The Carnegie Clan brings school spirit to the stands

Created by a group of friends in 2004, the Carnegie Clan aims to promote school spirit through support of the athletic programs at Carnegie Mellon. Although all of the founders — Tom Matta, Kaori Yazawa, Darbi Roberts, Becky Metler, Rory Kaclik, and Alex Gutschick — have graduated, President Sara Wingen and Co-President Risa Masuda continue to propel the organization’s mission and have hosted several successful events this fall, generating enthusiasm by giving out Carnegie Clan and Tartans towels, T-shirts, and free food.

The biggest and most recent event was the Homecoming Chili Cook-off, in which 22 teams entered their own special chili recipes, which were evaluated by a panel of judges and sampled by members of the campus community. There were a variety of judges, including Carnegie Mellon varsity coaches, athletic department administrators, students, and representatives from Student Activities. As in previous years, chili tasters received a free mug to sample all of the recipes and also to keep as memorabilia of the day and its events.

This past Saturday, the Carnegie Clan hosted its second Tartan Tailgate of the year, which offered free burgers, hot dogs, and even s’mores to the Tartans fans arriving at Gesling Stadium before the football team’s final game of the season. This event was held before the game as an incentive to get people to stay, watch, and cheer on their fellow Tartans. “I think the gap between non-athlete and student athlete is one that can easily be bridged through more involvement and enthusiasm to generate a spirited student community that makes time for something fun,” Wingen said.

There have been many more and similar events, since in the past the Carnegie Clan hosted pancake breakfasts before basketball games and bonfires to celebrate the fall athletic season. The Clan hopes to increase the organization’s membership not only with students who want to show their support of the school teams by simply cheering on the Tartans and being in attendance, but also with anyone who has ideas and suggestions that can actively help the Carnegie Clan grow and develop in the future.
The Carnegie Clan is planning ahead for the spring season and hopes to host more events to cheer on Carnegie Mellon athletics, and of course encourage the Tartans to beat their competitors on our very own turf. Any ideas and suggestions are welcome and can be directed to swingen@