UBC is recognized for its academics and beautiful location, but it has been criticized for its lack of school spirit. AMS President Ava Nasiri is attempting to change that with the newly re-established Blue and Gold Society.
The Blue and Gold Society will meet in the Nest every two weeks and will be made up of UBC student leaders, representing many of the major groups on campus. For example, the first meeting was attended by the Chinese Varsity Club, the Engineering Undergraduate Society, the Calendar, among others.
The original Blue and Gold Society was established by AMS alumni to create school spirit within the UBC community. It primarily targeted sporting events and would encourage its members to dress in blue and gold — UBC’s signature colors — with the hope of generating a sense of UBC pride among students.
“It was a pep group. They ran the cheer squad, had the marching band under them and they got together, bringing hype to varsity games,” said Nasiri.
The club went through many transitions. But in all its iterations, school spirit was always at the core of the society’s purpose.
“The idea of the Blue and Gold Society is to bridge the gaps between the communities that currently exist within UBC. I think it’s simpler for students to find an immediate group of peers that they feel connected to,” said Nasiri.
The society — which Nasiri recently re-established — has a broadened and more holistic approach to school spirit. She hopes it will help ensure that school spirit will not just be a feature of varsity sporting events. She and the rest of the society will be attempting to integrate the blue and gold theme and spirit into the wider UBC community.
“The main goal for the Blue and Gold Society is to bring ... all the sub-communities that currently exist and try to be the ribbon that tries to weave them all together,” said Nasiri. “The step that has always been missed is allowing [the society] to take shape with the input and collaboration of those participating,” recognizes Nasiri. Her hope is that the society will grow organically and support school spirit across all of UBC’s communities.