The concept of the V-shirt was brought about as a way to unite the student body into an easily-identifiable mass at athletic events.

But due to new measures by the Student Government Association and the Basketball Club, there will be multiple versions of the shirts available, lessening the likelihood of a unified “Sea of V” in the Pavilion anytime soon.

Early in the summer, representatives of SGA, the Basketball Club and the University Band conferred on the possibility of redesigning the V-shirt to heighten student support at the basketball games. No consensus was reached in the early stages of discussion, but SGA made the decision to continue as planned to fulfill their campaign promise to raise school spirit and develop a new shirt. This was done independent of the band, which is concerned with its overhead stock of V-shirts from last year.

The new SGA shirts are navy blue, with a new, University licensed V on the front of the shirt and the logo of the organization supporting the shirt printed on the back. According to Vice President Tim McGovern, the shirts will be available soon.

“We’re launching a massive publicity campaign to help create a ‘Sea of V,’ a unified student body, in the stands at the basketball games,” McGovern said. “Athletics wants the new shirts to be updated with the correct graphics as per the Villanova Athletic Graphics Standard Guide.”

SGA also offers a free customized organization-oriented screen for the back of the shirts for other organizations who want to wear the V-shirts but still represent their affiliations. The shirts, in sizes small, medium, large and extra large, will be available in various places, such as Connelly and outside at the Oreo for $5 each.

The band, however, will not be sporting the new V-shirts, choosing instead to remain with the old ones.

“We need to have organizational integrity, need to stick by what we’re working with,” pep band director Michael Walsh said. “Band is continuous throughout the years; SGA changes board members every year. SGA is annual; we are much more long-term and the number of T-shirts sold has been increasing every year.”

A long-standing fundraiser, the band has held the market on the original V-shirts for the past six years. It created the V logo independently of the university, using only a block V, so it will never be forced to modify or change the shirt style because of University V licensing regulations.

Band members said their shirts will be more successful in creating a “Sea of ‘V'” because of the white color, which appears more impressive than navy blue when cameras span the fans at the game.

“We are open to ideas, making changes to our shirts, adding other little flair things,” band president Eric Saber said.

The Basketball Club is offering a modified version of the SGA V-shirt. The only way to obtain a Basketball Club V-shirt is through membership, which also offers road trips and tailgating parties.

The back of the club’s V-shirts show each member as No. 6 and read “The Sixth Man.”

“In the past, the student section has been divided,” Harry Metzinger, president of the basketball club, said. “The T-shirt is the first step to having one of the visibly best student sections in the country.”