By RACHEL GREENE, Western Courier Editor-in-chief
While the typical Homecoming celebration could not take place in the Fall as it usually does, the Homecoming Committee worked hard to ensure that some of the traditional Homecoming events could be brought to life this semester.
One of the Co-Directors of this year’s Homecoming Committee, junior Political Science major Daria Levchenko said, “We chose to put on a homecoming event in the spring in light of the traditional fall activities being cancelled. We wanted to create something new and memorable while not letting go of traditions, we will stand students to feel a sense of school spirit and have something to look forward to.” Levchenko was the Co-Director of the Homecoming Committee in 2019 and was set to be the Co-Director for 2020 until the pandemic struck and caused the festivities to be cancelled. She was disappointed to not be able to hold homecoming events, but appreciated the opportunity to bring some school spirit back to campus during the spring semester.
Levchenko said that the homecoming events overall had a good turnout. Events were held between Sunday March 21 and April 3rd in various locations around campus and the community. A number of students and teams painted windows in the square for the traditional “Paint the Town” event and many students turned in spirit jars for a new event in light of COVID restrictions. A virtual Tik Tok challenge did not have physical attendance but did have student participation. While some events were in person, the homecoming committee also provided hybrid and entirely virtual events in an attempt to cater to all students and their varying levels of comfort due to the pandemic.
In regards to next semester, Levchenko says that homecoming 2021 is in the works as of now. The details and caliber of events will depend on the state of the health crisis and the restrictions the university has set in place in the fall semester, as they will likely be different than those in place at the current moment. Some events could happen in their normal capacity due to the distance and nature of the events, but others were virtually impossible to host. Events such as V-Show and Yell Like Hell are dependent on if groups can gather again. A true, traditional homecoming including these events and larger gatherings is what the committee hopes for, but only time will tell. Levchenko said, “The homecoming committee will get right to work after wrapping up our spring events to plan for the fall. We are excited to hopefully see a full, traditional homecoming again.”
As updates come regarding the status and details of Homecoming 2021, the Western Courier will keep students informed.
