Last year, some students may have noticed a change during Homecoming Week: the seniors were not asked for their Homecoming Court nominations. Instead, the faculty, administration and staff were asked for Homecoming Court nominations. The court is then selected by tallying the nominations, and the five most nominated men and five most nominated women make up the homecoming court.
After the selection of the court, the Homecoming King and Queen are selected in the same manner as in years past, with the entire student body voting on which members of Homecoming Court they would like to see crowned king and queen.
The process was changed for a few reasons. First, it was confusing who got to nominate and who got to vote and when. Many underclassmen did not realize they had the opportunity to vote for the king and queen. This new process is meant to be clearer as to what the Gustavus students’ role is in the Homecoming Court process and to involve more people in Homecoming traditions.
“Nobody really gets involved in Homecoming Week here, so I hope that this newer method for Homecoming Court helps get everyone involved and more pumped up about our school,” Megan Lundin, a sophomore student, said.
Also, the new process helps incorporate the entire Gustavus community into the Homecoming festivities by asking faculty, administrators and staff to nominate seniors for Homecoming Court, and it adds honor to receiving a place on Court by the criteria the nominators are asked to use. Senior Psychology Major Maggie Hansvick, Campus Activities Board (CAB) co-president, explained, “The nomination forms ask the community member to nominate a senior who exemplifies Gustavus’ five core values.” Professor of Political Science Richard Leitch said, “I nominated someone who I met with as a prospective student and have seen develop and contribute to the Gustavus community. They may not have a 4.0 GPA, but they work hard, love life and are thankful for what they have.” Senior Psychology Major Kyle Goodfellow agreed that this aspect of the nomination process is an important change: “I feel like it becomes more of an honor this way. Not to say that being on the Homecoming Court is not an honor in the first place, but being held in high esteem by your superiors makes it that much more special.”
However, there is some debate as to whether or not those asked for nominations will take the opportunity to participate, or if they will simply throw their nomination form in the recycling. “It’s not as easy as you’d think to find someone to nominate,” Leitch explained. “I have to remember if the first person who comes to mind is a senior this year or not. It would be easier to nominate people if we were given a list of seniors to help jog our memories.”
In addition to the selection process, the responsibilities of Homecoming Court members have changed slightly. “In the past, those who were selected for Homecoming Court were obligated to put on the entire hour-and-a-half Homecoming Variety Show on Friday night. Now, we only ask them to be responsible for a section of the show, which makes their time commitment smaller.
“Since the Court is generally very involved on campus, it gets exhausting to put in all those hours planning the show and still keep up with their other responsibilities,” Hansvick said. The Homecoming Court is also featured in the Homecoming Parade on Saturday morning and at the half-time show during the football game.
Voting for king and queen will be held at the Student Activities Office desk from Monday, Oct. 5 until Thursday, Oct. 8. King and queen will be announced and their coronation will be at the Homecoming Variety Show on Friday, Oct. 9 at 8:00 p.m. in Alumni Hall.
You can learn more about Gustavus Homecoming Week festivities at gustavus.edu/calendar/17072.