With Homecoming looming near, one can sense excitement in the air. While most people tend to associate Homecoming with only football, Hamline’s homecoming celebration has grown over the years to the point that the Hamline University Programming Board (HUPB) decided it was too big an undertaking for one group and so became the Homecoming Planners, a small group of student leaders focused on bringing about as much homecoming spirit as possible.

“They’re not a student org in a traditional way,” Lacey Squire, Assistant Director of Student Activities and Leadership, said about the core organizations that get involved in homecoming. “They do a lot with homecoming programming. The programming board still does a lot with programming for the week and student congress definitely does their fair share as well. They’re very supportive of all the events and they send a lot of volunteers.”

Squire was sure to stress the importance campus organizations play in getting homecoming to come together.

“We also couldn’t do it without HUSC (Hamline University Student Council),” Squire said.

While detailing the full week of activities, Squire was to stress the Homecoming Kickoff which takes place on Sunday, October 8.

“We get other student organizations and students all across campus involved with some window painting and chalking,” Squire said. The goal is to make it known that it is indeed homecoming week on the Hamline campus.

Gannon Larson, a first-year who is involved with programming board, expressed his excitement over the homecoming kickoff.

“I’m pretty excited; homecoming week is going to be fun,” Larson said.

The chalking/window painting kickoff is part of an initiative to get as many students involved with homecoming as possible by offering a form of spirit that everyone would want to participate in.

“My goal is that that everyone recognizes it’s homecoming week and they have some opportunity that suits their style to be reflective and thankful for this cool community we have,” Squire said.

Talking to sophomores Emma Larson and Autumn Vagle, both were enthusiastic about the upcoming kickoff.

“I’m excited for it,” Emma Larson said.

While chalking around campus for homecoming is not a new activity, the meaning behind it and its intended goal has shifted.

“The idea that there would be an ice cream party associated with it, moving it to Sunday, and really working strategically to get other people involved in a meaningful way is new,” Squire said. Two other organizations getting involved are Student Athlete Advising Committee (SAAC) and Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), but the more the merrier principle definitely applies to this event.

A second very new event is the HUPB hosted DIY Hamline Pride.

“We [programming board] order a bunch of plain crew neck sweaters…some plain t-shirts, and other things, and we get iron decals and fabric paints. People can do whatever they want,” Squire said.

She noted how, over the years, students have actively expressed that they prefer events that they can interact with through the use of materials and, sometimes, even take a project home.

“Yeah, I’ve got Piper Pride,” Autumn Vagle said when asked if she was looking forward to interacting with kick off and the DIY Hamline Pride events.