Homecoming week is here, bringing both old and new events to campus. This week will be spreading school spirit among students in anticipation for the upcoming football game against Stephen F. Austin. Starting off the week was the Homecoming Kick Off at the Student Union Quad on Monday, October 12.
The Lion’s Roar / File Photoes
Now that football season is in full swing, Homecoming week has found its way back to campus. Students can look forward to many fun festivities, both new and old.
Last Sunday, organizations participated in a new activity called Campus Decorating. Campus Decorating was designed to inform students about the presence of Homecoming week.
Student Government Association Homecoming Director Regan Cascio came up with the idea for Campus Decorating because in the past some students were not aware it was Homecoming week.
“Campus Decorating is a new event this year,” said Cascio. “The thought is that organizations will help decorate the campus for Homecoming week. This idea came from the lack of school spirit on Southeastern’s campus during previous Homecoming weeks. Unless you are involved on campus, you could go through your week and not even know it was Homecoming. We are hoping to change that this year.”
The Homecoming Kick Off at the Student Union Quad from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. started Homecoming week on Monday, October 12. Students gathered to participate in activities including music, free snowballs and T-shirts. At 7:00 p.m., the Southeastern Family Reunion National Pan-Hellenic Council Role Reversal took place at the Student Union War Memorial Park. The entertainment for the night included stepping, strolling and a competition between the sororities and fraternities of the council.
Today, October 12 the Phi Kappa Phi Homecoming Quiz Bowl will take place in the Student Union Ballroom. This event will test the knowledge of students and faculty in a trivia competition. Some of the questions will focus on the history of the University because of its 90th anniversary this year. At 7:30 p.m., Minute to Win It will take place at Strawberry Stadium. This event consists of random, but exciting games for organizations to compete in.
The Campus Activities Board will host Gumbo YaYa on Wednesday, October 14 outside of the Student Union Mall from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Students can enjoy free gumbo and games set up by various organizations. The Ready, Set, Glow 5k glow run, which is a new race on campus, will take place at North Oak Park at 6:30 p.m.
Cascio believes students should participate in events to enhance their college experience.
“I am a firm believer in that you should not graduate from college with just the memories of studying and taking tests,” said Cascio. “You should have the memories of going to your first Lip Sync or competing in Ready, Set, Glow 5k. These are all events that I love and I think every other student should give these events a chance as well.”
On Thursday, October 15 at 6:45 p.m., the traditional bonfire and SGA block party will take place at Cook Field. The Roar Like a Lion Yell Competition is a new addition to the bonfire festivities this year.
Cascio hopes Roar Like a Lion Yell Competition will become a tradition to continue on campus for years to come.
“One of our new events this year is the Roar Like a Lion Yell Competition,” said Cascio. “This is an event that is very popular at other universities and is traditionally called Yell Like Hell. The Roar Like a Lion Yell competition consists of one to two minute chants, which teams will perform for points during the Bonfire/Pep Rally on Thursday. These chants are supposed to embody school spirit. In years past, our Bonfire/Pep Rally hasn’t been the event we have wanted it to be. We are hoping that this event gets people to come out and fall in love with Southeastern. There is truly so much Southeastern has to offer, and my position as Homecoming Director is to really facilitate an event that will make memories for all.”
The Roar Like a Lion Yell Competition will be followed by Lip Sync at 8:00 p.m. Organizations from around campus will compete in a dance competition based on their Homecoming sub-theme. Students can come enjoy a night of Broadway based performances.
Homecoming Chair Matthew Reed of Delta Tau Delta enjoys Lip Sync the most out of all of the Homecoming events that occur throughout the week.
“My favorite event has to be Lip Sync because it brings all of the organizations together for a day to enjoy each other, to socialize and to enjoy all of the festivities as a whole,” said Reed. “It’s also rewarding to me and to other organizations as well to see members in their organizations compete in the Lip Sync competition. You finally get to see all of the hard work paying off on the stage as you cheer those students on.”
A week of fun and school spirit all leads up to Saturday. The Homecoming parade, where organizations get to display their hard work on their floats, is at 3:00 p.m. The week will come to a close at 7:00 p.m. when the Southeastern Lions take on Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at the Strawberry Stadium. The Homecoming king and queen will be crowned at half-time, and the Homecoming winner will be announced in the third quarter.
For more information about Homecoming, including a full schedule of events, visit the Southeastern website.
