Monday, October 5, 2009
Well, it’s homecoming, or at least that’s what I hear. See, I’m still new to town and don’t really know all there is to know about KU’s homecoming. Truth be told, I don’t think many freshmen know what’s happening on campus. The week ahead, however, doesn’t look to disappoint.
It’s full of events, like a barbecue in front of Wescoe Hall, a mural painting contest and a comedy show featuring Kristen Shall and the Blanks, not to mention the football game, which ought to be a satisfying blowout of the Iowa State Cyclones. There’s also the parade, which begins on Jayhawk Boulevard two hours before the game on Saturday.
Talk about options. The only way my high school celebrated homecoming included a week of themed dress-up, topped with a parade around my high school’s block, a boring football game and a cheaply-decorated dance. Clearly, things are on a different level here.
And we underclassmen, more than anyone else, get a chance to reap the benefits.
This is the first chance most of us will have to see and to enjoy the traditions and history of the University. Homecoming has been held for nearly 100 years here, and freshmen can be a part of it. If we’re willing to go out and get involved, we can make memories that will give us a reason to come back one day when we’re long out of school.
Just look at the alumni section Saturday at Memorial Stadium. They know how great this place is.
They know there’s a reason to come back 10, 20, or even 50 years after they have graduated. For some it’s the football team. For others it’s the atmosphere on campus or maybe to relive the glory days.
As freshmen, we get to see those reasons first-hand. The truth is that most of us don’t realize we actually live here yet — that we’re not on vacation or at a year-long summer camp, eventually to return home next summer to mommy and daddy.
It’s time to realize that a university can be much more than four years spent getting a degree. Homecoming, the Rock Chalk chant and Big and Baby Jay give us reason to get comfortable here — to finally turn from the inexperienced freshmen into members of the KU family.
Remember that as you’re hopping from event to event this week. It’s not just about the swag, parade floats and a bone-crushing football beatdown. Instead, freshmen, consider it this way: for the first time since arriving here, homecoming gives us a chance to learn the true meaning of being a Jayhawk.
Zack McQuiston is a Shawnee freshman in journalism and Spanish.
— Edited by Lauren Cunningham
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