While Eastern’s small town location can be a constant source of frustration for many students, Kelly Flach, a freshman art major, said she chose Eastern because it was small.

She said when researching colleges she looked at Illinois State University and University of Illinois, but they were too big. She chose Eastern because she really enjoyed the people and the campus, she added.

“I think to be a part of EIU means to be a part of a family,” Flach said. “Everyone here is really nice. It gives me a good reputation to have gone here.”

President Bill Perry said he feels similar to Flach and that Eastern is a family for students and staff on campus. Being a part of Eastern means genuinely caring about others and striving for excellence, he said.

“There is a huge spirit of service at the EIU community, of helping each other and getting to know each other,” Perry said. “We believe in opportunity. We know what higher education can do, not just for us but for the community.”

Ed Hotwagner, student body president and a senior math major, agreed with Perry and Flach and said Eastern was like one big family.

“It’s an honor to be a Panther,” Hotwagner said. “I would never change my decision to come here. It’s so close knit. You can tell the faculty actually cares. There’s an overall friendly feeling.”

Hotwagner said he would recommend any student not fond of Eastern to consider something he has heard Perry say, “You chose EIU, EIU chose you.”

Perry says those words anytime Eastern accepts a new student and the student chooses to attend.

“We chose each other,” Perry said. “That’s a powerful basis for a relationship.”

Megan Gingerich, a graduate student of communication disorders and sciences and a cross-country runner, said her role as a student-athlete has made her a part of campus.

“It made me want to have school spirit,” Gingerich said. “It’s a pretty tight-knit community. All of the coaches know each other.”

Hotwagner, who is also head of Panthernation, agreed with Gingerich and said sports help develop school spirit.

“I’m the kind of person who lives for sporting events. I get fired up,” Hotwagner said. “I think Homecoming is one of the most fun weeks at school. There’s a whole week of events to celebrate and you never know who you are going to meet.”

However, not everyone feels this sense of camaraderie. Graduate student Josh Markus said he is not very interested in Homecoming and rarely pays attention to the themes.

“It just feels the same,” Markus said. “It’s the same thing every year, everybody seems to just go out and get drunk. You’ve done it once you’ve done it a thousand times.”

Perry said not every aspect of school spirit is for everyone but there is a whole range of how Eastern students express their pride.

“Not everyone’s going to wear the blue wig, I like the blue wig,” Perry said. “Each one of us has to decide how we show our pride in Eastern.”

Seth Schroeder can be reached at 581-2812 or scschroeder2@eiu.edu.