Hawaiian shirts appear across campus every week. Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday is a new trend on campus rallied by students wanting the entire school to wear tropical-printed shirts every Wednesday.
Selvin Villeda, sophomore biology pre-med major from Rockwall, is responsible for starting the trend.
“I started Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday in high school. I was on the basketball team, and we used to wear them on game days, just to be different,” Villeda said. “I already had a bunch in my closet when I came to ACU so me and a couple of my friends decided to wear them on Wednesdays and just started spreading the word.”
Villeda said Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday originally started off as a way to be different, but has now taken on a whole new light.
“In college, everyone has their basic style. They wear their Polo and Sperrys. With Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday, it allows people to stand out and branch out into a different type of style,” said Villeda.
Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday began last year with Villeda and four of his friends. This year, Villeda says the number has increased to about 45 other students on campus.
Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday is open for any one to participate in. Villeda said that he would like to see more girls join in on the trend and hopes to see the general number of students grow.
Villeda says he hopes to impact the campus with Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday by showing students that materialistic things are not the only things that matter in life.
“Sometimes we tend to get caught up in all the materialistic things in life, and when you can go to Goodwill and get a simple shirt for $2 and you don’t have to spend a lot of money on it and still be looked at the same way. It brings a source of togetherness and closeness with your friends when you can share things like that with each other,” said Villeda
Kyle Vick, sophomore nursing major from Carrollton, participates in Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday every week.
“By wearing my Hawaiian shirt on Wednesday, I feel that I am helping promote unity within a community on campus, “ said Vick.
Christian Fugar, sophomore nursing major from Cypress, said the event helps him maintain a good attitude amid school work.
“Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday seemed like a really fun thing to do. It is in the middle of the week, so it helps remind me to not stress so much about school, but to relax and chill a bit when things get stressful,” he said.
Demonica Coleman, sophomore biology pre-med major from Fate, said she likes the variety it brings to Wednesdays.
“From the outside looking in, I enjoy seeing the different shirts on campus. I think it is something that definitely binds people together. It is a great example of what community essentially is – people participating in a common thing,” Coleman said.
