I looked out the window of the Grimes Haus and with what little light was provided, saw a rainy fall night.

It was cold when I got there and I could only imagine the temperature continued to drop as the night went on.

In the rain and cold I could see members of the USI pep band moving equipment and instruments down from the bed of a pick-up truck.

This is the groups usual Monday night routine once pep band season begins and the members dutifully work together to quickly prepare for practice.

Apparently, much like the U.S. mail, pep is an area which is delivered rain or shine.

During interviews with pep band members that evening and through the conversations happening around me, I got the vibe the group does not feel entirely appreciated on campus.

A couple different areas were mentioned and seemed like legitimate concerns.

First, the Grimes Haus, which is past the university baseball fields, is their practice space.

Student members may have to walk there in the dark to and from practices, which brings up legitimate safety concerns, even on USI’s campus.

What really got me was the reason they practice in the Grimes Haus-the group is too loud to practice on campus without disturbing other groups.

The group is technically a part of athletics, which in my mind begs the question, “Why aren’t they practicing in the PAC?”

There is no way they can be considered too disruptive for the PAC-it’s a gym. All day teams spend practice time there running drills and game scenarios. I wouldn’t believe for one second it doesn’t get loud in the PAC.

Another concern was the lack of representation for the group on campus.

Most of the members simply stumbled upon the group or were approached by people who were already members.

The group’s marketing comes from inside. Often word of mouth is their only means of recruitment.

One member even said everything done with instrumental music is “hush hush,”  no one is really saying anything about the pep band who performs at every basketball game.

This is an under recognized, hard-working group on campus.

Members don’t get recognition, they don’t get paid and they don’t get class credit.

This year, show a little more appreciation for the group.

They may not be on the court to score the winning shot, but they are boosting the morale of the crowd. The pep band is an essential part of the game experience.

Students may not be cognizant of that, but I guarantee they would have that “something’s missing” feeling if the group didn’t show up.