Editorial: Alumni weekend and Homecoming continue to improve, but school spirit skill lacking
Issue date: 10/30/09 Section: Opinion
As Case Western Reserve University continues to attempt to mend some of the broken fences and "branding" gaffes of the past few years, it's not surprising the administration would concentrate much of these efforts on solidifying the programming and promotion of Alumni Weekend and Homecoming. We feel that the end result was successful, as far as alumni events were concerned. Yet a familiar problem from previous years persists - school spirit on the part of many CWRU undergraduates is lacking.
Alumni Weekend events were well-publicized weeks in advance, and we applaud several of the new events this year that did justice to the celebration this year of the alumni association's 125th anniversary. Particularly successful was the large trebuchet which allowed alumni and students alike to fire produce at a large target on the baseball field. Constructed by alumni, it is expected to play an annual role at Alumni Weekend and Homecoming in the future.
The Blue and White Bash was enjoyed by many who attended, and the LGBT alumni reunion events are positive steps toward improving diversity on campus. Homecoming itself seemed to benefit from the change in venue to a downtown nightclub rather than Thwing - tickets sold out, which hasn't been the case in the past - and transportation logistics were mostly handled effectively.
Yet beside the same people who always show up at the Homecoming game, parade, and related activities, who are often connected to the Homecoming court or drawn to the football game itself, attendance seemed subpar. Homecoming should ideally reflect a greater-than-average burst in school spirit, if only for a week. It seemed to be palpable on the part of many attending alumni, but for whatever reason, not on the part of the student body.
That's not to say that this year's Homecoming was a failure by any stretch, of course - the culture of CWRU is simply different than elsewhere. It's worth continuing to focus efforts on building new traditions, and hopefully renewed school spirit will follow.
Alumni Weekend events were well-publicized weeks in advance, and we applaud several of the new events this year that did justice to the celebration this year of the alumni association's 125th anniversary. Particularly successful was the large trebuchet which allowed alumni and students alike to fire produce at a large target on the baseball field. Constructed by alumni, it is expected to play an annual role at Alumni Weekend and Homecoming in the future.
The Blue and White Bash was enjoyed by many who attended, and the LGBT alumni reunion events are positive steps toward improving diversity on campus. Homecoming itself seemed to benefit from the change in venue to a downtown nightclub rather than Thwing - tickets sold out, which hasn't been the case in the past - and transportation logistics were mostly handled effectively.
Yet beside the same people who always show up at the Homecoming game, parade, and related activities, who are often connected to the Homecoming court or drawn to the football game itself, attendance seemed subpar. Homecoming should ideally reflect a greater-than-average burst in school spirit, if only for a week. It seemed to be palpable on the part of many attending alumni, but for whatever reason, not on the part of the student body.
That's not to say that this year's Homecoming was a failure by any stretch, of course - the culture of CWRU is simply different than elsewhere. It's worth continuing to focus efforts on building new traditions, and hopefully renewed school spirit will follow.
Be the first to comment on this story