The Fire Pit is making sure the flame is on at VSU and it isn’t dwindling any time soon.

Last year, co-founders Jackie Marrero and Colleen Kavanaugh both came together and created the organization the Fire Pit. As a recognized organization on campus, its purpose is to enhance school spirit on campus and in every activity, that involves VSU.

“Jackie and I really wanted to see a change in school spirit,” Kavanaugh said. “We wanted students to be students that went to a division two school and actually support it rather than a division one school. We really wanted to see that type of culture change within the student body as well as in some administration and faculty.”

In the fall of 2013, when Marrero and Colleen Kavanaugh first came to VSU as freshmen, they didn’t feel any spirit on campus.

Both growing up in the South, the hype of college football here at VSU was no match for the intensity of high school football games back in their home towns.

“When Jackie and I came, we were roommates our freshman year in Patterson Hall,” Kavanugh said. “We were so excited for our first football game and homecoming pep rally. When we got to the first home game, everyone was on their phones, no one had on Valdosta State wear, and people just weren’t proud to be Blazers. We both knew freshman year that we wanted to do something about the spirit on campus.”

Since starting the Fire Pit in 2016, Kavanaugh, who is the standing director over the organization, and all the members have made huge improvements to the spirit at athletic games, events and ,of course, homecoming.

“I never realized how much the Fire Pit impacted the school,” Kiara Clark said. “Last year all of the basketball games and football games were lit,”

This year the Fire Pit is doing everything they did last year and more. They are now connected with Student Life and the Campus Activities Board.

For homecoming this year, the Fire Pit will be continuing to students at VSU in the school spirit.

At the pep rally, they have a special ceremony planned, where they will be passing down leadership in the Fire Pit since both Marrero and Kavanaugh are graduating.

“I am looking forward to homecoming this year,” Will Chambliss said. “I attended a lot of the festivities this year and they were definitely worth the hype.”

Although the organization is fairly new, they are busy year-round assuring that the spirit of VSU never dies. Always needing extra hands, the organization is open for any VSU student to join and there are no requirements.

Involved with almost every event, joining the organization will not only help you get involved on campus but also help you meet new people while doing so.

“We support all organizations,” Kavanaugh said. “We are so new that things are up to change but we are so thankful for all the campus organizations and their support of the Fire Pit.”

Written by Briana Salem, Staff Writer. Photos by Seth Willard and Juston Lewis. 

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