This Sunday, MU celebrated the beginning of Homecoming Week through its second annual Light The Dome event, marking a new tradition of turning the dome of Jesse Hall gold to observe the Homecoming season. Participants enjoyed Hot Box Cookies and hot chocolate, provided by Veterans United.
The event was coordinated through a partnership between the Campus Activities Programming Board and the Homecoming Steering Committee. The committee picks a new theme for Homecoming every year, and the 2022 theme is “Paint the Town Gold.”
“We wanted a call to action this year,” said Matthew Rothermich, one of the tri-directors of the Steering Committee. “We like the imagery of thinking of Columbia –– gold really pops out. Obviously, it’s one of Mizzou’s colors. But also with homecoming, there’s a lot of painting involved, a lot of incredible craftsmanship… so it’s paying homage to that.”
Senior Grace Hauch decided to attend the ceremony because she had several friends in Homecoming Royalty, and because she enjoyed attending the first ever ceremony in 2021.“I feel like Jesse’s such a pinpoint of Columbia,” she said. “It’s something that you see everywhere you go. It’s great to just put more focus on it and celebrate it.”
The event began with speeches from the steering committee and programming board. They commemorated charitable accomplishments, such as the Tiger Food Fight, which raised over 44,000 pounds of food, and Roaring for Rainbow House, which raised over $2,000 for an emergency shelter to help kids who have experienced abuse.
They also introduced the Homecoming Royalty, which consisted of both Top 30 and Top 10 categories out of over 100 applicants.
At the end of the introduction, all three directors of the steering committee and certain representatives from the programming board pulled an ornate lever in a box on the center of the stage, and behind them, Jesse Hall turned gold. However, the lever was merely decorative.
According to Rothermich, “As disappointing as it is, the dome changes with a phone app. So we just had to reach out to that guy and get that arranged.”
They borrowed the set-up from the School of Engineering, who perform a similar festivity involving lighting the dome green one week each year for Engineer’s Week.
After the dome changed, the night kicked off with a performance from a local band called The Brink.MU Junior Ryan Egan, The Brink’s lead guitarist and vocalist, started The Brink in St. Louis. It moved to Columbia in September 2021.
“The band is kind of my emotional support project and I love it,” he said. “You get close bonds with people that you don’t get anywhere else.”
For many members, providing the opener for Homecoming Week is highly significant.
“Post Sex Nachos played homecoming last year, and they’re touring around America,” said Alex Krewson, who plays drums. “They moved to Nashville and they’re like a band now. It’s exciting that we’re where they were last year; it gives me a little hope for the future.”
The Brink is currently working on an album, which it hopes to record in November. While a release date hasn’t been announced yet, the band encourages students to follow its social media platforms for continuous updates.
Light the Dome is one of 19 different school-sponsored events this week, and students can find more info about others on MU Connect. Notable highlights include three nights of talent shows and a parade on Sunday morning.
“It’s a really unique event at Mizzou that combines the student body, all the alumni coming back and the Columbia community,” Rothermich said. “We get to impact thousands and thousands of lives, and we’re the reason thousands of people come to Columbia for a weekend … Just the fact that we’re bringing a smile to so many faces –– it’s why I love doing what we’re doing.”
Edited by Emma Flannery | eflannery@themaneater.comCopy edited by Emily Rutledge | erutledge@themaneater.com