During the week leading up to and including Homecoming weekend, the Student Activities Board (SAB) is hosting a variety of events for students, faculty and alumni to gather and celebrate Waynesburg from Sept. 25 through to Sept. 30.
Pat Bristor, associate dean of students and head of SAB, helped arrange each of the activities that are taking place throughout the week. Kyla Wolper, junior electronic media and media ministries major and chair of special events for SAB, has been preparing for homecoming week since the spring semester.
SAB hosting a series of events leading up to Homecoming has been tradition for over 20 years, according to Bristor.
“Our job is to program for students throughout the year, and homecoming gives us a theme to work around and encourage,” Bristor said.
The week began with “Cram the van,” which is an annual event where students are challenged to fill one of the university’s 12-passenger vans with items including clothing, non-perishable food items, cleaning supplies and toiletries for the local Salvation Army. The donated items will then be distributed to families in need.
The Greene County Salvation Army gives out these donations to families and citizens in the area who may be financially unable to purchase the items themselves free of charge.
The “Cram the van” truck will be parked in the Roberts Chapel parking lot with students inside the van to collect donations during lunch and dinner hours throughout the week. Donations can be given any time, by dropping them off at student services. The event kick-off was at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 25 outside of Benedum Dining Hall featuring ice cream, music and raffles.
Donations to the van benefits not only citizens in need, but those who donate 10 items to the cause will be offered free admission to the football game.
The band duo “Scott and Chris” performed Sept. 26 during the event “Noon Tunes,” where students could also have iced coffee and cookies.
In accordance with the weeklong “Cram the van” donation opportunity, Sept. 27 there was “Cram the van” bingo where students who donated received an extra playing card, and thus a better chance of winning one of the prizes offered.
A campus-wide Black and Orange day will be held tomorrow, where students wearing the black and orange or university apparel will win a raffle ticket for an opportunity to win a prize arranged by the SAB. The winner of the raffle will be drawn at a picnic and pep rally in Johnson Commons.
The picnic, which begins at 5 p.m. tomorrow, will feature musician Matt Hires as well as the opportunity to help create signs to cheer on the Yellow Jackets during their Homecoming football game the following day.
The Waynesburg Idol winner will be announced Sept. 29 at the grand finale, which begins at 8 p.m. in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center.
The day of Homecoming, Sept. 30, there will be a Homecoming 5K Run/Walk for students and community members, and the entrance fees collected for the participation in the walk benefits the service trip scholarship fund.
Alumni will have the chance to mingle and reminisce during Jacketfest, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in Johnson Commons. SAB will also arrange the halftime of the football game, and will organize the crowning of king and queen.
Finally, SAB will have a post-homecoming after party for students with pizza, music and board games at 8 p.m. in the Beehive.
“It’s a way to relax and hangout after the insanity of Homecoming week,” Wolper said.
Wolper said there is a boost in student morale and school spirit during Homecoming week.
“I think people are really excited about Waynesburg during Homecoming week and it’s really exciting for us as well because we work so hard during the year to make Waynesburg such a fun place for everybody,” Wolper said.