PANKUS spreads school spirit beyond the stands, carrying on Tarleton traditions

BY BROOKLYN MCKINNEY

Multimedia Journalist

With football season and other fall sports kicking off, students are bound to spot a familiar sea of purple-and-white overalls in the stands.

They’re part of a campus organization called PANKUS, and they pride themselves on being the loudest Tarleton fans, bringing the heat to every game and school event.

PANKUS, in the literal sense, stands for People Against Not Knowing School Spirit. But to its members, it’s more than a spirit organization. It’s a family where they feel belonging and connection on campus – a bond that powers them through every semester and every game.

Priscilla Ramos joined PANKUS in 2023 shortly after returning to Tarleton for grad school to pursue her master’s in animal science.

“They had the purple-and-white striped overalls that obviously caught my eye just like a bunch of other members, but other than that, they just looked like they were having fun,” Ramos said. “I saw so many people from different backgrounds, and I was like, ‘You know what, let me try this real quick.’ Turns out, they were a bunch of fun-loving weirdos, and I ended up staying.”

For Ramos, there were—and still are—many fun times to come as the organization’s current president.

One of her favorite experiences at Tarleton, as a graduate student who has been on campus for six years, was her mentor reveal during PANKUS recruitment.

Another member painted the hand of her PANKUS “mom” with purple paint and pressed it onto a white T-shirt.

“I even have it today, and my mentor, Lizzie, put her hand on my shoulder. I really, really wanted her, and I thought [she] was going to be another member. But the moment she put her hand on my shoulder, I was like, ‘That’s my mom,’” Ramos said.

Although she joined PANKUS later in the game as a graduate student, it was a life-changing experience that shaped Ramos into the person she is today.

“It just made me more open and fun-loving and showed my really cool side, so now everyone gets to see it,” Ramos said.

While she would describe herself as more “ostentatious” or outgoing after this shift, there are a wide range of personalities in PANKUS that members appreciate and love.

For example, Carson, the other child of her PANKUS “mom” and known as the “data baddie” to other members, is more laid-back but still has fun.

“Carson was super into sports; that was her thing. And she was into statistics and everything, but she wasn’t super into being dancey or super out-and-about like that; she was really to herself. But that didn’t take away from her showing up and showing out, as in being there in the present with us,” Ramos said.

A common misconception about PANKUS is that you have to be a sports fanatic or scream at every game, but the organization is actually very flexible.

“PANKUS in general focuses on joining multiple things and embracing everything that Tarleton has to offer, because we support everything at Tarleton,” Ramos said.

Many PANKUS members are heavily involved in other campus organizations, such as the Student Government Association (SGA) or Greek Life. They also often attend fine arts performances and other campus events together.

Former historian Bryce Wishon is grateful for every opportunity the spirit organization has thrown his way.

“Just being involved is really the best part about all of this, because I would just be another student – just going to class, going to school, ending my day. But I’ve done so many things that I would have never dreamed of doing here,” Wishon said.

Sports never really caught Wishon’s interest, but he said that all changed after joining PANKUS in the stands during his freshman year at Tarleton.

“Just going to a six o’clock game, watching the sun drop, a real good game if it’s real close or going against Abilene Christian, those games are always really fun,” Wishon said.

For the past decade, PANKUS historians have been tasked with creating a yearbook for the spirit organization.

While it often was made up of a small booklet of photos put into a custom order from Shutterfly, Wishon had a different vision.

For the 2023-24 academic year, he made a 90-page, 12-by-12 yearbook with the help of four other PANKUS members.

“It was just really fun making each section for each sport – football, baseball and then our fundraising events. I went all out and did bloopers, so just funny shots of everybody,” Wishon said. “It was a good 10-month process of making that book, but it was really worth it.”

PANKUS doesn’t just connect students on campus through school spirit. They extend to the Stephenville community.

Ramos recalls an event in December where PANKUS members made Christmas cookies, greeting cards and posed for photos with children at Rockhouse, a mental health clinic in Stephenville.

“We did activities with the kids, and it was just an overall life-changing experience,” Ramos said.

PANKUS, or People Against Not Knowing School Spirit, isn’t just here to power Tarleton through football season; it’s for anyone looking to get more involved or find a sense of belonging at Tarleton State.

In the words of PANKUS President Ramos, “If you love being a weirdo, it’s the place for you.”

For more information, follow PANKUS on Instagram @pankustsu or visit https://texansync.tarleton.edu/organization/pankus.