As the ones that will be wearing the new designs to games and around campus, students are especially defensive of the current logo. Hollis said the logo change was part of a “comprehensive brand and identity project” to fully be revealed in April, which the athletics department will continue to develop. Although a new look seems to make many Spartans uneasy, the idea of a unified brand should be embraced. It’s well-known that of the 25 varsity teams, few share a unified look when it comes to uniforms. Hollis has the right idea by trying to unify the teams’ looks, and students should continue to wait until the final package is unveiled in April before making their final judgements. Until then, the excitement for a new look should stick around long enough to see what Hollis and Nike have in store for MSU sports teams.

Although Hollis and MSU athletics might have underestimated the outrage the new logo caused, Hollis handled the issue in a responsible and objective manner. Without making the decision an issue of pride, Hollis chose to react in a responsive and calculated way. He clearly took the time to make the decision he did, while continuing to stay on the path to making a stronger national identity for MSU.

Hollis also seems to have taken the opinions of the students into consideration when making his decision. This is a positive sign that students should have faith that the athletics department has their best interest at heart.

For many students, the issue might not have been about the logo, but rather about students getting their voices heard for decisions that directly affect them. The decision to retain the old logo shows that the administration will listen if students vocalize their opinions instead of just getting angry. But although Spartans might be patting themselves on the back for unifying in the fight against the new logo, all the Facebook groups, letters to the athletics department and letters to The State News are part of only one fight.

If students feel strongly about a particular issue, more effort needs to be put into getting their views across. The level of persistence and enthusiasm used to keep the old logo also should be applied to pressing issues such as MSU’s dropped academic programs and financial aid cuts, for instance.

Hopefully, when student action is needed in the future, students will respond in the same way. They should take note the power of their voice and band together to see that major changes at MSU don’t go unnoticed.