Sean McGinley (semcginley@ursinus.edu)
Shannon Henes (shhenes@ursinus.edu)
This year, Ursinus’s Homecoming celebrations took place on the weekend of Halloween. This by no means was done on purpose, as the Homecoming date was already set in stone. However, many students agree that having Homecoming on the same weekend as Halloween was a unique and fun experience. For students, this meant that there was always something to do throughout the two days, whether that be during the day or night. For alumni, this meant enjoying the Homecoming activities while also soaking up the Halloween festivities on campus. For families, this meant enjoying the nostalgia of the fall holiday with their “all grown up” kid. While others expressed distaste for “losing” two weekends, we believe this serendipitous combination made for an extremely memorable weekend.
On Saturday morning, there was an alumni game between current and graduated lacrosse athletes. Luckily, the students prevailed. Later in the morning, students could log into Facebook Live to join President Jill Marsteller for a pre-game show or drop by the Schellhase Commons for a drink at Café 2020. While at the Commons, students could take advantage of Homecoming deals that were happening at The Bookstore. Not only that, but students could go to the Kaleidoscope to see the production of Pride and Prejudice. And of course, students and alumni alike made their way down to Patterson Field to watch the Bears take on the Gettysburg Bullets. Besides the big football game, though, students could also support their beloved school by attending a swim meet, field hockey game, or volleyball match. This year’s Homecoming festivities ensured to leave no member of Ursinus’s alumni out, as there were designated reunion spaces for the Class of 1975 all the way up until the Class of 2021.
If students were not interested in any of the Homecoming activities, the school provided a few Halloween activities. On Friday night, there was a crafting opportunity in Olin Hall. On Saturday night, there was a costume party in Lower Wismer. While
all of these events were surely balls of fun, many students opted to dress up and celebrate the holiday with their friends beyond the scope of school-sanctioned events. In addition to this, many students chose to celebrate the holiday on both Saturday and Sunday.
We believe that the Halloween ambience only added to, not subtracted from, the Homecoming experience. The jam-packed weekend, while exhausting, provided a unique and memorable experience for many on campus. Watching a play, supporting a plethora of the college’s sports teams, reconnecting with alumni, and celebrating the holiday were just some of the ways that students could get involved. The joy of these experiences was only magnified by the shared excitement for Halloween on campus, like seeing students walk in their costumes, spooky decorations in resident halls, etc. During a student’s four years at Ursinus, it is not guaranteed that the events of Homecoming and Halloween will happen simultaneously again, therefore we suggest that students look back fondly on this weekend.