The Loyola-Tulane rivalry has taken a new meaning with the wave of Tulane students flooding the Orleans Room.

Tulane, however, continues to dominate the series between both schools, and handed the men’s basketball team another loss, 78-64.

Before the game, Loyola hosted its traditional pep rally, to boost spirits.

Natalia Verdina, mass communication freshman, said it did more than that.

“It’s a really nice way to get people together,” she said. “It’s really welcoming and a really fun way of integrating the freshmen with the Loyola community.”

Chants and cheers started before the game itself did.

With the Maroon Platoon, Havoc, the Loyola cheerleaders and other students in the Fogelman Arena, Tulane students found a formidable opponent for this chant war.

Tulane students held sign that read “The Orleans Room is Ours,” and chanted that as well.

To this, ‘Pack fans responded with, “Eat your own food.”

Before the game, at the pep rally held in the St. Charles Room, Jamie Martin, a mass communication freshman, and Loyola cheerleader, said this carries extra weight.

“The whole lunch situation has made this game a bigger deal,” she said. “Obviously we don’t like it when they invade the OR. This is more than just a game now.”

She went on to say that stakes should be put on this game.

“If we win they should not be allowed to come to the OR, and if they win they can come whenever they want.” Martin said.

Tulane students sparked the chant war before the opening tip off, when they started chanting, “The OR is ours.”

To this Loyola students responded with a chant of their own, “Eat your own food.”
The chants continued to go back and forth, moving away from the dining situation, to different aspects between both schools.

 “Obviously this rivalry is huge and we have a big crowd here,” Cory Dicker, Tulane accounting junior said. “If things on campus fuel the fire, like with the OR, then it’s going to continue.”

Dicker added that Tulane’s lack of success over the years has brought more students to the game against Loyola.

“We haven’t been very competitive over the last couple of years, it’s really brought more spirit to this game, the school’s are so close and Loyola has been bringing more and more people every year to create more of a rivalry,” he said.

Tulane students focused some of their cheers in terms of college applications and acceptances.

They cheered, “Tulane rejects” and “Safety school,” implying that Tulane University is a better school and is harder to get into.

The Loyola students responded with references to a case Tulane had where a student tested positive for HIV/AIDS.

Associate Athletic Director, Brett Simpson, said there is more to this game than just the rivalry.

“Obviously being across the street from each other is big, but the history that goes on between the two schools, even back to the ‘20s, ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, all that time before we dropped athletics, the history is what we’re hoping to recapture,” he said.

Thomas Stover, visual arts senior, said he has noticed this rivalry growing during his time at Loyola.

“There has been lots more participation from fans,” he said.

“There was a lot of intensity with guys who had their shirts off and the body paint, and I love to see that.”

Stover said the chants between the schools makes it a fun rivalry.

“They yell Tulane rejects and we respond with some things some people say are inappropriate, but I think everyone who knows what’s going on knows it all in good fun,” he said.

Eduardo Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected]