By Sam Chipman, Staff Writer
Current students and alumni of Western New England University won’t want to miss the events taking place this weekend. This year’s Homecoming Weekend is being held October 1-3. Events will include the famous Residence Hall Association Bed Races, giveaways, food trucks at Pine Grove Lawn, and seven different athletic competitions throughout the weekend.
To kick it all off, the Western New England University Field Hockey team will be going head-to-head versus Salve Regina at the home field at 6:00 p.m. this Friday evening. Proceeding the Salve Regina game, alumni are invited to gather at the Twin Hills Country Club for a “The Downes Hall of Fame” dinner. Alumni Soccer players are to meet at The Veterans Golf Course for an 18-hole tournament on Friday night.
Saturday morning alumni and students can expect a city of tents upon Golden Bear Boulevard, directly outside Commonwealth Lawn. The tents will include, but not be limited to: a walking tour of campus, alumni admissions, an athletics tent, a Campus Activities Board tent, and the Delbridge Career Development tent, as well as the Colleges of Business and Engineering tents.
Those who attend any of the tents will be supplied with food truck concessions, a kids fun zone, and Golden Bear merchandise at a Campus Store satellite tent, all located on Commonwealth Lawn. The Saturday morning fun and festivities are all due to be held at 11:00 a.m. Also on Saturday, the Women’s Alumni Lacrosse Game will kick off at 8:30 a.m. at the Golden Bear Stadium.
Following the Women’s Lacrosse Game, there will be the Alumni Volleyball Game at 11:00 a.m. Caleigh McDermottt, a senior on the Volleyball team, says that “with all the fresh faces and legs we are trying out different combinations, we are a lot faster and more amped up to play our best despite all of our graduated seniors.” To cap off the sporting events of the weekend, the Volleyball team will compete at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon inside the Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.
For those who are not as much into the athletics scene, fear not. Several lectures are to take place inside Herman Hall from noon to 1:00 p.m. To name a few, there are Denine Northup’s lecture, “Positive Psychology: Living your Best Life,” along with Professor William Forces lecture, “The Tattoo Industry and The Role of Instagram.”
Soccer teams square off with Suffolk University at the Suprenant Field on Saturday, too. The women’s game will be held at noon while the men’s game is set to take place at 3:00 p.m. With their tight 3-2 record, the Women’s team plan to lay it all on the line to attain the win towards which they have worked so hard during their season thus far.
The Golden Bear football team is set to go toe-to-toe at 1:00 p.m. at Golden Bear stadium. Students attending the game are advised to wear blue and gold to support the Bears during their big game versus Salve Regina.
For those who graduated in 2020, a special celebration will be held Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. inside the MassMutual Center. The event is being held to celebrate the perseverance and adaptability of the class of 2020. With the unprecedented challenges that COVID-19 presented to the class of 2020, the event being held on October 2 is to commemorate those who boldly faced those challenges.
Saturday night on campus, the United and Mutually Equal Club (U&ME) will be hosting a Reunion Dinner Dance inside the Campus Center at 6:30 p.m. The Dinner Dance party is being hosted in honor of past and present members of U&ME but also to recognize past and current students of various nationalities and cultures.
This jam-packed Saturday is being capped off with hilarity and humor by the infamous Mike Super. The comedian will be hosting a comedy hour inside Rivers Memorial Hall starting at 9:00 p.m. — you won’t want to miss the laughs and smiles of past Golden Bears and current alike.
In case any graduates of 2020 missed the celebrations at the MassMutual Center, there is to be an Appreciation Brunch held on Suprenant Field starting at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. There surely will be something for everyone during Homecoming Weekend.
