Photo by Kim Parent
Cash your chips at Miami University's 100th Homecoming
By Alison Treen, Senior Staff Writer
Homecoming comes around every year; it is a week of school-spirit related activities and culminates in Saturday's football game. But this year, Homecoming at Miami is different.
While Homecoming has its traditions that students can expect to see this year - including the parade, Homecoming court and Redfest - Miami's 100th Homecoming not only celebrates a century, but also hopes to appeal to students with new activities and a unique theme.
"Big-number anniversaries are always special because they help put our history into perspective," Claire Wagner, Director of University News and Communications, said.
But this year's Homecoming is more than an impressive number; Miami Activities and Programming (MAP) has taken the reins of Homecoming this year and has many plans for the event-filled week.
This year's Homecoming theme is OxVegas, and many students have likely already noticed the theme take shape over the week. Golf carts offering rides are circling around campus and asking trivia questions - an activity MAP called "Riding Roulette," also known as Miami's "Cash Cab." Some may have noticed the Vegas-like performers in Armstrong, and others might have spun the wheel on the seal and answered Miami trivia.
"The major thing that's different this year is the size of the parade," said MAP member Tess Kneisel.
Kneisel is part of MAP's Impact Group, which organizes the three events with the highest attendance over the year - Welcome Week, Family Weekend and Homecoming.
Kneisel cited MAP's partnership with Miami's organizations as a reason why the parade will be bigger. Not only will members of various campus organizations participate in the parade, but members of Greek life will also be walking.
"There hasn't been as much push for organizations to sign up as [there has been] this year," Kneisel said. "It's going to be massive."
Homecoming king and queen can only be nominated if they are members of a campus organization, another new concept this year.
"I think that brings more of an organizational aspect to Homecoming," Kneisel said.
Kneisel and fellow MAP member, Dara Winegard, hope the new organization of Homecoming incites school spirit among their peers.
"[Homecoming] promotes getting spirit for Miami," Kneisel said. "That's something I think we lack here. No one goes to our football games; no one goes to our sports games. Hockey isn't even as big as it should be. We don't have school spirit like other schools do; that's something I don't think people realize they miss out on."
For Winegard, the goal begins even smaller.
On Monday, she and other MAP members were handing out apple cider in front of Farmer.
"People were coming up asking us what it was for, and asking when Homecoming was," Winegard said. "People don't know about [Homecoming] so we're trying to spread awareness."
Kneisel said that tailgating is another reason why this year's Homecoming will be different than the past. Beginning in early September, football fans may tailgate at Millett and cook out or play games in preparation for the game. Alcohol is prohibited.
"Not only do we get alumni, we get parents coming to our games," Kneisel said.
Kneisel said she has already noticed its positive impact at football games.
"People were still tailgating after the Kent State game on Saturday during [the Aziz Ansari performance]", she explained.
Miami also hopes the history and events of this year's Homecoming will be a pull for alumni.
"We always try to reach out to alumni," Winegard said, "but since it's 100 years, we are really trying to get the community more involved, too."