Despite the success of Crimson Rally and Songfest, these are some homecoming traditions at the U that haven’t fared quite as well.
John Fackler, the director of Alumni Relations, reminisced about a time students would go and whitewash the block U.
Sheryl Allen, an alumni from the class of 1965, recalled the traditions from her undergraduate experience, and said several of them still continue today, except for the homecoming parade.
“Those were wonderful traditions for students,” Allen said. “But one of the things that impresses me about the traditions now are how they’ve grown to be about service and helping people. I think the way things are now are really impressive and both students and alumni should be lauded and complimented on them.”
But for Lauren Carter, a junior in theater and chemistry, those traditions aren’t all that well known.
“I feel like that information isn’t really available to students,” she said. “I wish they would make it easier to find online because then it would be easier to be enthusiastic about it.”
Zach Marquez, a sophomore in musical composition, is a commuter student and says his lack of knowledge is due to “campus culture.”
“I think certain things, people find out about through word of mouth,” Marquez said. “I never see advertisements for Crimson Nights, but I know about it because people talk about it. I don’t think Homecoming gets that kind of hype and living off campus makes it harder to know about what’s going on.”
Florence Fernandez, the director of the Campus Traditions Board, said she noticed this discrepancy and has initiated different ways to change it.
“We’re trying to create more inclusivity in our traditions by modifying them to embrace more of the student body,” Fernandez said. “Traditions are changing and we’re hoping they change for the better.”
This year, Fernandez decided to move the Homecoming dance off campus to accommodate students who commute. But she said other departments and student organizations have their individual traditions that students should participate in year-round. But there’s one tradition that’s special for her.
“In my opinion, the biggest U tradition is a focus on academics,” Fernandez said. “As an academic institution, we really shine in academics and excel in it. There might not be one overarching tradition, but in terms of academic excellence, everyone here is a part of that broader tradition.”
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