campus activities – Houghton STAR

By Juliana Schmidt

Homecoming takes place from Oct. 5 to Oct. 8 and is four days of community bonding, dancing, concerts and alumni returning to their alma mater.

Every year, the Houghton community gathers together and celebrates with one another. Alumni look forward to homecoming because it is a chance for reunions and a weekend of different activities. For Houghton students, homecoming week allows the students to participate in Purple and Gold events, which are organized by the Campus Activities Board (CAB). Purple and Gold Week is a friendly competition between the students that involves gathering points by attending various events throughout the week and tallying the points up at the end to see which team wins. The students are divided into their respective teams by last names, effectively pitting friends against friends for the week.

“I’m excited for P&G week this year, CAB has done a great job planning events throughout the week. It’s a fun tradition that adds some excitement to an otherwise busy time of year and reminds us to celebrate being at Houghton in little ways like being ‘purple’ or ‘gold.’ We hope to see lots of students come out!” writes Jana Newberry, the Director of Student Engagement.

CAB planned, among many different events, the 80’s Funksplosion homecoming dance on Oct. 6, and SPOT: The 80s on Oct. 7. SPOT takes place in the chapel at 10 p.m. and is a time for the student body to let loose and have a few laughs while enjoying a variety of different comedy acts put on by their fellow peers.

Junior Emma Ryan mentions that she has always liked homecoming, and it is one of her favorite parts of the semester.

“I look forward to homecoming every year,” Ryan comments. “Because it is a good chance to reconnect with my Gold group members every year and to take a break from homework.”

In addition, there are other events taking place on homecoming weekend, including the Collage Concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Wesley Chapel on Oct. 6, and the Equestrian Open House on Oct. 7 at 9:30 a.m. at the equestrian center.

Homecoming at Houghton is open for all ages, with a bouncy house, a parade that kids can ride their bikes in, and even a professional juggling and variety show at the Homecoming Parade & Festival on Saturday, Oct. 7.

Senior Hannah Seow states that homecoming has always been very special to her and is excited for this year’s activities.

“Homecoming,” Seow says, “will always have a special place in my heart because that is where I met most of my friends. It is such an important community-building event that showcases the spirit of Houghton.” ★

This semester, Campus Activities Board (CAB) will not be sponsoring a bus trip to New York City. Instead, CAB will be hosting a trip to Skyzone, a trampoline park in Buffalo.

Image courtesy of CAB

As part of its campus social programming, CAB has traditionally organized a bus trip to New York City each year during the month of November. According to Barbara Spaulding ‘17, CAB student director, arrangements with local bus services did not work out as anticipated. “A couple weeks ago, we decided to make the call to cancel the NYC trip and substitute it with something else,” she said.

Instead of cancelling the event entirely, CAB opted to relocate the outing to Skyzone in Buffalo. According to its website, Skyzone is a trampoline park that features a free jump zone, a foam pit, and ultimate dodgeball, along with a variety of other activity areas. The park has become a popular weekend destination in the Buffalo area and provides a great opportunity to enjoy a unique physical activity. As a result of Skyzone’s group pricing incentives, CAB was also able to secure tickets to the park at a significant discount.

Kasey Cannister ‘17 helped to organize the Skyzone trip and is excited to provide an opportunity for students to connect off-campus without needing to worry about transportation or high costs. “With popular activities like this typically far from campus, we have been wanted to provide transportation for a fun outing like this one,” she shared. “We are really looking forward to taking students off campus for a fun event as well as providing a space for a large group of Houghton students to hang out with one another in a popular facility where they would typically only know a few people there.”

The bus to Skyzone will leave from the Campus Center at 12:30 p.m.. and return around 5:00 p.m. Tickets to the event are $10 and can be purchased at the Welcome Desk. Participation is limited to 47 students, and CAB anticipates that tickets will sell out quickly, so Cannister recommended that students come and get tickets while they are still available.