The 1996 Homecoming king and queen will be crowned tonight at the Homecoming Bonfire on the UA Mall.

The new royalty, which students voted on Wednesday at three locations around campus, will join 49 years of Wildcat kings and queens.

About 40 men and women participated in the "Clawing to the Top" Homecoming royalty race. Through a series of interviews and social mixers, the nominees were narrowed down to a court of five candidates for king and five for queen.

The Homecoming king nominees are: Ryan Anderson, political science senior; Mark Bierman, economics senior; Brian Frakes, finance senior; Fai Mo, industrial engineering senior; and Ryan Moore, economics and political science senior.

The Homecoming queen nominees are: DeeDee Buzzi, exercise sports sciences senior; Christie Cooper, exercise sports sciences senior; Julie Rice, political science senior; Camille Shadegg, English senior; and Jolene Silverthorn, finance and accounting senior.

Most people are nominated through a club or organization, said Jennifer Harris, program coordinator of Homecoming. She said there was a $25 fee for all nominees.

Mortar Board and Bobcats, both senior honoraries, narrowed down the king and queen nominees, respectively.

Erin Russell, Homecoming queen selections co-chair, said there are certain qualities the Bobcats look for when choosing the nominees for queen. She said a nominee's campus involvement, grade point average, community service and extracurricular activities are important qualities for a royalty candidate.

"We want someone who is able to communicate well and able to present themselves well," she said. "We want people that will be able to represent the U of A."

Michelle Roop, Homecoming king selections co-chair, said Mortar Board also looked for certain qualities in homecoming king nominees.

"We're looking for sincere, involved people who are genuine and have a lot going for them," she said.

Mo, who was nominated by the Asian American Cultural Association, said he is excited to be representing the Asian population of the university.

"I feel I can represent Asians, but I can also represent the student body as a whole," he said.

Harris said all 10 Homecoming royalty nominees were required to attend the Homecoming events on the Mall this week, will ride in the Homecoming Parade tomorrow and will be introduced during halftime of tomorrow's football game against the University of California at Los Angeles.

Anderson, who was nominated by the Greek honorary, Order of Omega, said he has gotten to know many other seniors through all the Homecoming events.

"Being voted king would be nice, but just making the court was a great honor," he said.

Buzzi was nominated by Athletes in Action, which is part of Campus Crusade for Christ.

She said that as captain of the women's track team, she is excited to be representing women athletes.

"Sometimes athletes get segregated from the general student body," Buzzi said. "I want to show that we do other things besides sports on campus."

The winners will be crowned at the Bonfire Pep Rally tonight at 8:30 p.m. on the Mall.

---

Daily Wildcat News Opinions Sports PoliceBeat Comics