June 23, 2009

The UTEP Athletics department unveiled its highly-anticipated marketing campaign for the 2009-10 academic year on Tuesday, with the phrase “Yes We Can” set to unify Miner fans.

“Yes We Can” is far more than a slogan. It is an all encompassing concept which focuses on much more beyond what happens on gameday.

“El Paso is UTEP,” senior associate athletics director at UTEP Brian Wickstrom said. “The ‘Yes We Can’ campaign is going to be an opportunity for our student-athletics, staff and coaches to become even further imbedded in El Paso.

“UTEP Athletics is lucky to be in the city of El Paso,” Wickstrom said. “With more than 220,000 fans attending home UTEP Athletic events, we automatically have an advantage when teams come to El Paso.”

There are several prongs to the “Yes We Can” campaign, and everyone associated with UTEP Athletics on any level will play an important role in ensuring its success.

“With ‘Yes We Can’, we are conveying a message which shows the scope of student-athletes, our programs and our fans,” UTEP director of marketing and promotions Emily Hobel said. “Our student-athletes are great individuals, and this new campaign gives us a good platform to show El Paso who they are supporting when they come to games.” 

The first segment is “Yes We Can commit to the community.” Fans should be on the look-out for UTEP student-athletes and coaches who will be making numerous appearances in the community at different El Paso events throughout the summer. While the next two months will serve as the launching point for “Yes We Can commit to the community,” count on UTEP Athletics to be a steady presence in the community during the entire year.

“I am proud to be a member of UTEP Athletics when I see or hear about more than 300 student-athletes becoming involved in the community,” Wickstrom said. “Our student-athletes have done this by going to elementary schools for mentoring or reading programs, getting involved in not-for-profit causes in the city and participating in sports camps which attracted close to 2,000 young kids to campus.”

Other highlights of the campaign include “Yes We Can achieve in the classroom”, “Yes We Can instill traditions” and “Yes We Can provide quality, inexpensive family entertainment.”

During the 2008-09 year, 116 Miner student-athletes were recognized as members of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll for attaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Additionally, 17 individuals were presented with C-USA Academic Medals for boasting cumulative GPAs of 3.75 or higher. One such individual was UTEP softball standout Stacie Townsend, who secured the top academic honor at the institution when she was chosen as one of the top-10 seniors at the school.

Fans will play a critical role in “Yes We Can instill traditions,” as they will be able to bring together Miner fans of all generations together by showing off their pride. Help give the “Yes We Can” campaign a symbol by making the pick-axe gesture or by singing the fight song.

“To our fans I say, can you be loud and proud at games?,” Hobel said. “Can you make UTEP home venues among the best in the country? I am looking forward to each of them buying into our campaign and saying ‘Yes We Can’.”

UTEP Athletics is aware of the challenging economic times, and it will do its part in the coming year to ensure that every game is a fun and affordable activity. The “Family Pack” (four UTEP football season tickets for less than $200) is just one example of this belief.

 “Yes We Can” is a campaign which excludes nothing and is inclusive of all. With the 2009-10 seasons quickly approaching, it is the perfect time to get on board and experience first-hand just how much UTEP Athletics can accomplish this year.