Dartmouth's Homecoming weekend, complete with its storied bonfire in the center of the Green, is unlike that of any other Ivy League institution. While Homecoming traditions exist at these other schools, these weekends are centered around tailgating, awards ceremonies and alumni events.
At Brown University, alumni leaders attend seminars the morning of the Saturday Homecoming football game, at which they discuss varied topics such as prospective student interviews and how to run Brown alumni clubs, Todd Andrews, vice president of Brown's alumni relations, told The Dartmouth.
In the past five years, a reunion for recent Brown graduates has become increasingly popular.
"There is a young alumni party for classes that are out ten years or less and we get about 200 to 250 alumni for that," he said. Brown also holds an alumni awards ceremony on the Saturday evening of its homecoming weekend, according to Andrews. "That night is our alumni awards ceremony, where we honor outstanding alumni volunteers and alumni who have made a significant contribution to society and the keynote address is given by the person who wins the William Rogers award," Andrews said.
The William Rogers Award recognizes alumni who have made important contributions to social issues, according to the Brown Alumni Association website. College President Jim Yong Kim received the award in 2008. Brown's talent show, traditionally held on the Friday of homecoming weekend, was canceled this year due to budget cuts, according to Andrews.
"Alumni are disappointed, but they understand that in the current budget environment, we have to make some changes," Andrews said. "However, we hope to revive the evening in just the next few years."
Cornell University's homecoming traditions largely focus on alumni as well, according to Kara Miller, assistant dean of students in the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs at Cornell.
"There isn't as much student enthusiasm toward homecoming as we would like," Corey Earle, the associate director of student programs in Cornell's Office of Alumni Affairs, said. In recent years, the men's glee club has performed the Saturday before homecoming and a capella groups have performed in a benefit concert for the United Way Worldwide, a not-for-profit organization.
This year, Cornell has decided to revive an old tradition, and will hold a parade that will run through the tailgating areas before the football game. The parade will feature performances and visual art by student organizations, according to Earle.
Yale University does not have an official homecoming weekend, but the Bulldogs' last home football game of each year is widely attended by alumni, according to Steve Conn, director of sports publicity at Yale.
"The last three at Yale have had crowds over 50,000," Conn said. "It's the most attended game of the year, for sure."
Yale alternates between playing Harvard University and Princeton University for its final home game of the year, Donald Scharf, the assistant for athletic development and community outreach at Yale, said.
Yale will host the Harvard-Yale game this year. During the weekend of Yale's last home football game each season, awards are presented to Yale alumni in recognition of their achievements. On Friday evening, Yale hosts the Blue Leadership Ball, which honors six Yale graduates who have "gone out and made a mark" in the world, Scharf said.
Unlike other Ivy League institutions, Dartmouth's Homecoming events are often targeted to the freshman class.
"Ideally, every freshman will be involved in the [bonfire] build, at least putting a plank on," Bonfire co-chair Rick D'Amato '13 said. "It's a really important tradition for the freshmen."
Dartmouth's Homecoming is a time for the school's alumni and current students to celebrate together, according to Diana Lawrence, the director of communications in the Office of Alumni Relations.
"Dartmouth Night is focused on bringing freshmen into the community," Bonfire co-chair Priya Shanmugam '13 said. "The bonfire is a '13 class project, but the purpose is to bring '13s into the community of alumni, faculty and students."
