Category | News

Homecoming week revamped

Published on November 18, 2008 by The Sentinel

    Last week KSU hosted its annual Homecoming week. The overall
purpose of Homecoming events, according to Shannon Kennedy of Marketing
and Public Relations at the Office of Alumni Affairs, is “To perpetuate
the KSU tradition and get the KSU community, as well as the general
community involved with the traditions of KSU.”

    To this end, the Department of Student Life, the Office of Alumni Affairs and the Department of Residence Life teamed up to create a week of events guaranteed to cater to the interests of KSU’s students, as well as the outside community.

    In the past, KAB was in charge of event planning. According to Nu’Nicka Epps, the Assistant Director for Student Life and the advisor for KAB, this made it difficult due to the limits of having a single organization in charge of all activities. By combining with Alumni Affairs and Residence Life, they were able to alleviate such limitations. The theme of the week was “Enlightenment” which, according to Epps, “was chosen to inform the student body of our new traditions, as well as get the word out that we have a Homecoming.”

    One of the events established this year was the “Nest Fest Spirit Competition.”  These competitions gave the organizations a chance to win “Spirit Points,” which were tallied at the end of the week. Prizes were awarded to the top three Greek organizations and RSOs, as well as the top two Residence Halls. For Greeks and RSOs, first place received $150 in Special Activity Funds, as well as a Papa John’s Pizza Party for one meeting. Second and third place teams won $75 and $50, respectively. Residence hall winners received a free bowling party at US Play for first-place, and second place received a Papa John’s pizza party for team participants. An “All-Spirit Award” was awarded to the team with the highest overall point total, and the prize for this award was a 2008 Nest Fest Champion plaque, as well as $250 in Special Activity Funds. Faculty and staff unrelated to Student Life judged each event.

    The Fashion Show held on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. completely transformed the university rooms in the student center into a New York model convention. The event was free to all students, and an intermission meal was provided. Student groups were also given the opportunity to earn Nest Fest spirit points.

    On Thursday, the Office of Alumni Affairs organized the “Barbeque Tasting & Mini Concert” at the Legacy Gazebo. Concert performers were the critically-acclaimed Beatles cover band, The Return. The concert also featured barbeque served by Williamson Brothers and Shane’s Rib Shack.

    The annual homecoming dance was held Thursday night at the Atlanta Marriot Northwest, and Nu’Nicka Epps was proud to report that KAB raised well over $1,000 in ticket sales. The main highlight was the entertainment, which featured Nathan Angelo and DJ Stefan.  “It was a great mixture of entertainment, and we had a variety of music. Everyone was dressed up and it really felt like a formal dance” said Punit Patel, president of SGA.

    The dance also featured the coronation of homecoming court. Representativess were nominated by a Residence Hall, RSO, or Greek organization. Nominating organizations were required to attend at least three KAB sponsored events and participate in at least two Nest Fest competitions. Interviews on Nov. 3 and 4 were judged by faculty and staff unrelated to Student Life. Nominees were judged on leadership and extracurricular activities, academic achievements, community engagement, poise and appearance. The categories were as follows:

    First-year students: Lord and Lady
    Second-year students: Duke and Duchess
    Third-year students: Prince and Princess
    Fourth-year students: King and Queen

    The male winners were Andre Williams representing the University Village Suites for Homecoming Lord, Philip Stephenson representing Kappa Sigma fraternity for Homecoming Prince, and Ben McCullough for Homecoming King also representing Kappa Sigma. “It feels great to be elected by the fraternity and to have all the Greeks on my side” said McCullough. “At Kappa Sigma, we pride ourselves on being gentlemen, and I think this sets the standard for the fraternity.”

    The winners for Lady, Duchess, Princess, and Queen were Lexie Ware, Abigail Thompson, Katherine Lastufka, and Mallorie Fisher, respectively. All represented Phi Mu Fraternity. “I feel great representing the university [as Homecoming Queen]” said Fisher. “Phi Mu has always had a great turnout at homecoming. We have been involved in campus activity for twenty years, and we currently have around 134 active members.”

    Teams also received 25 Spirit Points for each team sponsored, with a maximum of two candidates per category. In addition, 50 points were earned if a candidate was elected to the Court.

    On Friday night, students took to the streets in the first-ever parade in downtown Kennesaw. Floats began to line up at 5:15 in Adam’s Park, and students were once again given the opportunity to earn Nest Fest Spirit Points based on the adherence to the “Enlightenment” theme, originality/creativity, school spirit, and quality of work.

    The parade began at 6:30 p.m., and proceeded down Main Street, continued on Watts Avenue, and ended in Adam’s Park. Various groups handed out candy to the many onlookers on Main Street. The parade also featured the KSU pep band. “I thought the parade went well” said Patel. “Hopefully the weather will be better next year, but it can only get better from here.”

     The parade was sponsored by the Office of Alumni Affairs and in part by Student Life. “Hosting the parade in downtown Kennesaw has enabled us to strengthen the relationship between the city and KSU while enhancing the student and alumni Homecoming experience,” said Lisa Duke, director of Alumni Affairs, in a press release.

    On Saturday, KSU welcomed back its alumni for a reception at the KSU Center.   The Distinguished Alumni Award was given during this reception to Shealynn Harris, Janice Walker and Ashlie Wilson.Recipients of this award must be a graduate of KSU, exemplify the ideals and mission of KSU, and has demonstrate achievement in his or her local field.

    Three students were also awarded scholarships from the university: senior Katherine Martin, junior Seth Austin and sophomore Rachel Ayers.

    The final award for the evening was the Betty L. Siegel Award, given to a faculty member who represents Dr. Siegel’s philosophy of “excellence in teaching.” This year, the award was given to Dr. Hope Torkornoo of the Coles College of Business. Torkornoo teaches an Applied Global Business Strategies class which gives students the opportunity to deploy theories learned in the classroom in a global business environment.

    Festivities came to a close with the men’s homecoming basketball game against the University of Maine Black Bears. At the half-time show, the Homecoming Court was introduced, and winners of the Nest Fest Spirit Competition were announced. The top three Greek organizations were Phi Mu Sorority, Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, and Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority. The top three RSOs were SGA, AASA, and Gamma Beta Mu. In the Residence Hall category, University Village Suites came in second place, and KSU Community Place Council took first. The “All Spirit Award” went to SGA. Despite their best efforts, the Owls were defeated 60-47.

    “Overall, the entire week was successful” said Punit Patel. “Nest Fest had a great turnout, which will hopefully continue in the years to come.”