Aside from the standard “Let’s go Denver!” most of the cheers coming from the student section are meant for a mature audience. To some listeners, these cheers are not only vulgar, but also could be offensive and inappropriate for a public setting.

The cheer that causes the most dissension according to complaints received, and is also the favorite of many students, can be heard multiple times throughout  home games: “[Opposing team’s goalie name], [goalie’s name], you suck and your mom’s a wh***!”

Another common occurrence is the spelling of the word “condom”: “Give me a C, give me an O, give me an N, give me a D, give me an O, give me an M, what does that spell? Condom! What does that mean? Defense!”

While some college students believe these cheers are funny, they are not always as entertaining to everyone.

According to Chancellor Rebecca Chopp, several members of the DU community have confronted her about offensive cheering at hockey games.

Letters from alumni have also been received and many of these alumni say they will no longer attend games due to the cheers. While the chancellor is a huge proponent of school spirit and the improvements that have been made in this area, she urges students to be more aware of their words.

“I think we should all be interested in how, as a community, we are welcoming to the guests from other teams and those who are coming and bringing small children to the games and things like that,” Chopp said.

However, some Pioneer students do not particularly agree with these concerns.

“The chants do not necessarily offend me. I find the yelling at opponents and the mocking of other teams to be part of the hockey culture,” said sophomore Kevin Blunt (San Diego, California).

To Blunt, the chants are all in good fun, but are occasionally taken too far.

“Several times, I have heard students yell at the opposing goalie, saying ‘F*** you!’ If I was a parent, I would be hesitant to take my child to a game and sit near the student section in an effort to prevent my child from picking up and using this vocabulary,” he said.

“The cheers are a fun, silly way for the student section to bond. The cheers are offensive, but they are supposed to be offensive,” said sophomore Kayla Moore (East Lansing, Michigan).

While students and the other fans might not always agree on the issue of these cheers, DU is still one community.

“Our students are really smart and very creative. I would think that our students could think of really clever cheers that are not offensive. I do not mind cheers, I just think they should be done in creative ways,” said Chopp, “Language creates the kind of community you are and you signal yourself to be to the world.”