As another school year comes around the corner, a student-run group on campus, known as The Hill Crew, looks for new ways to promote school spirit and a positive community setting for extracurricular events.
The group is run by co-presidents Chris Captain and Mckenzie Swenson.
The goal of this group is to promote student involvement regardless of the event, according to Captain.
“The Hill Crew is a strong community on campus and brings people together from various corners of life on the hill.” — Chris Captain
“The Hill Crew promotes athletic events, fine arts events, and partners with the Campus Activities Board (CAB) to increase awareness and attendance on campus,” Captain said. “The organization serves to unite the student body by supporting each other through incentivizing participation in these events.”
Swenson said she is excited about the direction the group is heading in and the positive impacts it has had on the school since it was started four years ago.
“The first year we had over 800 students join which was super cool to see starting out,” Swenson said. “The Hill Crew is basically an on campus super fan club for everyone at Gustavus.”
The group not only provides a great social environment for students who attend but also creates a better atmosphere for the school’s extracurricular programs, according to Swenson.
“After we started, it took a little bit to see some results but we saw the stands double in size with fans in the crowd,” Swenson said. “It’s so fun to perform with all your friends cheering you on and it also creates a home game advantage.”
The group is continually looking for new ways to encourage participation from the student body.
Last year, the group came up with a great way to get members more involved through the creation of the “Gustavus Hill Crew” app. This app can be downloaded for free, has information about upcoming events, and has a point system for attending events, which prizes can be won from. The group is working on expanding the app as well to provide more information to students.
“The app provides detailed information with multiple tabs for the user to choose from including a calendar of events, a social feed connected to athletics, and fine arts and CAB media outlets,” Captain said. “The updated app will include other options for looking at rosters for sports teams and more rewards for those who check into events.”
The group strongly encourages all students to join to promote a more supportive environment for extracurriculars.
“The Hill Crew is a strong community on campus and brings people together from various corners of life on the hill,” Captain said. “By joining The Hill Crew, new students can connect instantly to a supportive group while also being introduced to new athletic events, fine arts events, and CAB events.”
Students can join this on-campus group by downloading the app and creating an account or by buying a tshirt pack for $15 at extracurricular events and during orientation week.
