The Talon staff sat down with Austin Johnson, Oklahoma Christian University’s executive director of Homecoming, to discuss all the upcoming events and what makes this year’s Homecoming special.
What made you want to get involved with Homecoming and become director?
Last year, I was on the executive board. I was in charge of doing events. Mandolin did a really good job of leading, and I was pretty inspired by what she did to continue that and improve it for the future.
What is the significance of this year’s Homecoming theme?
This year’s Homecoming theme is Childhood Classics, for those who don’t know. It’s significant because it really ties in with the musical this year. The Homecoming musical is the Little Mermaid. With that being such a family-oriented musical, we really wanted this year to be family-centered. On Saturday for the parade, everyone is doing childhood themes, so the parade is going to be super fun for the kids, who are going to be able to really enjoy it. A lot of the clubs are going to have costumes. It’s going to be a really good event for the entire community of OC and around OC to come together.
What makes this year’s Homecoming different than in previous years?
From an organizational standpoint, one thing that we’ve had an emphasis on is not making it for clubs. In years past, it’s felt that way. We’re really pushing to get non-club people involved. I know we have a couple organizations that aren’t social services clubs that are involved this year. We’re trying to push that and get more of them involved.
What kinds of activities can students participate in throughout the week?
On Monday, we’ll be having capture the flag. It’ll be next to the intramural fields. We really want everyone on campus to be there. It will be a good time. The next day is a game night, so we’re going to have a bunch of board games and escape rooms set up in the conservatory. There will be snacks, and after that, Brew’s Clues is happening again. The Brew is putting that on, so we really encourage everyone to go to that. Friday and Saturday are the pep rally and basketball games. The parade is in the morning too. This whole weekend is the musical, so we really want all the students to go to that too.
What issues sometimes come up during the organizational process of Homecoming?
Trying to connect to everyone that you need to connect to. That was what surprised me. I knew I’d have to talk to a lot of people, but there are probably more than 100 people involved with this, and I wasn’t expecting that. That’s the biggest thing: the communication that goes into everything. For something small as using the gym for the pep rally, you have to talk to six or seven different people to get approval and make sure everything’s OK.
Why should students get involved with Homecoming activities?
Students should get involved because it’s super fun, and it’s one of the few times that the entire campus comes together to do a singular thing. With a lot of the big campus events that we have, a lot of it is competition-based, and this is one of the times where there is competition, but the point is to come together. It’s an opportunity for those who don’t usually get involved to get involved.
How do you plan on reaching out to students? Social media, fliers, student announcements?
All of those. We have social media, we’ll get fliers up pretty soon and we have a slide up in chapel that should be there now and next week.
Are there any changes to the judging system or rules that students should be aware of?
I think the biggest change for the rules would be that the float is due before the week of Homecoming. In years previous, it was not the case, so during the week with the activities, club members had to choose between finishing their float and going to the Homecoming activities. With the float being due before that, it leaves the Homecoming week open so people aren’t going to be as tired.
What’s your favorite thing about Homecoming?
Probably building the float, which kind of stinks because I can’t do that this year. That was my favorite part in years past. This year, my favorite part is probably the parade. I’m really looking forward to it. The clubs are doing a really good job with all the floats this year, and we’ve got a couple other organizations coming for the parade. I think it’s going to be really good.
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