Since the beginning of the school year, ACBU has planned on proceeding with Homecoming Week, slated to begin today, in a format combining virtual events with socially distanced in-person events.
Since Bradley announced new campus restrictions on Monday, the scheduled festivities have seen significant changes.
Abbey McComb, ACBU homecoming chair, corresponded with The Scout two weeks ago to share a layout of activities students could come to expect. This included a variety of in-person events, such as the Painting of the Lydias, a two-part Homecoming Pageant, a hybrid live streamed Lighting of the B, a Walkathon with the Black Student Alliance (BSA) and a hygiene drive for the Center for Prevention of Abuse.
However, according to McComb, the council’s diligence in ensuring Homecoming Week’s safety has caused the layout to change considerably.
Today, the Painting of the Lydias will occur fully online instead of in-person. ACBU will distribute blank printable Lydias through their social media that students can decorate, alongside instructions for decorating. They will then be able to share their Lydias on social media.
While Monday’s pause on activities to observe Yom Kippur and Tuesday’s virtual Drag Queen Bingo are still in effect, the two-part Homecoming Pageant on Wednesday and Thursday will also be completely online.
Furthermore, a new addition to the week’s schedule – a second Virtual Game Night – will be conducted on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
The Lighting of the B on Oct. 2 will have its concert and firework show streamed, with the concert’s mystery artists to be announced in several days on ACBU’s Instagram. Students can either watch the show socially distanced on Olin and Alumni Quad or from their residences.
“ACBU and the university feels confident that we can achieve safe social distancing,” McComb said.
Saturday, the final day of festivities, saw some of the week’s biggest shifts. The Walkathon and hygiene drive were both officially canceled, as the events required donations of one hygiene product to participate, concerns over an excess of contact led to the cancellation.
However, the day will proceed with a new event on Olin Quad at 3 p.m. called “Cards Against Hypnosis.” Described by Hilltop Happenings as “an interactive ‘Cards Against Humanity’ spin on a classic comedy hypnosis show,” the event will feature hypnotist David Hall, who ACBU collaborated with earlier this year. Student volunteers will be selected to be hypnotized while audience members can decide how the show will play out.
