Top 10 reasons it’s better to be a Wildcat than a Sun Devil. It’s like proving 1 + 1 = 2. It’s just known. It can be proven (I’ve seen the proof in geometry). But why explain something that everyone knows? I’ll do my best.
1. Reputation
When I tell people I go to school in Arizona, they always say, “”Oh wow, I’ve heard there’s a party every day at ASU,”” or crack jokes at the less-than-reputable sexual escapades of its student population. I feel sorry for the state of Arizona. ASU’s continuous parties and promiscuity are the best-known facts of higher education here. The UA is most known for its work with NASA.
2. Courtney Coxxx
There has never been a UA cheerleader porn star. Courtney Cox, whose film name is Courtney Simpson, starred in one of her first XXX films wearing her ASU cheerleading uniform. She signed a pledge stating, “”I know that I am part of a team representing ASU and will therefore always try to present myself in the best interest of the university.”” So what’s the message? (For a fun sight, Google “”ASU”” under images) The last time a UA cheerleading squad was onscreen was during last year’s season of “”RAH!”” which showed viewers the inside world of competitive cheerleading (Google “”UA”” under images as well).
3. Size doesn’t matter
President Robert Shelton’s goal isn’t to make us the biggest university in the world. We might complain about increased class sizes, but it’s nothing compared to the overcrowding at ASU. ASU’s population is expected to increase to 69,000 students. The UA has 38,767 students, according to statistics provided by the UA Office of Institutional Research. Bigger doesn’t always mean better, Sun Devils, and cramming anyone with a tuition check into a campus definitely doesn’t make you better.
4. We’re cooler
It’s 10 degrees cooler in Tucson — in every sense of the word.
Some people say it’s because we live at a greater elevation; others just say we’re “”higher”” at the UA. Either way, Wildcats get to enjoy more than 300 days of sunlight without the muggy pollution of the Sun Devils’ Tempe home.
5. The Zona Zoo
It’s one of the biggest and most publicized student sections in the nation. And we honor the majestic wildcat, instead of throwing up gang signs that awkwardly resemble “”the shocker”” to worship the devil. We have more school spirit; Zona Zoo is always crowded with students and usually ends up having to turn people away because there are so many students.
6. It’s not a big high school
Wildcats branch out, move away from home and make their own lives instead of just continuing the drudgery of their high school careers. Sun Devils choose to stay the same instead of evolving into adults and contributing members of society. One can only wait for Darwinism to run its course.
7. Tucson is a college town
The UA is the lifeblood of the city. It’s catered specifically to students. The UA is integrated with most of the high schools around the area, the housing and most of the community is geared toward students. Plus, it’s not a concrete jungle like Tempe; we’re surrounded by mountains and a beautiful landscape.
8. Athletics
Overall, we have more national championships than ASU. Our swim coach coached the Olympic team, and several Olympic swimmers are Wildcats. We’ve gone through a tumultuous coaching turnover for the basketball team and still had impressive seasons, including a 25th consecutive appearance at the NCAA tournament despite losing the Silver Fox — Lute Olson.
9. We’re No. 1
We were the first university built in Arizona, constructed before it was even a state. Therefore, any other college has to live up to us. It’s always best to be the original — everyone else is just a copy.
10. The campus
Wildcats enjoy the beauty of original red brick, akin to campuses such as Harvard and UCLA. ASU is basically cinderblock surrounded by a city full of cement and asphalt. The ASU campus was improved by a cleansing wash from the Tempe Town Lake runoff — and it probably wasn’t the only rubber breaking that night, either. New ASU grad in the making?
— Michelle Monroe is a journalism junior and a former Daily Wildcat news editor. She can be reached at news@wildcat.arizona.edu.
