Mercer students are taking a detour through the decades for homecoming this year with games from the ’90s all the way back to dance moves straight out of the ’50s.
The Quadworks special events committee began planning this year’s homecoming week the day after spring graduation.
Committee co-chairs Shivani Dhir and Cassie Jacobs said their early start has made the days leading up to the big week a lot easier. The Mercer community will get to see all of the committee’s hard work from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5.
“As per popular demand, we decided to make Homecoming Week a decade week,” Dhir said.
This year’s theme is “Beareling Through Time.”
The week kicks off with a “Return to Halloweentown” movie night and pumpkin carving on Sunday and the “Beary Scary Halloween” costume party and competition on Monday.
“Then we go into all of the really cool decades,” Dhir said.
The committee has something planned for almost all of the past few decades.
The ’90s are being celebrated with a Pokemon stuffing event. There will also be an ’80s themed trivia night and ’50s- and ’60s-style dance lessons in Mercer Village. The Mercer Ballroom Dance Club will be instructing the dance lessons, and Francar’s will be catering the event.
“Being able to use that on-campus resource is going to be really exciting and having Francar’s there, who is a proud Mercer supporter,” Dhir said.
Students can participate in Mercer homecoming traditions like the pep rally, the banner competition and the lip sync competition. Student and Greek organizations will compete for the homecoming title.
“There is still a level of inclusivity this year and not every single day is a strict competition,” Dhir said. “Even if you’re just a Mercer student that hasn’t connected with an organization, you can still come to these events.”
Director of Campus Life and Student Involvement Carrie Ingoldsby said she always has high expectations for Homecoming Week.
“My expectations for homecoming this year, just like any year, will be that the students have a fantastic week,” she said. “Get excited for the football game on Friday, come out and tailgate, and participate in all of the events throughout the week as well.”
Homecoming is a great opportunity to connect with alumni, bond with other students on campus, have fun and to really show your Mercer pride, Ingoldsby said.
The Bears take on East Tennessee State for the homecoming game at Five Star Stadium on Saturday at 3 p.m. The homecoming king and queen will be crowned at halftime.
Homecoming 2016 preview: ‘Beareling through time’
This year’s Homecoming theme is traveling through the decades. Each day will feature different time periods including the 20's and 90's. Some days will also incorporate Halloween activities. The events are open to all students, but participation in some competitions is exclusive to organizations that applied beforehand.
