By Maggie Cassidy
Whether you’re a diehard dog ready for a good laugh or have burgers on the mind, a series of events coming to Northeastern for Homecoming 2007 next week will offer something for everybody, said Resident Student Association (RSA) president Mark Epstein.
“Homecoming’s great, whatever you’re into,” he said. “I just think it’s a great way to get involved with Northeastern. School spirit’s important. Everybody should be proud that they go to Northeastern and this is a great way to show it and a great week to show it.”
Campus Activities and Programs, the Office of Alumni Relations and the Office of Parent Family Programs have been planning the events for several months, said Erin Dayharsh, assistant director of student activities.
“It’s to celebrate Northeastern, to get the alumni to come back, to get the students engaged in the programs, to celebrate its history and its future and to have a good time,” she said.
Various student organizations and athletic teams will contribute and perform throughout the week. RSA, for example, will barbecue burgers and hot dogs during a pep rally at the West Village Quad, Thursday at 7 p.m.
“We see it as a great opportunity to give back to Northeastern because we do a lot of events that are about RSA, but this is for the entire university. It’s great for school spirit and it brings a lot of people together,” Epstein said.
In addition to free food, the pep rally will feature giveaways and music from JAM’N 94.5. Students are encouraged to wear red and black to the rally.
Events kick off Monday night, when Jim Gaffigan performs at Blackman Auditorium at 7 p.m. The stand-up comedian is known for his specials on Comedy Central and his appearances in Sierra Mist commercials. As of press time, a small number of tickets were still available at the NU Ticket Center in Ell Hall for $5 with an NU ID.
On Tuesday, the Meet the Court Competition, where students can meet the candidates for Homecoming King and Queen, will take place from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Curry Student Center Ballroom. Candidates will compete in talent and school spirit contests before voting opens to the student body on the myNEU portal.
Students will have a chance to meet the candidates for the next Mayor of Huntington Avenue Wednesday in the Alumni Center at 6:30 p.m. Epstein, who is a candidate, said the Mayor of Huntington Avenue is an “old Northeastern tradition” that provides a link between current students and alumni, and precedes many of the Homecoming events, like the parade.
On Friday night, while students engage in Classic Karaoke at afterHOURS from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., fraternities and sororities, along with other student groups like RSA, will decorate floats to appear in the Homecoming Parade Saturday.
Sophomore marketing and finance major Tara Cuddihy, who will help the Sigma Delta Tau sorority decorate its float, said she’s excited for Homecoming because it increases school spirit.
“I think it makes a big school seem smaller. If you have school spirit and you go to a game or homecoming event, you feel really connected. Otherwise you just kind of feel like you’re one out of thousands,” she said. “When everyone comes together for something that they care about it, it makes you feel like a community.”
The parade begins at Forsyth Street at 11 a.m. Saturday. Bands, floats, cheerleaders, clowns, alumni, husky dogs and more will march down St. Stephen Street, wrapping up at Centennial Commons where a Homecoming Carnival will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In addition to student events, a variety of Husky sports teams will be playing at home. On Friday, the field hockey team will face James Madison at Sweeney Field at 2 p.m. before the women’s soccer team takes on Delaware at Parsons Field at 6 p.m.
At 7 p.m., the men’s hockey team will face off in a highly-anticipated game against the University of Maine at Matthews Arena. Northeastern succumbed to Maine 7-1 last season before coming back weeks later to take a 6-1 win. Although the Huskies lost their next matchup, 2-1 in overtime, junior forward Joe Vitale said the squad is excited for the rematch.
“Every year [during Homecoming] we bring a good crowd in at the Dog House,” Vitale said. “The student body is very supportive at that time. The players get amped and geared toward it because of the crowd and the size of the student body. We always have an exciting game.”
Women’s hockey will also take the ice at Matthews against UConn at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Also on Saturday, the football team takes on Maine at Parsons Field at 2 p.m.
Dayharsh said she expects thousands of people to take part in the week’s activities, and is excited to increase a sense of community at Northeastern.
“We’re just really trying to make [Homecoming] a lasting memory, a signature event, a good experience for the students and I think that that’s what they’re going to get next week,” she said.
