Homecoming is an opportunity for students and alumni to come together, celebrate school spirit and reflect on Oklahoma Christian University’s history. This week offers students many opportunities to get together and have a good time, especially during the pep rally and parade.
Junior Hunter Wiederstein, spirit director of homecoming, planned this year’s pep rally. The pep rally is Friday night, beginning at 9 p.m. with doors opening at 8:40 p.m. for students to check in and find a place to sit. The pep rally contributes to club points based on participation. If 75 percent of a club’s members check-in at the event, they receive the maximum 300 total points.
“Outside of the gym, there will be tables set up with members from the committee who will check you in and make sure you are on your clubs’ roster,” Wiederstein said. “If you have your student ID, you can be checked in and added into that percentage.”
While attendance is required for points, Wiederstein said he does not want points to be the only reason students attend the pep rally.
“We want as many people there as possible, and of course it’s for club points, but it’s good for people to be there,” Wiederstein said. “I want people to enjoy being there and just have fun playing games and being together and cheering for our sports teams and getting encouraged for the next few games, because that’s what I think it’s for. It’s to have fun, get really loud and cheer on the sports teams.”
According to Wiederstein, one major difference in the pep rally this year versus last year is the seating.
“In the past, everybody’s been kind of sectioned together and it’s been very organized, very routine and we’re going to be organized, but we definitely want people to have fun and think that they want to be there and they want to spend time with their friends,” Wiederstein said. “Because of that, we are going to let people sit where they want to and not feel forced to be in an assigned section.”
This year’s pep rally theme is a black-out, according to Wiederstein, and will include a raffle, games with students and faculty, athlete introductions, a pie contest and some chant learning. Game participants are selected through a raffle instead of by class like last year’s pep rally, but students are not required to participate in the games.
“We are going to be having a lot of chants that we will be teaching,” Wiederstein said. “We will really be encouraging all of our athletic teams, especially our basketball teams because that’s a big part of our pep rally—putting a spotlight on our athletes who don’t always get that kind of a spotlight.”
Other than recognizing the athletic teams, Wiederstein said the purpose of the pep rally is to have fun.
“We’re just trying to make it be a party,” Wiederstein said. “We’re going to have a bunch of glow sticks, kind of a black-out theme, just to get people excited and loud because that’s the point of the whole pep rally. It’s meant to get people really loud and excited for the games on Saturday.”
The pep rally prepares students for the season-opener basketball games the following day at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
On Saturday at 11 a.m., students and clubs will also have the opportunity to participate in the homecoming parade organized by junior Mason Fitzgerald.
“Homecoming is all about bringing alumni back and connecting current OC with past OC,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s what we are hopefully doing really well with the parade and the overall theme of homecoming this year.”
The parade does not require a certain percentage of a club to participate for points. However, according to Fitzgerald, the parade provides an opportunity for clubs to earn points with a float, which is required for clubs. Points can be earned for uniqueness, being true to the club and what it stands for, creativeness, loud participation and crowd involvement.
“The requirements are going to be uniform within the club,” Fitzgerald said. “We want to be sure that it’s communicated what the club represents and that they are together as a club, so that’s why we are wanting them to wear shirts of the same theme.”
Fitzgerald said he is looking forward to the new things happening in the parade this year, especially how the homecoming court will be presented.
“For the sake of surprise, I’ll be vague and say I’m really excited for that because it will be unique,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s definitely never been done before, and it probably will never be done again.”
The parade will also feature a few other new, fun things, according to Fitzgerald.
“We are going to have President deSteiguer driving a convertible with [SGA President] Tyler Clark riding shotgun, and it’s going to be a good time,” Fitzgerald said. “Also, we have an ROTC group for the first time. They represent cadets at OC and UCO, and they’re going to be marching, [which] I don’t think we’ve ever done before.”
Students should be aware that the parade route will begin being blocked off sometime Friday afternoon, and Fitzgerald said cars left in the area before the parade may be towed.
Other Homecoming events for students include:
- Tuesday: Brew’s Clues 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
- Wednesday: Musical goodie bag making and writing cards for Outreach at 8:30 p.m. in the conservatory.
- SGA costume contest in Judd Theatre starting at 9:15 p.m.
- Thursday: Oklahoma! Musical at 7:30 p.m. (Tickets are free for students at the box office)
- Friday:
- Saturday:
- Parade at 11:00 a.m.
- Women’s basketball game 1 p.m.
- Homecoming coronation between games
- Men’s basketball game 3 p.m.
- Oklahoma! Musical at 7:30 p.m.
0
0
Wondering Why the pep rally is planned on the same night as the Oklahoma Musical? I hate to have things overlap so that we and others have to choose one or the other to go to:(:( It would be nice if it were Scheduled so we, and students in the musical could attend the musical, parade, pep rally and the game:/