In the quiet before the week-long school spirit storm, Homecoming Royalty was announced.
The members of the 2015 royal court are: Ryan Wadge, Madeline Rencher, Lexie Maschoff, Afton Lane and Mary Neville.
Each will participate in activities such as the dance and the football game. They will act as judges at Songfest on Oct. 8, as well as attending other events throughout the week.
In addition, the Alumni Association rewards each member a $1,000 scholarship for Spring Semester tuition.
ASUU received applications in early September. Students either nominated themselves or were nominated by student groups across campus.
The selection process was updated this year to be gender-neutral in hopes of encouraging more students to apply. Brittni Strickland, ASUU senior class president, said they wanted “a diverse group of students … who were well-rounded.”
Applicants were narrowed down to a final 15, and each contestant was interviewed by the Homecoming royalty committee, which includes the senior class president and vice president, faculty members and Alumni Association members.
During the interview, candidates had three minutes to show what Homecoming Royalty meant to them. An hour after the interviews ended, the committee announced the official 2015 court.
According to application guidelines, selection is not a “beauty pageant or popularity contest.” Students were evaluated for passion and contributions to the U, academic record, curricular activities and community service. However, students such as Brandon Pope, a freshman in biomedical engineering, said some long-held stereotypes seem to be true.
“You have to know people and be super good-looking to win,” Pope said.
Anaa Robison, a sophomore in musical theater, shared similar sentiments and said the process “feels like a high school thing.”
The guidelines for the applications and a full list of homecoming activities can be found on the Alumni Association website.
@BeauHart13