By Alexander Gilbert
Homecoming isn’t just another event on campus. It’s not just a chance to get food from food trucks, get some stuff, or sit and watch a football game. Homecoming is special because it is so much more; it’s the entire campus community connecting together, both past and present classes. It’s the time of the year when everyone who has ever called themselves a part of Western New England University joins together and reflects on their special love for the school and people around them. Alumni return to campus, faculty members socialize with their alumni and current peers, and current students make new memories with their friends on campus.
Homecoming is an event for everyone on campus, but the alumni returning makes it one of the most incredible events of the school year. Homecoming weekend is organized primarily by the Alumni Engagement, which is headed by its director, Kristina Oleksak. Oleksak has been a part of Alumni Engagement and organizing homecoming for the last sixteen years, but this year, something was different. The event was rained out.
On Saturday, October 21, it rained the entire day of homecoming, forcing the events to be moved from outside Pine Grove into the AHLC. Oleksak explained to the Westerner that this was the first time in her sixteen years that the event had to be moved inside. She said that she “counts herself very lucky that the weather has cooperated for so long” and that even throughout COVID, they managed to plan some homecoming events outside.
Despite the rain and the event moving indoors, homecoming weekend still shined through the poor weather conditions. Oleksak was “pleasantly surprised how many people still came out.” She noted that “each of the tables was still staffed and there were smiles everywhere.” Everyone, including faculty, alumni, and current students, still came out to support their campus community by attending the event.
Tables were spread out across the lobby of the AHLC, full of students and faculty giving up their time to give back and connect with the campus community. The Cupola Yearbook handed out yearbooks to alumni, the College of Engineering showed off a few projects, and CAB handed out giveaways and hosted small games and activities. Food trucks lined the road outside of the gym, including a cannoli truck.
A massive part of homecoming is the selection of sporting events hosted on campus, where families, faculty, students, and alumni can enjoy watching the University’s student-athletes compete in games. One of the biggest draws was the annual homecoming football game, which was still played despite the rain. Western New England University’s football team faced off and won against Husson University in a tight match, winning with a score of 10-9.
The football game is such a special component of homecoming weekend, and it really brings the campus community together. Oleksak explains that “it’s an easy point of pride to rally around. It’s something that the majority of students do, and the majority of alumni did when they were students.” By sharing this common interest, sitting in the stands, or standing out in the field, our community is able to connect and make lasting memories that everyone wants to go back to. As Oleksak put it, “the biggest piece of it, is that it creates tradition”.
A fun, first-time event this year at homecoming was the Brew & Gold hosted at the Loophole Brewery here in Springfield. The brewery is owned by the University’s own alumnus, Jeff Goulet, who graduated in the Class of 1988 and still loves and supports the University. WNE alumni celebrated here for a few hours, enjoying each other’s company, reflecting on memories of college life, and trying Loophole’s famous First Encounter IPA. Alumni Engagement was super happy about the success of the event, with 94 alumni in attendance, including the Class of 1993’s thirtieth reunion. Tickets to the event cost ten dollars each, and people in attendance were given a WNE commemorative pint glass to celebrate with golden bear spirit.
Homecoming weekend continued back on campus, inside the Campus Center, with the annual semi-formal Reunion Dinner Dance. The event was hosted by United and Mutually Equal and the Connections Mentoring Program. The Westerner had the opportunity to speak with H. Kolu Sharpe, the director of Cultural Education and Inclusion, who had a large role in organizing and running the event.
Sharpe explained that “the alumni dinner dance is an opportunity for us to celebrate with alums, most recent alums, older alums, and whoever decides to drop by during homecoming weekend.” Likely due to the weather, there was a little less of a turnout than in prior years, but it was still a nice night. Forty people, including five alumni, attended the event, while in prior years, around ten alumni usually attended.
The dinner and dance event was memorable for those who attended because it brought people together and stood out among other events. Sharpe noted that “we don’t have many opportunities to dress up and we don’t have a lot of dances on campus, so we like to do something that’s a little different.” Her goal with the event was to bring some of the community together and to encourage people to come out of their rooms and spend time with each other. But the most special part was bringing the alumni back together.
Sharpe’s favorite part about homecoming is just seeing who comes back. She explained that the alumni have “connections that they have built while they were here and maintain them after they’ve been gone, whether it’s been a year, a few months, or multiple years.” To her, homecoming is “bringing the whole campus community back together.” On a concluding note, Sharpe perfectly put everything into a few words, “what’s the saying? You can always go home.”
