A little rain couldn’t stop University students and alumni from gathering together on Saturday, Oct. 11, to celebrate Homecoming. Sports teams, Greek organizations, and campus clubs welcomed home their alumni with a tailgate before the football game vs. Columbia University.
The University took Homecoming to the next level this year. The school launched a Spirit Week on social media, allowing students, alumni, and parents to participate in the #MMovement. The goal of the campaign was to show off your “Monmouth pride” by “painting social media blue,” between Oct. 6 – 12. Members of the university’s community were encouraged to post a picture on their social media accounts with the university logo, which had options for alumni, pride, student, parent, family, and fan. Those who used the #MMovement were entered for a chance to win a prize pack.
“We had a great response! The campaign caught the attention of more than 650 people during the course of the week and 65 entered to win a Monmouth prize pack,” said Lauren Vento, Associate Vice President of Undergraduate and Graduate Admission, and creator of #MMovement. Vento also plans on extending #MMovement to Family Weekend and other events.
Student Government Association (SGA) kicked off the tailgate with the pep rally, on Friday, Oct. 11. Students and faculty packed the Multipurpose Activity Center (MAC) to cheer on the football team before the big game. Seniors of the football, cheerleading, and dance teams, as well as the pep band, were recognized after their performances.
The pep rally gave students the chance to win door prizes and pick up a “Red, White, and MU” homecoming t-shirt to show their school spirit at the football game. SGA also announced the winners of this year’s homecoming Court. Taking home the crowns were Brandon Wasylyk (King), Maria Grace Iantosca (Queen), Dylan Vargas (Prince), Ashley McMahon (Princess), Matt Shehann (Duke), Charlie Hesse (Duchess), Tyler Hiznay (Lord), and Jess Waring (Lady).
For most alumni, Homecoming is one of the few days out of the year they have the chance to return to their former stomping grounds. It also gives alumni the chance to catch up with old friends, as well as return to their organizations for the day.
“It felt amazing to see my sisters, both alumna and undergraduates, my former classmates, and former colleagues,” said Kellie Hughes, Monmouth alumna and former President of Alpha Sigma Tau (AST). “Catching up with them made me miss Monmouth and all it has to offer.”
Despite the downpour of rain, organizations combined their tents and huddled together to celebrate. Jeff Singh, a junior psychology major and member of Phi Kappa Psi (PhiPsi), started the effort to pull all the organizations together to make a giant tailgate. He thought the students and alumni would enjoy the day more if they all came together, and starting the combined tailgate was the best way to show a sense of community.
“Homecoming is a day where we all get to be together and show pride in our community, whether it is for the Greek community or school community,” Singh said.
This year was Delta Tau Delta (DTD) and Tau Delta Phi’s (TDP) first homecoming on campus. Delta Tau Delta joined with Alpha Xi Delta (AXiD) to celebrate, and Tau Delta Phi paired up with AST.
“The guys [brothers of TDP] had an awesome time meeting all of the sisters of AST and were welcomed by the rest of the Greek community, when we built our ‘tent city’ at the tailgate,” said Wasylyk, a senior international business major, and TDP’s Homecoming chair. “It was a great experience and the guys are looking forward to the years to come.”
The football team kept the school spirit high throughout the day. Students and alumni left the tailgate to watch their team dominate the game, beating Columbia 61- 28. This is the fifth win for the Hawks since the season opener on Aug. 29. The team has five games left this season, two of which are scheduled as home games.
PHOTO TAKEN by Alyssa Tritschler
