In an effort to magnify school spirit, college calendar company Tempe12 is teaming up with ASU’s athletic department to bring back a sense of Sun Devil tradition.
For the last five and a half years, David Freedman, the creator of Tempe12, has been working hard developing and fine-tuning the company.
“We are now at a place where we are excited to have this relationship with ASU and the athletic department,” he said. “We can bring so much by helping increase attendance and student participation at events.”
By Katie Mykleseth and Arielle Hurst
This was an effort to try to boost school spirit and increase traffic at the games, Freedman said. Tempe12 has continued the early momentum throughout the football season with a series of tailgates on Sparky’s lawn.
“Our main goal is letting students know when the games are and giving them a fun, positive environment to hang out at before and after games,” he said.
Students attending games this year are participating more and are more apt to continue showing up, said Donald Bocchi, senior associate athletic director at ASU. The last home game was the first time this year that student attendance dropped.
Freedman created the company in October 2004. More than 8,000 girls applied to be in this year’s calendar. Selection for Tempe12 is based on character, not just looks. Girls must be driven, educated and down-to-earth.
Tempe12 highlights ASU in a positive light, said Courtney Sheber, a Tempe12 girl. Sheber, now an interdisciplinary studies senior, joined her freshman year looking for a unique way to stand out on campus.
“Tempe12 has grown immensely since I was first in the calendar my freshman year,” she said. “It has always been a big deal on campus, but as each year passes, the hype increases and there are an even wider variety of events going on for people to participate in.”
The calendar now only features ASU students, creating a more personal relationship with each girl involved. Tempe12 is also solely at the ASU campus, despite interest from other campuses around the U.S.
“As I look at David Freedman and the Tempe12, I see a way to encourage students to become involved at ASU,” Bocchi said.
Bocchi’s involvement with Tempe12 began in July, when Freedman scheduled a photo shoot at Sun Devil Stadium, looking to showcase the football season schedule as the centerfold for the calendar.
Tempe12 also works to establish relationships with ASU Greek life and other on-campus organizations.
Whenever there is an opportunity to help promote a good cause, Tempe12 is more than happy to help out, Freedman said. Tempe12 recently teamed up with Delta Chi Fraternity to raise money for cancer research.
“People don’t realize that the girls aren’t just a pretty face on campus,” Sheber said. “We are doing things to help the community and we are always looking for ways to involve the students of ASU in Tempe12 events.”
Several ideas are in the works right now to showcase more of the University — both the athletic life as well as the physical campus, Freedman said. A photo shoot at Wells Fargo Arena is also in the future to encourage students to support ASU basketball.
“I think people see Tempe12 as a way to be part of something bigger at ASU,” Sheber said. “If we continue to team up with ASU sports, you can’t really beat that combination.”
Reach the reporter at amoswalt@asu.edu
