This will be the first year WSU will have a student driven planning committee for Homecoming. Applications to join this committee are on OrgSync located under the forms tab. Applications are due in the office of student activities by April 19.
Assistant Director to the Office of Student Activities Jack Pence said this committee is open to students who want to share ideas, work hard and represent the WSU student body. There is currently not a limit on the number of students who can be on the committee. Some ideas that have already been created include the traditional boat race, bowling party and talk of a parade leading to a pep rally at a sporting event.
“Homecoming will be on October 7 through October 13,” Pence said. “We haven’t settled on a theme, I think Homecoming is a theme within itself. We should focus on the spirit of what it means to be a Raider and decorate the campus with Gold and Green.”
In past years, faculty and alumni have made the decisions, but now it will be left up to the students. The student committee will be responsible for getting student input of what they want to see at Homecoming. Some tactics to get more people to attend will be social media, contests, giveaways and to utilize school spirit through athletics. Overall it will be a transformation of Homecoming.
“We really want students to get excited to go to Homecoming and be proud to be a Raider,” Pence said. “This is something fun and hopefully we create enough events and advertising that a person would have to try really hard to miss these events.”
Pence said during April Craze the Homecoming Committee will be announced as well as some ideas for the event. During the summer months, the group will work together to get all the final preparations in place before school start.
“For those students who don’t attend they are missing out on a good time,” Pence said. “This is a safe environment to paint your face and show spirit and not be judged. This is a chance to be a part of something greater at a University level.”
“Homecoming truly allows students to celebrate university pride. We do not have a NCAA football team but we have other great sports on campus and that adds value to our Alumni level,” Pence said. “We can treat them with respect and show Greater Dayton area that we are a big time university.”
For more information contact Jack Pence at jack.r.pence@wright.edu.
