In my almost five years at Northeastern, nothing has shown just how much pride exists here than the events of this past Homecoming week. The week of events, both large and small, brought together thousands of students and alumni as they rallied to show that Husky Pride is alive and well on campus.

The week’s biggest events, like the performances at PIKEtoberfest and the stand-up act of Jon Stewart, brought together audiences of thousands. Even the smaller events, like Meet the Court and the Mayor of Huntington Avenue Debate, were filled to standing-room-only capacity. Despite the challenges of the weather, the Pep Rally filled the first three floors of the Curry Student Center with students showing their support for our athletes. Although ultimately losing to the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, NU’s football team put up quite a fight during the Homecoming game, which filled the stands at Parsons Field.

The highlight of the week for me was seeing the men’s hockey team defeat No. 1 Boston College in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 5,400 people. The hockey game showed the epitome of school spirit, with a sea of black and red cheering the Huskies and taunting the Eagles.

I have always loved the excitement the week brings to campus; even at 4 a.m., while students scramble to put the finishing touches on floats for the parade, there seems to be an incredible amount of energy that truly brings the campus together.

This year, I had the honor of being elected Homecoming King, and it was both the culmination of an amazing week and the beginning of an opportunity to continue the excitement created during Homecoming. I’m looking forward to working with the university to brainstorm ways to continue the momentum created at events like the Husky FanFest before the hockey game. With new traditions like the Ncentives program and the Die-Hard Dog T-shirts, students have more and more reasons to show their support for our Huskies athletic teams.

I am hoping to see the success of the past week continue throughout the year, and I am looking for any suggestions or input you might have. Feel free to send me ideas for tailgates, events or other programs at [email protected], and hopefully we can work together to make them happen. I’ll see you at the next game.

– Rob Ranley is Student Government Association president and Homecoming King.