Last week the Student Government Association (SGA) hosted Blue Jay Pride Week, which consisted of several events over the course of three days that were designed to increase school pride. The week opened on Thursday with “Rep Your Club Day,” where students got free donuts and coffee for wearing gear printed with their campus affiliations. Friday was “Hopkins Day,” where any students with Hopkins attire could get free Hopkins buttons and stickers. The week ended on Saturday morning with a tailgate that included a DJ and food trucks.
Overall, the Editorial Board believes that Blue Jay Pride Week was certainly a step in the right direction. The ideas and events incorporated — free giveaways and the tailgate, for example — were excellent. Students in general are proud of their club participation and creating a forum for them to display this pride is a great way to boost pride in the school as a whole. However, the Editorial Board believes Pride Week is in need of several adjustments before it can become a yearly tradition.
The first issue that needs to be addressed is the publicity. While the turnout was impressive, we believe that with more effective and frequent publicity, more students would have participated in the festivities. The “Blue Jay Pride Week” that becomes a tradition should be a campus phenomenon that all Blue Jays want to participate in; that can only happen if more students are aware the event is taking place.
Another aspect of Blue Jay Pride Week that the Editorial Board believes could be improved is its length. While the name suggests a full week of prideful events and fun giveaways, the actual Blue Jay Pride Week spanned a mere three days. Furthermore, the Editorial Board believes the week that is chosen for Pride Week in the future should be at a better time. This year, it was held during the climax of exams and icy weather. We suggest shifting it to a week when Blue Jays will be more apt to actually attend events, or perhaps to the last week of classes or reading period, when students need a distraction and break from the daunting final exams ahead.
Despite needing a few adjustments, we commend the SGA for this initiative and recognize that this was only its first year. Boosting school spirit is something that the SGA has been working tirelessly toward, and all students should appreciate their efforts.
On the whole, the Editorial Board believes Blue Jay Pride Week was an excellent first step, and we hope it becomes a tradition for years to come. We believe that by instituting these changes, Pride Week can reach its full potential — and elicit that incredible Blue Jay pride we know the students at this school have.
