Each year, Dartmouth's campus population swells to accommodate the influx of alumni young and old for Homecoming. Though many students believe that the raging bonfire and week of parties are unique to the College, a survey of other Ivy League institutions indicates that peer schools celebrate their fall weekends with a variety of festivities. Dartmouth's Homecoming festivities, due to the small school size and active alumni, feature close contact between current students and returning graduates. Peer institutions' large graduate school populations and frequent alumni reunions result in a different experience.
For example, Princeton University celebrates Reunions in place of Homecoming. Harvard University and Yale University come together over the annual Harvard-Yale football game and their respective class reunions. At Brown University and Columbia University, Homecoming is celebrated in less gaudy fashion than at Dartmouth, with a strong alumni presence but little interaction between the student body and alumni.
Cornell University offers the closest resemblance to Dartmouth's Homecoming. Sophomore Jack Pollack said the festivities include a significant alumni presence, the Homecoming football game and a major concert.
"There are always tons of alumni, from decades back all through the recent graduating class," he said. "The football game is always packed, with students, alumni, and families cheering for the Big Red."
Pollack said that a major difference is that "fraternities don't have massive parties or anything. The night for students is basically a coming together at the concert."
This year, Cornell will host Third Eye Blind for its annual Homecoming concert.
The University of Pennsylvania, for its part, has planned an "art and culture" theme to welcome returning alumni on Homecoming Weekend. Events include the Taste of Penn, the Penn-Princeton game and the festival on the Green.
At Penn, there is usually a divide between the Homecoming festivities for current students and alumni, sophomore Will Meadows said. Student-organized festivities throughout the day define the weekend, as opposed to an overarching set of events or alumni connection.
"The football game and the festival on College Green are the main events," he said. "There isn't really an overlap between what the alumni and the undergraduates do, though." At Brown, a lack of interest in college sports, combined with a smaller Greek scene and the presence of parents on campus due to Family Weekend, minimize homecoming's significance for current students, said junior Sam Davidoff-Gore 15.
"The thing to know about Brown's homecoming is that it is the same weekend as Family Weekend, so there is overlap but for most people, at least in my circle, homecoming is a non-entity," Davidoff-Gore said. "As for ragers, there isn't really anything out of the ordinary since it's also Family Weekend."
Princeton refers to its homecoming as "Reunions Weekend," which will include guest speakers, the annual P-rade and a nighttime firework show.
While Harvard and Yale do not have an official Homecoming weekend, students celebrate the annual Harvard-Yale football game, commonly referred to as the Game, with parties and tailgates.
"The Game is the real deal," sophomore Bryan Moore said. "Alumni from years and years back all show up to root for their team, and finals clubs hold tailgates and festive events for current students, alumni and families."
The Harvard-Yale game is widely acknowledged as the first true rivalry in college sports. This year will mark the 130th game between the two teams, with Harvard on a winning streak that extends back to 2007.
Approximately 80,000 fans attend the game, with many more unable to enter the stadium.
There's such a crowd on Gameday that cell phone service goes out for hours at a time," Moore said.
Columbia will celebrate a homecoming picnic, a carnival and a football game against Penn. Last year, over 1,200 people attended Columbia's festivities.
"There aren't many events that bring together the current students and the graduates, but alumni sometimes program events of their own, like get-togethers with the football team," alumni communications associate director Lisa Palladino said.
