Might be a good time to go shopping in Indianapolis if you live close to campus and don't have a ticket to the game. Maybe you ought to get a couple of sheets of plywood for your doors and windows like folks in Florida do when a hurricane is coming.
Seriously, don't leave and don't by the plywood.
Instead, get behind or get involved in this wonderful rivalry. Our local alumni are asking area businesses that have display signs to show their support for the Wabash football team, a team that has gone 9-0, won its first North Coast Athletic Conference championship, and already has qualified for the Division III football playoffs.
You know, "Go Wabash! Win the Bell!"
But there are even better reasons to support THIS Wabash football team, either with visual messages of good luck or with a note to the team.
This Wabash team has done a lot for our community. These Little Giants spearheaded the "Turnover Hunger" program, which will raise several thousand dollars for the FISH Foundation, not to mention the collection of thousands of non-perishable food items for donation to the FISH Food Pantry.
This Wabash football team hosted a free Youth Football Clinic for area youngsters.
This Wabash football team welcomed the community for its home opener with a free cookout and free admission.
This Wabash football team has given us a hundred reasons to be proud of them-even if you are a graduate or fan of DePauw. These Little Giants are good men.
But there's more. Last week, the Wabash community again participated in the "Bleed for the Bell" program, generating nearly 100 pints of blood for the Central Indiana Regional Blood Center.
Wabash students and faculty are participating in the Co-Motion project that will raise awareness of domestic violence in our community. Additionally, students and faculty will donate money at Thursday's Monon Bell Pep Rally (11 a.m. in the Chapel). More money will be pledged by fraternities based on the number of points Wabash scores in the game on Saturday. Those proceeds will go to the Montgomery County Family Crisis Shelter.
Think for a minute about the symbolism of a college for men and an age-old football rivalry being the catalyst to teach young men the horrors of domestic violence. Even better, the local shelter will gain some much-needed funds in tough economic times.
There are other reasons to be proud of Wabash and its football team this week. For example, the FIJI fraternities at Wabash and DePauw do a football run from Greencastle to Crawfordsville to raise money for leukemia research.
Indeed, the rivalry has become much more than a football game. It has become an opportunity for community involvement and service.
So while some of the behavior exhibited on game day in one of college football's greatest rivalries doesn't make us proud, we should acknowledge the very positive efforts of the Wabash students.
And especially the good works of the 100 men who make up the football team, who have sweat and bled and worked hard for an entire year in pursuit of a magical perfect season—and, of course, a chance to ring the Monon Bell.
Please join me in throwing your support behind them. I know the Little Giants will make you proud.