Director of Alumni Relations Mark Clapper is a mentor for Called to Lead, an advisor for both the Class of 2016 and Vocalign, serves as a purposeful life work mentor and does intramural tennis.

But from August onward, Clapper’s life goes into overdrive because he and the rest of the Raffensperger Alumni House know Homecoming is just around the corner.

Homecoming planning does not begin in August. Before that, Clapper meets with different departments on campus, such as facilities, catering and the Office of Marketing and Communications, to discuss what needs to be done for the weekend.

“Every event flows through me,” Clapper said, quick to stress that Homecoming is a collaboration with the rest of the Raffensperger Alumni House. “Requests and ideas for programs flow through me, not so I can make judgments or wield this power, but so that I can make sure things don’t conflict. It’s not judgment, it’s scheduling.”

Clapper collaborates with different departments on campus to ensure that the programs presented during Homecoming weekend both “plug in” alumni and have a broad appeal to alumni and students alike. He also serves as chair of the Homecoming Committee, which is made up of both staff members and students. This committee meets to discuss how past Homecoming weekends have gone and to suggest what improvements can be made going forward. As Clapper puts it, they discuss the “good, the bad and the ugly of it. Though, hopefully, there’s no ugly!”

Being a 1996 graduate of Elizabethtown College himself, Clapper has a significant sense of pride and fully realizes the importance of the weekend. He tries to put himself in the shoes of other alumni who do not have the privilege of being on campus every day. “I try to think what I would want to see or do if I could only come back once a year or even once!” Clapper explained. He tries to make each individual’s Homecoming experience special and to reinforce the relationship the alumnus or alumna has with the College. “It still is home,” he said.

Yet, because of his employment with the College, Clapper is also conscious of the current student perspective of Homecoming. He is aware that the memories which alumni are discussing are currently being made by the students and tries to create an allure so that current students will want to come back as alumni.

“It’s such a cool role,” Clapper said of being both an employee and alumnus as he often runs into his college friends at alumni events. He also enjoys seeing alumni he knew as students or even helped become Blue Jays during his time working for admissions.

As for his favorite Etown traditions, Clapper cites the Thanksgiving dinner, tree lighting and PRIDE day. He relishes any event which brings alumni and students together because he gets to step back and witness the collaboration of different generations of Jays. His favorite, of course, is Homecoming. “You cannot love this job, live and breathe planning if it’s not one of your favorite things.”

While a student at Etown, Clapper played on the varsity tennis team, sat on the activities planning board, was an English department student assistant and, in his senior year, was a resident advisor. “The memories I made with my hall mates when I was an RA, and even all four years, are the fondest. The closeness we had as a floor through the struggles and fun times, you know, we would lean on one another. It might not have been the shiniest or most fun times, but I look back and think, ‘Wow,’” Clapper said.

As a student, Clapper also spent a great deal of his time on the tennis courts. At that time, there was a lit court with a backboard where he would spend many nights both improving his game and focusing his thoughts. Indoors, he had a favorite spot in the library. “If I needed to really concentrate, make tracks or just bang out a paper, I would go there.” This tradition carried over from undergraduate work to when Clapper was working on his leadership capstone in graduate school. “I just felt peace there. It’s a comforting place.”

Now as an alumnus and employee, Clapper’s favorite spot is the Raffensperger Alumni House. “It’s such a special place because it’s symbolic of home. It’s a place to center yourself. For people coming back and visiting campus, it’s a spot to drop their things off before they walk around. People know they have a friend in this house. You always have an open door here. You always have people here who are excited to see you.”

Clapper finished out Homecoming and Family Weekend by winning in his age group for the Blue Jay 5k. Now that Homecoming is over, Clapper will spend time with his wife Michelle and his cat Ellie. He will spend as much time as possible outside, whether that means running, hiking, fishing, washing his car or even doing yard work. He might even make time for some classic scary movies.

His break does not last long, however. Clapper will meet with the Homecoming Committee on Oct. 27 to start formulating ideas for next year.