The Grand Valley State University homecoming T-shirt swap allows students show Laker pride while helping those in need. The event, in its second continuous year, was created by the Student Senate as a way to support higher education and foster school spirit during Homecoming week.

“The T-shirt swap is fantastic because through one event we are able to collect shirts for the less fortunate while also giving Grand Valley State University students a brand new T-shirt with which they can showcase their Laker pride,” said Andrew Plague, the Student Senate president.

The event ran the Thursday and Friday before Homecoming week in the hopes that as many people as possible would go to the football game wearing their newly-swapped shirts.

“Homecoming is all about showing you are a Laker,” said Ella Fritzemeier, a senator on Student Senate. “It’s a good shirt to wear to the football game, to show that you have Laker pride.”

Fritzemeier helped design the shirt this year and participated in the swap. The premise of the T-shirt swap is that students bring in T-shirts from a different college or from their high school. They then donate their old shirt and get the new, GVSU-themed shirt in return.

This isn’t to eliminate the presence of other college spirit wear on the GVSU campus, but rather to inspire high school students to consider college as an option.

“The shirts that are donated will be sent to Grand Rapids public schools,” Fritzemeier said. “It’s to promote higher education. They will be wearing a college T-shirt and be prideful for having it, subconsciously giving the message that higher education is good.”

The event also provides for a way to clothe those in need, as all donated high school shirts go to Goodwill. The swap was picked back up last year after a hiatus. Nearly all of the 1,300 shirts that were ordered last year were given away.

“Everyone wants a free shirt and they want to support Grand Valley. When it was such a success we decided we needed to continue to do it every year,” said Emma Moulton, executive vice president of the Student Senate who was in charge of the swap last year.

They based the number of shirts to order based on last year’s numbers, but ran into a problem. The shirts were not ready and the event had to be pushed back, starting Thursday the ninth rather than Tuesday as originally planned. For people who missed their chance, the Student Senate will continue to swap shirts at senate events.

“Last year, participation was really good. We definitely had long lines with people excited to get the shirts,” Moulton said. This year was no different with students eager to get a shirt.

Student Arleigha Gordon said she was excited for her shirt.

“It’s a great idea. I think it’s super cute,” she said.

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