On Tuesday night, two college basketball giants played in Atlanta, Duke vs Kentucky, and the atmosphere was electric due to the rabid fan bases of these universities, which travel no matter where the location and pack their respective home games whenever given the opportunity.

As I sit back and realize how exciting it is to attend these athletic events at the respective universities, I notice this feeling is something we CSU East Bay students do not feel and there is a legitimate reason for that.

We have not embraced our athletic teams.

At any university, or school for that matter, the most successful teams in the long run have passionate fan bases that fill up home games.

Here at CSUEB it seems the support is inconsistent and the only time fans will pack a home basketball game is when they are bribed with promotional stunts such as free Chipotle or the chance to win an iPad.

The successful teams create an environment centered on the students whom are passionate about the success of the team and that helps give exposure to the campus as a positive place for students.

The gymnasium here at CSUEB can hold 4,000 people at least, yet, the only time I have ever seen it filled to capacity was for a high school game in 2011 between Bishop O’Dowd and Castro Valley High School.

The atmosphere was something one wishes they could bottle up and sell.

The reason it was such a memorable experience was because the student sections of each school were passionate, creative and dedicated to cheering on their teams.

Here at CSUEB we need to create a student section, funded by Associated Students Inc. (ASI), which is dedicated to supporting and cheering on our teams during home games.

In order to build a successful athletic program at an institution of higher learning, it takes three things: an athletic department dedicated to winning, talented coaches and athletes and a fan base who will support the teams that represent their university.

CSUEB is considered by many a commuter university, yet, the school has been attempting to take the steps necessary to make it a more traditional university by doing things such as creating more dorm rooms and building the RAW center.

Students on campus always complain about the lack of success of the sports teams, yet, do little to help contribute to their success.

By building a student section, who would be a group or organization under ASI, there will be funding for them to do things such as buy paint to paint themselves with, create signs for the team, have meetings to come up with ways to root against the other teams.

In efforts to become a more traditional university, having a consistent fan base is as key as everything else the university is attempting to do.

Now in all fairness, a majority of our teams have struggled to find success since we have transitioned from the NAIA/NCAA Division III ranks, but there are signs that the athletic teams are making progress.

The women’s basketball team made the postseason last season, the women’s water polo and swim teams are consistent.

The men’s basketball team is making strides to be successful.

As a university we need to come together and support them better.