Despite Rhett’s recent 14th-place finish in a competition for the most spirited school mascot, many students said the university still suffers from a general lack of spirit.

“I don’t think we have a lot of school spirit at all,” said Tiffany Norman, a College of Arts and Sciences senior.

BU students said the biggest element of school pride and unity comes in the form of clothing with BU labels. But students said there is not much spirit beyond that.

“Everyone has a BU sweatshirt,” said CAS freshman Ann Coppola. But Tyler Sammis, a CAS senior, said, “nobody really talks about it.”

Many also said they see sporting events as a sign of school spirit, and though hockey games are often packed with enthusiastic BU fans – especially the face-painted die-hards in the “dog pound” – many students including CAS sophomore Ata Gurbinarand and CAS freshman Rachel Valcourt said they have never once been to a BU sporting event.

But CAS senior Lindsay Newall had a different take. She said that in comparison to other schools, BU’s school spirit is “intense but not widespread.”

“I don’t think people get involved in many school things because we’re in a city,” Leclair said.

Other students echoed her comments, saying BU has less of a close-knit community than non-urban schools.

Norman explained that because of BU’s location in a city, “we have more of a community spirit that we do for our own school.”

The fact that BU does not have an enclosed, regular campus also contributes to the lack of a close-knit campus community, students said. Alyssa Gantz, a College of General Studies freshman, noted that, “there’s no place to gather,” and Sammis explained that as a result of BU’s non-traditional campus, “there’s a segregation between West [Campus] and the rest of campus.”

CAS freshman Liz Traines also attributed BU’s lack of fields and sports complexes to BU’s lack of school spirit. On the same note, Norman indicated BU’s construction of the new athletic arena as “a step in the right direction” toward more school spirit.

Some students also said BU’s lack of popular sports, like baseball and football, contributes to the lack of school spirit. Due to the lack of popular sports, Norman said students seek alternative professional teams to root for.

Gary Strickler, BU’s Director of Athletics explained that, “school spirit is a hard thing to define – it’s a concept that’s different in everyone’s mind.”

Similarly, Pedro Zuquet, a CAS graduate student, defined school spirit merely as, “the overall bonding between people.”

Despite the fact that BU is not brimming with a physical display of school spirit, there is by no means a lack of pride at BU, several said. Many students expressed their pride in being at a school with such a strong academic reputation, as well as one in such a prime location in Boston.

Norman explained that as a BU student, she is most proud of “the opportunity to interact closely with the community of Boston and the resources of going to school in this educational city.” Other students also noted BU’s professors and diversity as their sources of school pride.

With all of the things to be proud of, Coppola said he thinks BU’s biggest problem is its size.

“It’s hard for there to be a real sense of school spirit, but it’s there in its own way,” he said. “I think in general people are happy to be here.”