Homecoming recently hit a growth spurt, growing from three days to a full week from Sept. 21- 26.
The Activities Council of Bradley University (ACBU) planned the week, lead by homecoming coordinators Quincy Keck, Will Gracik and Olivia Carrizales.
“Of course it’s overwhelming [going from three days to a week] but at the same time really exciting because now more spirit is drawn when you have an entire week,” Gracik, a junior FCS hospitality leadership major, said.
Keck said one of the main programs for students will be the Homecoming Games, which are comprised of three different events: the Student Bowl, tug-of-war and a scavenger hunt. Students can participate in these events by creating co-ed teams, racking up points by competing in the games and attending homecoming events.
The winning team at the Student Bowl, which is a flag football game, will go on to play the faculty team in the Bradley Bowl on Thursday, Sept. 24. The qualifying game for students will be held at noon, Sept. 20.
“The teams will also be getting points throughout the week when they come to different events like the Lighting of the B and things like that,” Keck, a junior FCS hospitality leadership and public relations major, said. “At the end of the week at the soccer game, we’ll be announcing the winner and each member of the team will get a $50 gift card to the bookstore.”
Gracik said the homecoming games were switched out for last year’s unsuccessful Lydias vs. Kaboom! event.
“It didn’t do that well, so we’re trying to reach out to organizations,” Gracik said. “It’s a big way so we can try to target the freshmen who aren’t involved yet, so they can sign up.”
One event that has been a signature of homecoming is Lighting of the B, according to Assistant Director of Student Activities Lauren Smetana.
Gracik said the event will be bigger than ever with an increased fireworks budget.
“It’s going to be huge this year because after seeing the speakers that Tech Crew has out, Lighting of the B is going to be crazy,” Gracik said.
Keck pointed out another part of the Lighting of the B she said she was looking forward to.
“I think another really cool aspect is Coach Wardle, the men’s basketball coach, is going to be there,” Keck said. From what I’ve heard he’s a super good speaker, and he really, really wants to be involved with the students and wants to get Bradley basketball out there.”
Smetana also said the Lighting of the B was an important aspect to Bradley’s homecoming.
“If you were to boil it [down], although all of our events are fabulous, I feel like Lighting of the B is just our signature event that really sums up what the spirit and what the significance of homecoming is,” Smetana said. “You have all these different types of organizations across campus-you have athletics, you have all the students on campus supporting all these groups and, we’re all here together to celebrate them.”
Another returning event will be the Painting of the Lydias, where student organizations decorate a Lydia Moss Bradley cutout to represent their groups. However, 16 of the decorated wooden cutouts were stolen from the quad last year.
Gracik and Keck said they worked with the engineering department to make changes to the cutout design, so the Lydia’s would not be as easily stolen.
“[The cutouts are] going to be free-standing so we don’t have to stake them in the ground,” Keck said.
Gracik said the decentralized locations will make it less likely for them to be stolen and will incorporate more spirit across campus. Further, Gracik said student organizations will be responsible for keeping their Lydia inside for the night.
According to Gracik, there is more to homecoming than the events themselves.
“[Homecoming is about] promoting spirit and bringing the Bradley community together,” he said. “I think it’s about coming together and showing people why we are Braves. I really think that’s what it’s about, representing the campus well through spirit.”
Students can find out more about events and the homecoming pageant by visiting ACBU’s website at acbu.org.
