue a similar tradition of going to Brothers before the senior basketball game, making this week a second-semester version of Homecoming.
Dawg Pound also acknowledged that the game was sold out, making the student turnout at the Xavier game the highest of any game this season.
Addy Thomas, a P2 pharmacy major, attended Blue’s Bar, hype night and the Xavier game. She thought that the week was very successful for its first year.
“I really think [Hoops-coming is] bringing people together,” Thomas said. “I came to the soda event [and] I swear the whole campus came. I think that’s really good for morale.”
Thomas also believes that players perform better with bigger and more passionate crowds cheering them on, so Hoops-coming was the perfect event to lead up to the rival game.
“I think it’s a good time for the school to come together and be a real community,” Thomas said.
The Bulldogs won the Saturday game against Xavier, providing an ideal end to a week that UPC hopes to see become one of Butler’s next biggest traditions.
