Homecoming weekend is upon us, and this is a time for our campus community to come together and feel a sense of pride.
“Homecoming to me means seeing the alumni and getting to hang out with them for the day,” one editor said. “I love tailgating with my sorority and catching up with sisters who have graduated. I love how all of Monmouth is together during the day and it feels like a big community.”
“I think it’s about school spirit and people just having fun and watching something they enjoy and getting together,” another editor said.
The homecoming events begin on Friday at 5 p.m. with the pep rally at OceanFirst Bank Center. It is an event meant to get the students ready for the football game the following day, but not everybody on campus attends the pep rally.
“I am not a huge sports fan and also since I am a commuter, it really is not an event that I would stay on campus for,” one editor said.
“I have attended the pep rally the last two years to cover it for The Outlook and freshman year I went to get a free t-shirt but I never really enjoyed it much. Not many people go and it feels pointless,” another editor said.
According to the Monmouth Athletics website, a standing-room only crowd of 4,591 attended the homecoming game as the blue and white welcomed the No. 1 team in the country to Kessler Field for the first time in program history a season ago. But they only averaged 1,928 fans per game in their other four home games. They drew 3,081 in their home opener, but failed to top 2,000 fans in any other game.
This year, Monmouth has had only two home games so far, drawing crowds of 2,801 against No. 11 Charleston Southern on Sept. 24 and 2,847 against Fordham on Oct. 1. The construction of Monmouth Stadium, which is set to be ready by next fall, forced the Hawks to end their home schedule by Nov. 1.
But the new stadium should enhance both the homecoming experience as well as the football game day experience for students in the future.
As one editor said, “I’m really excited for the new stadium to be built. It looks like it could be really nice and even though I will have graduated I think it will be a great addition to MU. Hopefully it will make games more appealing and bring the school together for home games.”
“I think the new stadium will do a lot for MU. It will probably make students want to go to more games and will attract more attention from others as well,” another editor said.
Parking lots will opening for tailgating at 9:30 on Saturday morning with a $5 parking fee. Not all editors have tailgated before, but they all agree that it’s a fun experience for students and fans.
“Tailgating before the game is the best part of my day. I thrive at this tailgate every year and I think Monmouth does a fine job at it. It would be nice if we could continue tailgating as the game goes on, but I understand that’s a bit rude to the football team,” one editor said.
“I have tailgated before and it can be a lot of fun,” another editor said. “I think MU does a great job with tailgating already. It’s a small school so you can’t expect a huge tailgating experience like you would get at Rutgers University, but I think it’s great. People come together and have a lot of fun.”
Homecoming is a time to be proud of being a Hawk, so come out and support the football team as they take on Kennesaw State in their final game at Kessler Field.
Editor’s Note:
In the 10/12 issue of The Outlook Julia Burke was attributed for the article “Harmful Hashtags” but Marie Soldo was the writer of the story.
