From eager anticipation to vague confusion to concern about time management, the Class of 2015 will take on Homecoming with a variety of plans and perspectives, according to students interviewed by The Dartmouth. With bonfire construction and crowded fraternity basements filling their agenda, the weekend promises a unique experience for Dartmouth's newest members.
When Varun Bhuchar '15 visited campus as a prospective student, his tour guide explained that Dartmouth Homecoming traditions including the bonfire, much to his confusion.
"I thought it was just another weird part about the school, but I guess it's the weird things that make it lovable," Bhuchar said. "[The bonfire] actually sounds like the school's taking pride in what it does, and I'd like to experience that."
Being on Dartmouth's campus has transformed the College's traditions from seeming "ridiculous" to an exciting opportunity to experience, according to Annie Fagan '15 .
"I feel so lucky to be here that I would probably pick up any stupid traditions that they want me to," she said.
The concept of Homecoming is not new for Texas-native Rennie Song '15, who said it was common for her high school classmates to spend three months of their savings on Homecoming-related costs. Because Homecoming was such "a huge deal" at her high school, however, Song is unsure how Dartmouth's Homecoming will compare, she said.
"None of the sporting events are going to compare to a Texas sporting event," she said. "I feel like the Homecoming game is going to be more fun than my high school's Homecoming game, but compared to southern [colleges], it might be way less of a huge deal."
Over the past month, Etai Klein '15, the build chair of this year's Homecoming bonfire committee, has frequently been seen clutching a spiral notebook overflowing with what he calls "top secret" doodles a bubble-letter "15," a hexagon muddied with annotations of angle measurements and to-dos before the bonfire lights up this evening.
Klein has devoted about five hours per week to planning Homecoming weekend, which he says will be a seminal experience for the Class of 2015.
"It's one of the biggest bonding experiences that we'll have other than Trips," Klein said. "We have the whole class together all the upperclassmen are yelling at us. There's some kind of intimacy that happens only once here, and I'm really excited to be a big part of that."
Many freshmen interviewed by The Dartmouth said that the bonfire is one of the most anticipated events of Homecoming weekend. Several students said they have discussed with their friends whether they plan to run 115 laps around the bonfire, in the Dartmouth tradition of running 100 laps in addition to the number of laps of one's class year.
Buchar is among several members of the Class of 2015 who have expressed a desire to run the 115 laps, but do not think they will have the necessary endurance, he said.
In contrast, Fagan a high school cross country runner and an ultimate frisbee team member at Dartmouth decided she would be able to run the full number of laps as soon as she heard about the tradition, but is unsure whether it is worth the time.
"It's not really a question of whether I could do it," she said. "I think I could, it'd just take forever, and I'm sure there will be other fun things to do that night."
Some freshmen also mentioned the pressure from upperclassmen to "touch the fire," a common taunt yelled at first-year students as they run around the bonfire.
Justin Sha '15 said that if none of his peers do it first, he plans to touch the bonfire to keep his class from being dubbed "the worst class ever" by upperclassmen.
"I'm sure the [Hanover Police Department] will forgive me," Sha said. "I don't think it will be that big of a deal."
Janine Leger '15, an international student from South Africa, said she only knew about the American tradition of Homecoming from movies.
"We're very big with supporting sporting events in South Africa," Leger said. "It's not going to be as big as the World Cup, but I know it will definitely be a similar vibe a lot of excitement, everyone coming together to support the university and just love where they are."
With all the fun associated with Homecoming weekend, Bhuchar said he is concerned about having adequate time to study, adding that he has a four to six page essay due the Monday after Homecoming weekend.
For Eileen Chen '15, however, the weekend will be a welcome reprieve from homework.
"I think for Homecoming, even the most hardcore, intense people will probably drop their books," Chen said. "They'll either poke the fire or watch people poke the fire."
Homecoming weekend is expected to be one of the best weekends of this school year, according to Nina Mascia '15.
"I think it'll mean a lot because I know how proud my parents are that I'm here and how hard I've worked to be here," she said. "I feel like everyone here loves each other inherently just because we're here, so it's nice. It's a warm fuzzy feeling."
Bhuchar said he is also looking forward to bonding with his classmates over the course of the weekend.
"I feel like it will be one of the few times this year that we'll all be united as a Dartmouth family," he said.
While Chen said many freshmen plan to take some "funny pictures that I'm sure my friends will probably blackmail me with," Chen will not need pictures to remember this token weekend, she said.
"When you graduate, you're going to remember your friend touching the fire but not what you learned in class," Chen said. "I don't remember much about high school homecoming, but I think I'll remember this forever."
