The Brand Implementation Team, a standing committee at FHSU that is known more simply as Brand IT!, launched the idea a year ago of wearing Tiger gold each and every Friday. Several other campus groups, including the Department of Athletics and the Alumni Association, helped organize events, and the TGOF effort began to spread from the campus into the greater community.

Dr. Stephen Donnelly, president of the FHSU Faculty Senate, announced year two of TGOF at the Fall Convocation on Wednesday.

As the 2013-2014 academic year begins, new events are planned that will continue the TGOF momentum. Free TGOF T-shirts will be handed out at the annual Back to School Picnic on Monday, Aug. 19. Eagle Communications, the primary corporate sponsor for TGOF, is providing the T-shirts. The picnic, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Quad at the center of campus, includes fun activities and a delicious and inexpensive meal. Everyone is welcome.

New this year will be the Core2Campus Kick-off, presented by the Downtown Hays Development Corporation, the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Eagle Communications. The event will begin with a march from campus to downtown Hays at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29.

Organizers conducted focus groups of FHSU students and learned that students had a very low awareness of all that is available downtown. Core2Campus is an attempt to raise their awareness. Dr. Edward H. Hammond, FHSU president, will lead students, faculty, staff and community members on the march, and they will be greeted downtown by city commissioners and other community leaders. After an opening ceremony, the event will include a hog roast for FHSU faculty, staff and students with Tiger ID; a scavenger hunt for students and the public; and an "Explore Downtown Businesses" activity, complete with prize drawings that is also open to everyone. More details will be announced as the event draws near.

Businesses and organizations can pick up posters promoting TGOF at the Alumni Association in the Robbins Center on the FHSU campus. Information about where to buy official TGOF shirts is available online at http://www.fhsu.edu/tgof/ .

Other future plans include a T-shirt exchange (exchanging another university's T-shirt for an FHSU shirt) during Homecoming week.

"The Tiger family has always been supportive by wearing the Black and Gold to sporting events and other FHSU activities," said Kent Steward, chair of Brand IT! "TGOF makes Tiger pride even stronger as the FHSU faithful dress in branded sportswear or bold gold clothing every Friday."