As the 2003 football season draws to a close, Student Activities and "The Shirt" organizers are beginning their search for a new project president and are continuing a contest for original and creative designs that began earlier this month. Dave Brenner, president of the 2003 "The Shirt" project, was very pleased with this year's support of the shirt. "It was fantastic. It was awesome to see the strong support from the students because the project is for them," Brenner said. Brenner, a Dillon junior, is looking for a president to replace him next year. Student Activities and Brenner are interviewing a dozen applicants, the highest number of applicants in the project's history. "There will be a strong president and hopefully a great shirt design when this contest is finished. ... When you have those two elements, it's easy to produce a good shirt and have a successful season," Brenner said. The new president of the shirt will begin his or her term after the Thanksgiving holiday. The deadlines for any ideas, designs or sketches for next year's shirt are due Nov. 26. The winner of the contest will receive a $200 prize, and the winning design will be revealed in the spring just before the Blue and Gold game.Brenner is optimistic about the design for The Shirt next year. "It's my hope to get a large number of designs and have a large set of ideas to choose from. ... The record number of design applicants from last year are what made The Shirt so successful. We hope to see the same kind of response this year," Brenner said. As for the color of the shirt, it is up to the next president and Student Activities. However, Brenner said that "It's been really good to have a sea of green two years in a row."Support for The Shirt expanded as "more and more alumni realized that this is the shirt you wear on game day," Brenner said. This season, the project made roughly $400,000, selling more than 126,000 shirts. Half of the profits go to student-run clubs and organizations, while the other half is donated to a charity fund to help students with their medical expenses. Brenner said the project is a great opportunity for the student body to get involved. "Any student can have a direct impact on The Shirt ... it's great to see all the interest that people have," he said.
