Though Homecoming may look different at MU this year, Tri-Director Macyn McClurg said there is much to be positive about.
In order to follow COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, MU Homecoming activities are primarily virtual, with some in-person events done independently or on a smaller scale. Virtual celebrations will extend through Oct. 31 due to the postponement of the homecoming football game against Vanderbilt to Dec. 12. Homecoming Royalty will now be crowned during the Oct. 24 game against Kentucky.
This year’s virtual Homecoming activities include a tailgate cook-along with Campus Dining Services Executive Chef Eric Cartwright, a virtual spirit rally, a Homecoming Hall of Fame presentation and more. A full list of Homecoming activities is listed on the Mizzou Alumni Association website.
“We are working diligently to make sure that we have other events and other things to celebrate, so we’re still honoring the tradition of Mizzou and Mizzou’s Homecoming, even though it might look a little different,” McClurg said.
While large events like the parade and talent show were canceled, others were altered to meet the needs of the pandemic. Tri-Director Rebecca Shyu explained that for MU’s blood drive, which is normally held at the Hearnes Center, community members can instead donate throughout the month at local blood centers. For the chance to win a prize, donors must submit proof of participation to the MAA by Oct. 31.
The community can register to participate in the Homecoming Parade 5K, which allows people to walk, run or cycle the length of what would have been the parade route during the month of October. Community members can also submit proof of completing an individual service activity of their choosing to the MAA.
The Tiger Food Fight, in which community members donate nonperishable food items to the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri, operated as a drive-thru Oct. 9 at the Reynolds Alumni Center.
Organizations were also still able to participate in the traditional Decorate the District event on Oct. 15 but were separated into smaller groups to abide by social distancing rules as they painted the windows of businesses downtown. MU freshman Emma McCormick, who participated alongside her fellow members of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, enjoyed this opportunity.
“It was a really good time,” McCormick said. “I still got to meet and talk to some more girls in my pledge class, and I feel like it was a good bonding experience that we’ve all been wanting so bad.”
Homecoming Tri-Director John Yeager said that at times, planning this year’s events was stressful due to the rapidly changing situation and uncertainty amid the pandemic.
“When we got back to campus and saw the cases go up, we realized that we had to make some calls on different events and weren’t going to be able to do certain events,” Yeager said. “We had to focus more on that virtual engagement.”
McClurg said that planning for this year’s celebration required constant brainstorming ideas for new events that would be safe to hold during the pandemic while still honoring the traditions of Homecoming. With that in mind, McClurg added she is proud of her committee for maintaining a positive attitude throughout this process since she thinks that this optimism allowed the community to still have events to look forward to.
“I’m really excited about the events we do have,” McClurg said. “We were able to still get some service events in there and still be able to engage with alumni and have our virtual engagement series, so that’s like our CoMo Eats series and things like that. Pomping at home, cooking a tailgate meal at home, those sort of things, so we’ve been able to maintain a lot of the tradition of Homecoming despite the challenges that we’ve been under.”
For the Tri-Directors, Homecoming is about bringing the MU student body, alumni and the Columbia community together. Shyu said that the spirit that comes along with Homecoming is more important than the events themselves.
“It’s all about how you’re giving back to your community, how you’re connecting with people and you can still do that virtually or on your own time or with a smaller group of friends,” Shyu said. “And that’s what really matters, is us celebrating what it means to be a Mizzou Tiger.”
McClurg acknowledged that it can be easy to focus on the changes to this year’s homecoming, but said it is important to appreciate that MU is still able to hold a mix of in-person and virtual activities. She hopes that students will allow Homecoming to be “a positive in all this.”
“It’s a benefit for so many students on campus right now who feel like they have nothing going on,” McClurg said. “I saw firsthand the Tiger Food Fight, the number of students that went out of their way to come out and give to the Columbia community. I think people, especially students, have a really great attitude about all this right now, and we’re just doing the best with what we’ve got.”
When asked about her favorite Homecoming experience, McClurg, a senior at MU, reflected on her freshman year Homecoming. She said the celebration was the first experience in which she felt that MU was a home for her. This campus tradition allowed McClurg to create more connections with her peers and settle in with her Greek organization.
Many new freshmen were hoping for a similar experience this year and noted that it did not feel like Homecoming week.
“I think my first Mizzou Homecoming experience will be fairly lackluster,” MU freshman Luca Valencia said last week. “I would’ve loved to attend the football game and had some memorable moments with friends, however, I totally understand that the safety of the students is paramount, thus making an in-person Homecoming impossible.”
Valencia commended the university for making the best of the current situation but said he is not enthusiastic about virtual events.
“I think I speak for everyone on campus when I say that I hope for an in-person Homecoming next year,” Valencia said. “Nothing excites me more than the prospect of a completely open campus next year. If everyone follows the guidelines and does their part, that prospect could be a reality and we could have an amazing Homecoming next year.”
Yeager, an MU senior, also recommended that students look forward to next fall while making sure to stay involved on campus. Yeager thinks that in 2021, Homecoming could be the biggest celebration yet.
McCormick, whose parents are MU alumni, experienced many Homecomings in Columbia while growing up. She agrees with Yeager and hopes for the return of MU’s classic Homecoming events next year.
“I think that next year [if] everything’s back under control that Columbia’s going to be an absolute madhouse, and I want nothing less than that,” McCormick said.
_Edited by Lucy Caile|lcaile@themaneater.com_
