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SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Around the CAA / Country
« Last post by ecasadoSBU on January 15, 2026, 11:26:12 am »Ouch! That is a very bad look
Whether you wander or rush around campus, you’ve undoubtedly come across students who elect to represent other universities on their clothing.
Due to the abundance of opportunities to come by Stony Brook University merch around campus, like free T-shirts from homecoming, athletic and club events, not to mention our newly-renovated campus bookstore with student-designed options for sale, I had to wonder what makes students favor other schools’ clothing.
Granted, I myself don’t usually wear Stony Brook clothing outside, as I only own one hoodie that my sister has taken in as her own. Instead, while lounging around my dorm, I like to wear the free oversized T-shirts I’ve accumulated over the semesters. I don’t own any other school’s clothing, however.
It was in September when I first began noticing the strange pattern of other universities’ names cropping up on students’ clothes. I decided to interview those who choose to represent other universities — at the time, in my mind, a distasteful act — on campus. Though today I don’t harbor this same resentment, my great love for Stony Brook overwhelmingly colored my perspective then.
Over the course of this semester, while people-watching, waiting for food and even in class, I kept my eyes peeled for the bright logos of other universities.
In approaching people I didn’t know, I was rather unceremonious in that I interrupted whatever they were doing, though I drew the line at studying (only if they had tears of frustration).
As a result of my bothering random people around campus and learning what fueled their choices, I was able to highlight a few standout merchandise wearers.
Oct. 21
Micayla Malewicz, a sophomore studying information systems, wore a Berkshire University sweater. “I found it at a thrift store,” she shared. “It’s really comfortable.”
Oct. 2
Matthew Oh, a freshman studying health sciences, wore a Pennsylvania State University shirt. “I like Penn State football,” he explained.
Sept. 30
Julianne Stainkamp, a sociology student, wore a Dartmouth College sweatshirt because she was invited to attend a hockey game there. Nearby, Alexandria Kipp, a sophomore studying psychology, shared an anecdote that, in the United Kingdom, it’s frowned upon to wear your college merch on-campus, but if you wear merch from another college campus, it’s seen as acceptable. Having never studied at a non-American school, I can’t attest to this, but cross-cultural comparison is particularly interesting to me.
Sept. 28
Jeff Chen, a senior biology student, wore a Boston University shirt to the gym because his “girlfriend goes to BU and it was a gift from her.”
At the conclusion of my months-long investigation, I realized that it’s not a lack of school spirit influencing fashion decisions or a dislike for the offerings at the on-campus store, as evidenced by the sizable population that wears Stony Brook merch around town. Instead, more often than not, the choice to wear other colleges’ merchandise stems purely from the love and appreciation for the people in our lives and the world around us. What easier way to hold a person closer in mind than wearing clothing that reminds you of them?
And, alternatively, though just as altruistically, students are showing their appreciation for sustainability through thrifting.
My previously heartless view has changed.