By: Cal Weisman, Melissa Wyas, Natalie Landin

When visiting Bradley’s campus on a Friday, one will see students flooded in a sea of red apparel thanks in major part to the addition of Rise of the Red.

Student Senate’s Vice President of Student Affairs, Camryn Kirkham, provided insight on Rise of the Red’s purpose and history.

“Rise of the Red is a spirit campaign which rewards students who wear red with free exclusive Bradley gear,” said Kirkham.

Rise of the Red was started by Student Senate in 2014 in an attempt to boost Bradley pride around campus. Student Senators can be seen manning their booth for two hour blocks on Fridays at various locations.

As Vice President of Student Affairs, a big part of Kirkham’s position is organizing Rise of The Red, as well as informing students and getting them involved.

“On Friday’s we give free Bradley gear to promote students to wear red, not only on Friday, but all the time,” Kirkham said. “By giving students more red clothing, they can have Bradley spirit wherever they go.”

While Kirkham leads the charge on designing and selecting the apparel, she relies on other Student Senators, as well as her committee members, to make Rise of the Red run smoothly and effectively.

Megan Manst, a freshman senator, sees Rise of the Red as a way for students to express their love of Bradley and that they enjoy being at Bradley.

“Rise of the Red has a positive effect on the campus community as a whole,” said Manst. “Especially with visit days on Fridays, Rise of the Red gives prospective students a sense of how much we love Bradley.”

Many students, like junior Miles Juarez, think Rise of the Red gets students excited to be at Bradley and improves the general atmosphere on campus.

“Rise of the Red is a great way to get people excited about being a Bradley Brave,” Juarez said. “It promotes a enthusiastic environment by giving students a positive experience to bond over.”

Junior Alanis Nash has participated in Rise of the Red all of her three years here and has accumulated a number of shirts, hats, scarves and gloves. For Nash, Rise of the Red provides a common ground for all Bradley students and allows students to connect through their school pride.

“It unites the student body in something more than just an activity. It’s something everyone shows up for and that everyone participate in no matter what their major is or what year they are,” Nash said. “You can see everyone wearing Rise of the Red gear across campus, even though we’re all really different people.”

Rise of the Red often co-hosts events with other departments on campus such as the bookstore, athletic department, and student organizations. By working with other organizations, Senate is able to market campus wide events and create publicity for all the amazing things that take place on Bradley’s campus.

As the semester comes to a close, Rise of the Red looks to continue its prominence by creating a thriving and inviting community for all students on Bradley’s campus and beyond.