As participation in Spirit Week wavers, students reflect on school spirit at Barnard

This year, student participation in the Greek Games, one of Barnard’s oldest traditions, was “pretty low,” according to Sophie Kamdar (CC ’26). 

Photo by Haley Scull/The Barnard Bulletin

By Haila Desai

May 4, 2026

From April 13 to April 17, Barnard’s McIntosh Activities Council (McAC) hosted Spirit Week, which concluded with the Greek Games, one of the College’s oldest traditions.

The first Greek Games took place in 1903, when the Class of 1904 challenged the Class of 1905 to a series of competitions. Events included dancing, hoop rolling competitions, hurdling, and chariot races. For 65 years, each Greek Games was dedicated to a Greek god or goddess, and students would create costumes and set pieces by hand.

The tradition continued until 1968, when the events were canceled due to student protests on Columbia’s campus in opposition to the Vietnam War. Since then, several attempts have been made to revive the Greek Games.

Dedicated to the goddess Athena, the 2010 Greek Games not only featured traditional events such as hurdling and discus throwing but also introduced performances by student groups and events, including “Yoga in a Toga,” “Plato’s Pilates,” and capture the flag. The Greek Games were retired again in 2013 and have been inconsistent since then.

This year, the Greek Games were hosted on Futter Field on the afternoon of April 17. Activities included a relay race, tug of war, dodgeball, and a new event called “Color Wars,” where students threw colored powders of their respective class colors at one another, and the class color that was most prominent won. Each class council hosted an event throughout the week: first-years kicked Spirit Week off with “Cupcake Wars,” sophomores held a scavenger hunt on Tuesday, juniors hosted a “Bouquet Battle” on Wednesday, and seniors finished the week with “Name That Tune” on Thursday. 

“I personally really love Spirit Week because it’s a chance to build community with people who are not just in your class, but also people that you might not have a chance to talk to otherwise,” stated McAC Student Engagement Coordinator Shanthi Ashok (BC ’27). “This is my second year being the point person for Spirit Week [and the] Greek Games, which has been really fun.”  

Other Greek Games participants shared similar sentiments. 

“I really enjoyed myself. It was a nice day,” said Jalen Wright (BC ’26), who participated in several activities. 

Edelia Reyes (BC ’29) also enjoyed the day. “I came out today because I thought it would be a fun way to get to know some of my peers, compete in a friendly environment, [and] just build community and tradition,” Reyes told The Bulletin.

However, many Greek Games participants noted low participation rates. 

“I definitely feel like more student activity could be encouraged,” Wright stated. “I think it’s good that it’s outside … so if students want to participate or even if they didn’t plan on participating this year, they can see it and be like, ‘oh, that’s fun, maybe I’ll participate next year.’” 

Smiti Modhurima (BC ’26), who participated in “Name That Tune,” stated, “I feel like [Spirit Week] has been getting better every year …They’re trying to build it back up to what it was, and I feel like this year I’ve heard more about it than I ever did.”

Ashok predicted that “50 to 100 people” would show up at the Greek Games, but participation waned for many activities. Excluding McAC staff, only 13 students participated in the dodgeball competition. During the relay races, McAC staff filled in for teams missing the minimum three participants.

Sophie Kamdar (CC ’26), who watched the Greek Games with her friend from the sidelines, told The Bulletin that she had “never seen the Greek Games” hosted until this year.

“We thought it would be a bigger event,” Kamdar said. “[I] think the school needs more spirit, and not enough people are here enjoying this beautiful day.” 

“I feel like school spirit is pretty low and people don’t really want to engage outside their bubble,” she added. “It’s pretty insular once you make your friends, and … doing this stuff is … [thought of as] cringe.”

Isadora Li (BC ’26) joined her class team for tug-of-war but later ended up pulling with the sophomores. 

“First, I pulled for the seniors because it was seniors versus freshmen,” Li told The Bulletin. “Then [I pulled with] the sophomores, [because] the second round didn’t have [enough people].”

Junior Class President Iqra Waheed (BC ’27) shared her thoughts on the low participation in spirit week, and Barnard’s lack of school spirit in general. Formerly a commuter student, Waheed explained that she used to consider whether campus events were worth traveling for, often choosing to stay home. 

“If you choose to attend a school in New York City, you’re not really signing up for the sense of school spirit,” Waheed explained. “Barnard students don’t really rely on Barnard for their entertainment.”