Seniors Mitchell Kennedy and Mikaela Ashton were crowned Homecoming King and Queen on Saturday, Oct. 14, as a culmination of the week-long celebration of Homecoming.
Both Kennedy, an accounting major, and Ashton, a management major, were particularly thankful for the role that their friends and peers played in their campaign.
“This ranks as one of my top SVSU experiences,” Ashton said. “Everyone on court deserved King and Queen (Saturday), and they are all Kings and Queens in my eyes.”
Kennedy thought their campaign strategy helped them to achieve the win. Friends assisted the two in their campaigning and Kennedy and Ashton handed out M&M’s and other treats for students. They also made numerous social media posts and specifically targeted students that usually don’t vote.
“We messaged so much that we got blocked from Facebook and Instagram Messenger,” Kennedy said. “I’m still surprised by the win, but it feels great to represent the SVSU community.”
Sigma Pi took first in the Homecoming RSO competition. Organizations came out swinging to take home the trophy that Sigma Pi has held now for three years running. RSO teams competed throughout the week in order to gain the maximum number of points to not only earn a trophy, but also for bragging rights until next year.
“We knew every single organization was going to bring it 100 percent this year, and they did,” said Sigma Pi President John Sullivan. “This win would not be nearly as rewarding if SVSU didn’t have the turnout for the week that it did.”
Forever Red took second, and coming in a tie for third was Alpha Kappa Lambda (AKL) and University Village West. Every team put forth their best effort during the week. One such RSO stood out to Sullivan in particular.
“I want to give a special shout out to AKL as well,” he said. “For such a young organization, they really gave it their all and gave us a fright.”
Homecoming Week began at the women’s soccer game on Sunday, Oct. 8, when the 2017 Homecoming flags were presented.
“The week went really well,” said Associate Director of Student Life Jason Schoenmeyer. “The kickoff for Homecoming Week was unique by getting the soccer team in elimination tournament that consisted of six male players and one female coach per term was won by the Athletic Training Club. Sigma Pi received second place, and Forever Red came in third.
“It was an awesome experience,” said Athletic Training Club member Nick Minichello. “Our coach, Tara McFarland, was the key to our success, because she was able to bring us together as a team.”
The “Strike a Pose” fashion show was held on Tuesday, Oct. 10, in the Thompson Student Activities Room and was won by Forever Red. Following in second place was the UV West council, in third was AKL and following up in fourth was TKE.
The “decade” theme of the event, where each RSO was assigned a decade and had to model styles from it, was successful.
“The best part (of the fashion show) for me was getting to see all of the young students get involved and sharing my Red Pride with them,” said Caitlin Durkee, a closed member of Forever Red.
Over 500 people attended the Lip Sync Battle, which was held on Wednesday, Oct. 11, in the Hamilton Gymnasium. AKL took first at the event, followed by Forever Red in second.
Thursday’s service project, Project Linus, was held in the Student Life Center. Students volunteered to make blankets for children hospitalized with a terminal illness. Points were awarded to the RSOs that completed up to three blankets.
“It’s a wonderful experience to be able to work with my team for something that is meaningful to the community,” said Alex Smith, the president of the Student Occupational Therapy Association.
ABC12 News broadcasted the Spirit Day that took place at 5 a.m. Friday in O’Neill Arena. As a part of the event, RSOs collected non-perishable foods during the week to donate to a local food bank.
On Friday, the Powder Puff football tournament took place on the Intramural Fields. RSOs had teams of five to 12 female participants and a male coach. Sigma Pi won the event, Forever Red took second, Phi Sigma Sigma took third and Delta Sigma Pi took fourth.
The Malcolm Field Theatre held a free improv comedy show on Friday, where the Second City Entertainment group performed.
A 5K run was held on Saturday that started at the Bell Tower. Attendance was negatively affected due to the rainy weather; approximately 25 people were at the run.
The Homecoming Parade took place on Saturday prior to the SVSU football game. Sigma Pi won the event, followed by Phi Kappa Tau in second and Cardinal Radio in third. The Alumni Tailgate also was held on Saturday in parking lots C and C1.
Full results on event winners will be posted at Student Life early this week.
