 "Photo: Matthew Brady | The Spectator")
Even though Seattle University is a school on the rise, there are still plenty of people who don’t know about the university at all.
“We were at the [National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics] conference in Miami last year wearing our SU caps,” said Josh Cooprider, assistant director for external relations in Athletics. “And a bunch of people kept coming over and saying ‘Oh! Syracuse University, eh?’”
According to research done by Cooprider, this should be no surprise. Twelve other schools have an interlocking S and U as their logo, including Syracuse University. Eleven other schools feature a Redhawk as their mascot.
“The thing is, even though there are 12 other SU’s, there is only one Seattle University,” said Cooprider, who is working based off of this logic to make the “Seattle with a big U behind it” logo the new standard.
Another item of contention is the Seattle U’s color identity crisis.
While the Huskies are known for their “Purple and Gold” and Gonzaga for their blue and white, Seattle U has a less defined set of school colors.
“There are essentially two Seattle U reds,” Cooprider said. “There’s the scarlet red, and the maroonish color that has traditionally been associated with the university.”
Within the Athletic Department there has been concern that without a consistent and definitive “SU Red,” the school won’t be able to market itself as effectively. In turn, Athletics has tried to make scarlet, the brighter and more vibrant red seen on basketball jerseys and logos, the standard for the school.
With the move to D-I, the school has been working on creating a more definitive Seattle U overall—but in doing so, some feel the school is losing sight of the very values it was founded on.
“It’s like we’re a wannabe Gonzaga,” said Mara Adelman, communication professor. “When I ask my students what message they’re getting, it’s, ‘Basketball, basketball, basketball.’”
Adelman said some colleagues and she have been concerned that the school has gone overboard with its recent emphasis on D-I athletics.
“I find it rather disturbing—it’s like, what happened to social justice? Or research? I don’t even feel like [D-I] is complementary to our culture. It’s like they’re trying to invent a culture,” Adelman said.
Soon Beng Yeap, assistant vice president for University Marketing and Communications, disagrees. Being in charge of much of what the public sees of Seattle University, Yeap feels Jesuit values are still intact despite the school’s new position in the D-I world.
“At the core of our marketing communications strategy, everything we do must inform, instill and invoke the university’s vision, mission and values,” Yeap said. “We strive toward enriching and enhancing the Seattle University brand […] and inspiring Jesuit-Catholic mission for the past 119 years.”
Cooprider sees the school’s move to D-I as enhancing the visibility of Seattle U’s Jesuit values rather than obscuring them.
Since moving to D-I, athletes have volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club of America, the Moyer Foundation for Disadvantaged Youth, the Make-a-Wish Foundation and participated in other community service. Seattle U’s baseball team also “adopted” a 3-year-old diagnosed with a brain tumor last October, through the Friends of Jaclyn Association.
“A lot of the time we’re the front porch to the house,” Cooprider said of Athletics’ role in the university. “We open the door to students who might not have heard of us otherwise to explore the values that make our school really unique.”
Adelman sees other schools achieving a more harmonious balance between sports and academia in its marketing. While visiting the library at the University of Washington, a school also known for its athletics, Adelman felt a more even balance between the two forces she feels are at odds at Seattle U.
“I looked up, and they had the big banners around campus and guess what they were of? Faculty teaching,” Adelman said. “I just looked at it and thought, we don’t have any of that. Faculty’s invisible.”
According to a recently published pamphlet from President Stephen Sundborg, S.J. assessing the current state of the school, Seattle University is no longer “the best-kept secret” it once was. The school is trying to spread that news on a local level with its Community Connections newsletter. The newsletter reaches residents of areas surrounding the school and seeks to include them in the Seattle U community with updates on the campus and recent events.
Marketing and Communications also recently debuted an online platform for faculty and staff called The Commons. The Commons serves as a central news source for faculty, including a “Way to Go!” section detailing recent achievements and awards received by faculty and staff. The Web site also features classified ads specifically for staff, as well as just-for-fun polls like “Who will win the Superbowl?”
Kelton may be reached at ksears@su-spectator.com.
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