Merritt Jenkins '10 carried two enormous wooden numbers on his way to the River residential cluster on Saturday, Oct. 7. He was upset, he explained, because he had wanted to make the 1 and 0 of the bonfire three-dimensional, with hollow tops, so he could fill the top of each number with chemicals that would combine to make green smoke. Sadly, he was forbidden, and had to settle for the one-dimensional kind instead.
As Homecoming nears, the effect on the entire Dartmouth community is visible: the campus seems to grow a little more effervescent as morale escalates for the first big tradition of the year. For the freshmen it's especially marked: the image of the bonfire is bright, acting as a background for the stories of upperclassmen and the excitement of first-years. Homecoming weekend is in large part a welcome for the new class to the Dartmouth community and an inauguration of sorts.
Dartmouth's Homecoming is not at all typical of most colleges and universities. Though most homecomings share certain characteristics--the return of alumni, reunions, and tours--the focuses and traditions at each school differ.
"[Homecoming] is mainly for alumni," said Sharen Medrano, Assistant Director at the Office of Alumni Affairs at Columbia University. "I mean, students come, but alumni's our target."
Columbia's Homecoming, which took place Sept. 30, kicked off with a pre-football game alumni barbecue, followed by a carnival open to the public. The game itself took place off-campus, and relatively few spectators attended.
"[Columbia] want[s] people to tailgate. They were giving away free stuff, but it still wasn't really a big thing" Columbia freshman Sarah Soffes said.
At the University of Pennsylvania, whose Homecoming takes place on Oct. 27th and 28, the focus is on both the alumni and the students.
"It's coming home for the alumni, but they're coming home to a campus of students. So it's really about the community as a whole," Katherine Lowe, Director of Classes and Reunion, said.
On Oct. 27, the day is filled with open houses and tours of the school, as well as panel discussions, including one entitled "Democracy in Action: A Look at the 2006 Mid-Term Elections." That night the 72nd Alumni Award of Merit Gala is scheduled to take place. The next day's festivities include Quakerfest, a tailgate which engages the entire campus.
Due to the proximity to Halloween, Penn students organize a frightfest, exclusively for current students.
"There are always big parties that weekend," Penn sophomore Cara Manket said. "We didn't tailgate last year because we were freshman, but I think we will this year."
One unique Penn homecoming tradition is throwing toast onto the field after the third quarter of the football game, a ritual that stems from the Prohibition era.
At the University of Florida, Homecoming has developed over 83 years into a massive celebration that encompasses the entire town of Gainesville, where the university is located. Florida's Homecoming began Oct. 7, but it was preceded by "build up" events including Greeks For Life, which included a blood-drive, and SoulFest, in which over thirty student organizations participated.
Entirely student-run, Homecoming organizers at Florida began planning in January 2006. Traditional events include a parade which begins on campus, continues along the shut-down streets and ends in downtown Gainesville. Greek houses and local Gainesville organizations like the high school marching band, enter floats in the parade.
"[The parade is] broadcast on television, and last year over 300,000 people in central Florida tuned in," Whitney Dickerson, a Florida senior and Marketing Director of Gator Growl, the Homecoming pep rally, said.
Gator Growl, which is proudly called "the nation's largest pep-rally" commenced after the parade. Cheerleaders, a marching band, fireworks and a massive bonfire will be among the entertainment, along with famed comedians Jim Gaffigan and Gabriel Iglesias.
The faculty at Florida are actively involved in Homecoming by events such as "education celebration."
"I'm just so happy to be a student at UF -- it's such a spirited community," Florida junior Abbey Gadinsky-Snyder said. "It's just looked at as something huge here. I think if I went to another school's homecoming, I'd be in culture shock."
This year marks Florida's 100th year of football. Enthusiasm mounted for the Homecoming game, in which Florida rivaled Louisana State University, which defeated Florida in last year's Homecoming game.
Gadinsky-Snyder, whose brother was a Dartmouth '02 said Florida and Dartmouth's Homecomings are incomparable.
"I wish you could be here to experience it. My brother go[es] to Dartmouth -- it's just so different here," Gadinsky-Snyder said.
