Away-going 2011
Cartoon by Abby Gross.
Every year, fans, friends, alumni and students gather for a weekend in October to celebrate the past, present and future of the University of Indianapolis. Fans come to watch the football game on Saturday night; friends come to socialize; alumni come to relive past memories and students participate in an array of events to show school spirit. It is a time of fun, laughter and celebration.
This year’s Homecoming theme is superheroes, and the slogan “Never fear, Hounds are here” is tagged onto all the events that will take place throughout the week. Students will enjoy many free prizes and fun activities at tables set up in Schwitzer Student Center.
The main event of the week, and always the most exciting, is the Homecoming football game. I remember going to the Homecoming game two years ago. The stands were packed and you could feel the Greyhound spirit in the air as students painted their faces and decked themselves out in Hound Pound gear. There were also many alumni who came to the game, and I really enjoyed seeing old teammates.
For the second year in a row, however, I will be unable to attend the Homecoming football game. And for the second year in a row, the men’s and women’s soccer teams have away games during Homecoming weekend. Furthermore, both the cross country teams and the volleyball team are also on away trips the weekend of Oct. 1.
I understand that the football game is the main event of Homecoming, and I would never ask for that to be taken away from them. I enjoy attending the game myself. I also understand that scheduling this weekend is no easy task and that there is no weekend during the 2011 season when football, volleyball and soccer are all home. But my point is that there are plenty of other weekends when at least one other UIndy team is home with football. Why couldn’t Homecoming be one of those weekends? Why does it seem to be reserved exclusively for football?
Furthermore, Homecoming also is paired with Alumni Weekend this year. This is great for game promotions, and the entire Homecoming week in general, especially because a main purpose of Homecoming is for alumni to return to campus.
But what about the rest of the fall sports? Do we just not get an Alumni Weekend? Yes, we could have our own alumni reunion game on a different weekend when we are home, but UIndy is not a large, Division I university, and our budget reflects that. There would be nowhere near the same number of promotions or activities for our own alumni game in comparison to this year’s Homecoming/Alumni Weekend combination.
All I’m asking for is a little consideration concerning the other fall sports. I realize that there is little chance Homecoming will fall on a weekend when we’re all home, but we would at least like to feel included or have a little recognition besides the pep rally. The pep rally is fun, but it is required for student-athletes and hardly any non-athletes attend.
Last year, the women’s soccer team tried to participate in Homecoming by having one of its players run for Homecoming queen. Unfortunately, she was told she wasn’t allowed to run for Homecoming queen because she wouldn’t be present at the Homecoming game. She wasn’t able to be present, however, because Homecoming was scheduled during an away weekend for soccer. It only added to our disappointment about the entire situation.
Homecoming is a wonderful time, and we all love participating in the many activities that take place during the week. But when much of Homecoming revolves around athletics, and when you are an athlete at the school, this situation leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. We can’t help but feel a little disappointed. So this year, while we watch everyone anticipating Homecoming weekend and all the fun and activities, the rest of the fall sports athletes will prepare for their weekends on the road and hope that maybe next year will be different. As for those of us who are seniors, we only hope that next year we will be able to revisit UIndy as alumni during homecoming weekend and watch our respective sports compete at home.
