Student body president Chris Griffin and vice president Alec Waid get lip tattoos that read “Go Bulls” after a large student turnout at multiple football games. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

Keeping a promise made with the student body, the student body president and vice president sat in a tattoo parlor last week to have evidence of their school pride permanently engraved on their lower lips.

Student body president Chris Griffin sent out a tweet on Aug. 29 promising students that he and his vice president, Alec Wade, would get lip tattoos reading “Go Bulls” if the student section was filled during any home game this season.

Students took him up on his wager. 

On Sept. 10, 27,485 people attended the USF game against NIU. The student section was filled with cheering fans and the team won 48-17. However, Griffin and Wade said the section was still not sufficiently packed to warrant the ink.

But the section was filled again when USF took on FSU, with 52,485 people in attendance. 

Consequently, Griffin and Wade drove with a handful of friends to the Las Vegas tattoo parlor in Ybor City on Sept. 29. Then, despite hesitations, the two kept their word and followed through with their end of the deal.

“The day we decided to do it, Alec wanted to back out of it, but I kept saying ‘we’ve got to do this,’” Griffin said. “But then right as we were going into it, we both were like ‘is this really the best idea?’ It was definitely nerve-racking, but when we got there we were fine and it was fine.”

Griffin and Wade both had “Go Bulls” tattooed on their inner lip in green ink and, according to Griffin, they have no regrets. Moreover, Griffin said the pain wasn’t all that bad.

“It stung a little bit, like an ant bite, but it didn’t hurt a lot,” Griffin said. “It only took around five minutes to be done and then it was over.” 

James Langner, the manager at Atomic Tattoos on Fowler Avenue, said lip tattoos could remain for a week or for a lifetime. The skin on the inner lip is unique and regenerates at a fast rate, he said.

Approximately 65 percent of the shop’s business is students, Langner said. The shop has lip tattoo requests about once every week and Langner says they are no longer surprised when someone comes in claiming they’ve lost a bet.  

“Once every month, or every other month, someone comes in saying they lost a bet, but it’s not like a daily thing,” Langner said. 

Griffin said the tattoos were a great way to transition into the celebrations on campus.

“I think it’s an enjoyable way to enter homecoming week and to talk about how great USF football is doing,” Griffin said. 

The homecoming game is at noon at Raymond James Stadium where USF will take on East Carolina. Griffin said he hopes attendance will continue to be high, despite the heat. 

“I want to see more people proud to be a USF Bull,” Griffin said. “I hope we see them enjoying the fact they’re a Bull, going to events (and) sporting events, supporting our teams, and wearing green and gold. All of that will help imbed that feeling that USF is home.”