Logo change assault on tradition
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I am a recent graduate of MSU, an active supporter of all Spartans and a four-year alum of the Izzone. I recently heard of the news regarding the logo change and I personally feel it is a mistake.
What ever happened to TRADITION? Isn’t that what Spartans are so proud to have? I look back at my old Izzone T-shirts and that word appears right on them. Always imitated, never duplicated.
Tradition can be defined as “handing over, passing on.”
Tradition is what our school lacks at times. Tom Izzo has recently brought tradition to our school via basketball in the past 15 years with five Big Ten championships, two visits to the national championship (one win), five Final Fours, 12 straight tournament appearances and one of the best graduation rates among players. Football head coach Mark Dantonio is in the process of bringing tradition to MSU, after being dominated across the board by Ohio State, Michigan and recently Penn State. Academics-wise, tradition has been at our school as we are recognized as one of the premier Public Ivy universities. I am proud to say I graduated from the best packaging school in the world. This is recognized by many of my colleagues. By changing the face of MSU, you change the body behind it. The student body, the tradition and everything we stand for.
Our motto is “Advancing Knowledge, Transforming Lives.” It speaks nothing of advancing our logo and creating a new identity. We bleed Green and White for a reason, and by changing this identity, it will change the lives of past and present Spartans. I know that plans are not complete surrounding the new logo project, but I don’t think it will matter after witnessing the buzz and hype that this is creating.
There is a poll on The State News’ Web site, and out of more than 6,000 votes, 94 percent think this is a mistake. I realize this will probably bring in money from Nike, but do we all have to be followers? Keeping tradition means being a leader; this is what Spartans are.
By changing the face of our school, you are changing our community. Forty-thousand students have spoken. Why should this decision be up to a few money-hungry executives? Please do not do this.
Go Green! Go White!
John Pulcipher,
2009 MSU alumnus
Commentary
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It's "weakening"
(01/26/10 11:18am)Report
Tradition at MSU has already taken a beating as sometime in the last 8 or so years some students decided that what we’d been doing for the last oh, 80 years or so, wasn’t good enough and decided to change the word “weakening” to “weak” in the fight song. You can’t muck about with tradition and then complain when someone else decides to do the same. Do I particularly like the new logo? No, but I’ve accepted that since I’ve graduated (twice actually), I have to learn to live with the fact that things are no longer done the way they were when I was a student.
yoyo
(01/26/10 12:41pm)Report
You can stand back and let things change or you can take action and say the new logo is ugly and obviously is bringing some sort of money into MSU sports due to Nike sponsorship.
Maz
(01/26/10 12:43pm)Report
To ‘It’s “Weakening”’ ,
We still burn couches… not all tradition has been lost.All jokes aside, I completely agree with everything in this letter. DO NOT CHANGE THE LOGO JUST TO CHANGE IT! I know that a new deal with NIKE will generate a large amount of money for the University…money that has dried up from Funding and Budget cuts. What I want to see though is a promise that this money will be used to restore lost scholarships, financial aid increase, return funding to cut majors, etc… not be used to line the pockets of those higher up in the pecking order.
If this is the case and the money can be put to those listed things, then by all means change the logo.
JPleazy
(01/26/10 1:07pm)Report
either way, you have a nice package.
John
(01/26/10 5:45pm)Report
Of course I do!!!! Packages rock!
emily
(01/26/10 6:22pm)Report
whatever. It’s just a freaking logo.