The leaves are turning gold, there’s a pleasant breeze in the air and the smell of pumpkin spice is inescapable. That’s right Jays: it is fall once more. This is a very special time of year on the Elizabethtown College campus. While the stress of midterms is hanging over us, it is also a time to celebrate. Many popular events are making their way onto our schedules, with the largest coming in just a few short weeks.
Homecoming and Family Weekend is being held from Friday, Oct. 13 to Sunday, Oct. 15. The College has all hands on deck to ensure preparations are being made to make this a weekend to remember, not just for alumni, but students as well.
The schedule of events is easily accessible online and includes favorites such as bingo on Friday. There will also be a performance by Mad Cow Improv in the Koons Activity Venue (KAV) that evening at 7 p.m.
If you find yourself around College Avenue on Saturday around 11 a.m., you will be witness to one of homecoming’s highlights: the kick-off parade. The parade features floats designs built by different student groups fitting different themes, this year’s being “Fairytales.”
A main attraction for returning alumni is the ever-popular Oktoberfest, a celebration on Brinser Field exclusive to former students.
The exclusivity of alumni events has come into focus recently, as current students in recent years have felt a disconnect with Homecoming. Many argue the weekend focuses too heavily on activities for returners and not enough for current members of campus.
“I feel like a lot of the activities besides the parade and the fair are for alumni, like Oktoberfest and the trivia in bars, and meet-ups with old teachers. Which is good for them to have, but we have bingo, and it feels like that’s it. I don’t think the alumni should get less. I just think it would be good for us to also have something more to do,” senior Faith Sheppard explained .
The Etownian sat down with Chair of the Institutional Traditions Committee senior Abigail Lindsay, to get her perspective on the issue.
“I think it is absolutely something the College should work towards improving, on the student side… I think it is difficult, if you don’t have family or friends coming back for Homecoming, or you aren’t super involved on campus. If you aren’t into the sports games or the alumni games, there isn’t a ton to do in the afternoon. There could be more draws in the midday for current students,” Lindsay said.
There are reasons for why the alumni are such an important aspect of the Homecoming, though, and an interview with Director of Alumni Relations Evan Brock, shed some light on that.
“One of the big forms of income for the College is philanthropy, from alumni specifically. The starting point of philanthropy from alumni is engaging them in events. They want to see the space grow and thrive. Having an engaged alumni body shows that we are an active and thriving college and one that maintains a deep connection with former students,” Brock said.
On the topic of balancing the old with the new, this year’s homecoming court may look a little different. A change that has been “a long time coming” according to Lindsay, is the change from gender-separated ballots for King/Queen, to a more open court.
“We made it to either spot capable of being filled regardless of your identity… I think the switch was needed so every student, regardless of how they identified, felt they had a spot if they wanted it. It is the same in terms of numbers, but instead of 3 male and 3 female-identifying students, it is 6 spots per class,” Lindsay said.
While homecoming may begin to look different as the years go on, we can hope those changes are the kind that makes students and alumni both feel included as part of our community. This is an issue filled with opportunities for growth and bonding, as opposed to animosity.
