Mr. Saltarelli—read your essay on the lack of school spirit (“Smells Like School Spirit”, 11/17/09) and I couldn’t agree more. My son is a first-year and plays football and we have been appalled at the lack of interest on a campus with such a rich football tradition. I, too, recently spent a football weekend, this at the University of Notre Dame, and it made me wonder why the U of C can’t have some of the same spirit, albeit on a smaller scale. The “stands” at U of C games are regularly filled with parents of the players and visiting fans, but very few students. The facilities are third-rate at best, despite the U of C probably having graduated as many billionaires as any school in the nation. Your point about Duke is well-taken. I obviously do not have the answer except to note, as you do, that the lack of campus-wide events does not promote any good feelings about the school. It seems that the student body is focused more on simply getting the U of C diploma than enjoying what I would consider much of the point of going to college—experiencing things beyond the classroom. Thanks for an interesting article.

Anthony Brizzolara