Homecoming has undergone a few changes this year and will welcome students upon their return from fall break on Wednesday.
The first set of changes made is to the annual “Lighting of the B” ceremony, where students gather to watch the Bradley ‘B’ light up on top of Bradley Hall. This year, the ceremony will feature music, dancing and a laser light show.
Homecoming festivities will begin with the Lighting of the B ceremony at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and conclude with an “Arabian Nights” Late Night BU at 10 p.m. on Oct. 13.
Students can look forward to many other activities in between. There will be a spirit decorating contest called “Paint it Red!”, where students decorate buildings on campus promoting their organizations and compete to show the most school spirit.
“The biggest thing with these events is Homecoming is all about school spirit and pride in going to Bradley, as well as giving students an opportunity to connect with alumni,” said Director of Student Activities Tom Coy.
The Activities Council of Bradley University (ACBU) also launched a new spirit-building activity called “Lydia Needs a Makeover,” where campus groups decorate 3-foot tall wooden Lydia Moss Bradley cut-outs. These will be used to decorate the campus and enhance spirit, said Coy.
“They’ll be all over campus, and that will create a really cool event and [promote] creativity and school spirit,” he said.
Another difference is the emphasis on the Homecoming king and queen election. The election has always been a part of Bradley’s Homecoming week, but was never a large focus, said Coy. In order to promote this event, each candidate will attempt to raise as much money as they can through a penny war for their philanthropic organization. Voting will take place Thursday and next Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Student Center. Winners will be announced at the soccer game on Saturday.
Coy said he hopes these changes and additions will encourage more student involvement in Homecoming Week.
“The events are high energy and really give students an opportunity to get involved,” he said.
As part of Homecoming Week there will be a bonfire festival and pep rally at Meinen Field featuring Brave Sounds Entertainment, booths by student organizations and a zip-line.
Other traditional Homecoming activities are the “Foamcoming Dance,” sponsored by Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, the Bradley soccer game at Shea Stadium and many more.
To see a full list of activities and rules of participation, go to bradley.edu/sao/ and click Homecoming Information & Registration Forms under Forms and Updates.