It could be seen on the sidelines of Bill Buxton Stadium for the final home football game of the season on Nov. 4. Following the game, it was brought to midfield in celebration of a Storm victory.

As a part of a movement meant to increase spirit among the student body, the Storm Chasers recently purchased an 8-foot by 6-foot flag bearing an “SC” logo. The Storm Chasers, which is a subdivision of CAB, intends for the flag to serve as a symbol for Simpson athletics.

“It’s a symbol so we can get more people involved on campus,” said senior Evan Schaefer, president of CAB and the Storm Chasers.

The flag is black, with the “SC” logo in red, outlined in gold. There was much discussion on what the design of the flag should be as well as what colors should be used. Options ranged from putting an “SC” in red, block lettering on a white background to placing the logo on a red background. The final decision was made to take the same route another college in Iowa took.

“We had to have it custom-made,” said Rich Ramos, assistant dean for student activities and CAB adviser. “We went through the same company that made the University of Iowa flags.”

The decision to have the flag custom-made didn’t come without a price, as the project ended up costing around $500.

“It wasn’t a cheap thing, but it is pretty visible and hopefully we’ll get our money’s worth out of it,” Ramos said. “As long as we take care of it we should get quite a few years out of it.”

The ultimate goal of the flag is to increase school spirit among the student body. The flag should create an identity for Simpson College athletics.

“I think it’s a great thing to start boosting attendance at games, to get students out of their rooms and into the gym or on the field,” Schaefer said.

Schaefer hopes the attendance at athletic events will increase because of an identity and added excitement. With the increased enthusiasm and attendance from the fans, the performance of the athletes themselves could change as well.

“We definitely respond to an involved, pumped-up crowd,” said senior basketball player Ryan Hittenmiller. “We feed off of their energy and play better because of it.”

The flag made its debut late in the football season and will be a mainstay throughout the winter sports seasons. If the flag continues to be as well-received as it already has, it looks to have a bright future.

“It looks better than what I expected it to,” Ramos said. “It came out a thousand times better than I expected. I’m really pleased with it.”