Heritage. Tradition. Drinking. Tuck away that calculus book. Break out the red and blue. Homecoming, and all of its obligatory revelry, is just around the corner.
For years, now, UA students have turned out in giant swaths of red- and blue-clad hordes, leaning generously on the crutch of alcohol to soften what will inevitably be a futile attempt at a football game.
What's unclear, though, is just how important the Homecoming festivities really are to the average student. Indeed, many students seem to regard the weeklong activities on the UA Mall as the sole domain of the UA greek community. And not without reason.
Seven of the 10 homecoming court nominees are either from or sponsored by greek houses, the great majority of the homecoming parade floats are generally from fraternities and sororities and Mall competitions during the week are dominated by greek teams.
Even so, one would be hard-pressed to blame greeks for the lack of student support. Numerous attempts at outreach have apparently fallen on deaf ears, literally. It's tough to miss a guy with a megaphone pleading with students to make use of the giant inflatable structures or to consume grotesque amounts of cheese.
Promoters have predictably complained of the poor lack of student turnout, but perhaps it's time to let this one go. At this point, sheer pragmatism would suggest that Homecoming should come to be accepted as a manifestation of greek pride. And as for the rest of campus, maybe the time has come to accept that it's not such a bad thing.
If the goal of Homecoming is to express a sense of pride in the UA heritage, greeks should lead the charge. They are afforded a unique opportunity to learn about the history associated with greek and campus traditions alike.
The average student may simply not care, and greeks and Homecoming promoters should let them be. More time should be spent targeting and organizing students who do care. There's a strong greek presence on campus, and Homecoming promoters should pander to it instead of constantly complaining about a lack of student involvement.
So enjoy the inflatables, greeks. They're really all yours after all.
Opinions Board
Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Lori Foley, Ryan Johnson, Damion LeeNatali, Aaron Mackey, Mike Morefield, Katie Paulson and Tim Runestad.