It's Like You Go To Bayern München University

Welcome to week three of Winter Term! So far my term has been filled with UO athletic events, training for the Eugene Half Marathon, quality bonding time with friends (and family for that matter), TED Talk-esque lecture courses, and, to top it all off, Band Banquet marking the official end of Marching Band for the 2015-16 school year. I can't say there's ever a dull moment (unless I pencil it in) which is fantastic.

Shoutout to my three inspiring, entertaining, and talented trumpet section leaders.

While in Aachen I met many students who were studying at the technical university in town, RWTH. We'd talk about the usual things, European and American politics, favorite TV series, music preferences, and always, without fail, we'd end up discussing the differences between the US and German education systems, particularly higher education. The students I met were always incredulous that it could end up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to college whereas in Germany it's practically free. But something that stuck with me happened when I was explaining to an RWTH student how excited I was to be joining the Marching Band since I'd get to go to all the football games and even, maybe, a bowl game. The student appreciated where I was coming from, but he just laughed and said, "You Americans... You don't just go to a university to learn. It's like you go to Bayern München University. You build a professional sports team then a school appears around it." When looking at the UO, he's kind of right. Yes, first came the school and then came the great sports teams, but athletics are a big deal here and I like it. 

Elisa, a good friend of mine who goes to school in California, visited before heading off to Germany for a term and even partook in the UO school spirit. #scoducks

There are disputes on how money should be spent, more academics and less athletics or otherwise. However, that said, band has been an excellent opportunity for me and made me feel more integrated into the school as well as (if only incrementally) the athletic department. School spirit is something unique to American universities. It may sound petty, but jumping on the Duck Bandwagon, wearing my UO gear, and going to sporting events where the student section makes the whole building rumble creates an incredible sense of belonging. I find a university can become a part of your identity and the longer I'm here at the UO, the more I appreciate and am proud of that part of myself. 

Beating Stanford was pretty great, but the UO Women's Acrobatic and Tumbling Team performing at halftime made the game a success in my book.

I'm just a civilian in the world of sports, not a Prefontaine, Mariota, Jillian Alleyne, or other "warrior," but simply by living on campus the spirit and sports are almost omnipresent. Yesterday, for example, my tennis partner and I were at the Student Tennis Center for our weekly, very casual, Sunday afternoon mini-match. The indoor courts were a bit louder than usual, what with the UC Santa Barbara men's tennis team grunting up a storm as they practiced their 100 mph serves on the courts around us. 

Hanging out with UO's award-winning a cappella group, Mind the Gap.

Of course there are many facets to what it means to be a Duck. Sports are just a great way to forge a universal identity and sense of kinship. I, however, consider my Duck identity linked to my connections with Duck TV, UO Toastmasters, the Oregon Marching Band, UO PRSSA, the school's German community, and the Global Scholars Hall. It's as simple as that. So although I go to "Bayern München University," there's so much more to the school spirit and my rampant use of #CallMeADuck than bowl games, Hayward Field victories, and state-of-the-art recreational facilities.