Brittany Robinson
Staff Reporter
I was sitting in the Budapest Café one day and senior Rufael Seyum came to me and showed me his new bumper sticker that read “McDaniel Swagger.” I couldn’t help but smile and think to myself, “Does McDaniel have swagger and if so, what is it?”
McDaniel Swagger. McDaniel Swagger. That two-word phrase, coined by McDaniel College President Roger Casey during a speech to the college community during the opening weeks of college, is a unique blend of pride and humility – confidence with attitude.
After talking with college faculty and staff, Casey concluded that McDaniel community lacked swagger and that bothered him.
“McDaniel has a lot to be proud of,” Casey said. And, yet, many people in the college community have an underdog complex.
Casey hopes that splashing the two-word phrase “McDaniel Swagger” on bumper stickers, shirts sold in the bookstore and by talking up the good things that happen on The Hill, pride, swagger will build.
And he hopes that pride will build beyond the campus.
Students polled early in this branding effort said they appreciate Casey’s push for college pride. Others said that swag is something that can’t be taught.
“The McDaniel Swag concept reminds me of high school,” said a student who wished to remain anonymous. “Our high school mascot was a sailor. I played sports teams while I was in high school and during the games we would chant that we had ‘sailor swagger.’ It wasn’t something the administration put on us. Swag was something we joked about, therefore I don’t take it seriously.”
“I always have swag. Swag is one’s attitude towards everything. You can’t get out of an experience what you don’t put in,” said freshman Dan Lopez.
Janna Fryman, an area coordinater for residence life, said, “I think it’s good because he’s trying to promote school spirit and a common identity. No one really knows what a green terror is so, I think the McDaniel Swagger thing is a great idea.”
“I think McDaniel swag will create a sense of school pride that can be felt on campus,” said Andrea Andrews, one of the newest area coordinators on campus.
When asked to define McDaniel Swagger, Casey said, “Just watch. You’ll see!”
