Saint Louis University students should look to invest in the following items: blue and white face paint, blue shorts, blue shirts and – for those who think that leggings are pants – blue tights.

Students might start bleeding blue, and try-outs might be held for those of us who can do “the Billiken roar”… whatever that might sound like. Basketball, among other athletic events, could take campus by storm.

The Athletic Fee referendum, which will allow students to vote for a $15 to each semester to include the ability to attend athletic events including men’s basketball games without paying for normal tickets, holds immense potential. Should students vote to include this Athletic Fee starting with the 2011-2012 school year, there will be far-reaching positive effects for both the basketball team and the University.

The fee roughly translates to $2 per game – much less than the current $10 ticket price. Also, students would pay the fee along with the rest of their billing statement (which includes the Student Activity Fee, the Technology Fee, etc.).

This expedited process along with lower costs makes athletic events far more appealing to attend – and attendance will rock Chaifetz Arena and SLU’s campus to the core.

This is the catalyst that SLU men’s basketball needs. This new referendum, to be voted on by students this semester for the following 2011-2012 academic year, could be the magnet we need to fill the student section with electric energy.

This kind of magnetized support from students boosts morale for players, which improves performance. It’s hard not being inspired by a solid block of blue-clad students rooting ecstatically for your success.

This blue fervor has ripple-effects beyond the arena. Duke University, Notre Dame University, Gonzaga University – these schools have well known athletics teams.

Their successes bring fame to their schools, only helping to create the image of prestige and respectability. SLU is poised to do the same.

This new referendum will pull students to the arena, rooting our teams to success both in the basketball arena at school and the public arena for SLU. We need to see that this simple change can change the face of SLU athletics. We heartily support a referendum that can take our athletes and our school to new heights and new successes.

So let’s dress for success, in all our Billiken blue.