If you go to Mizzou and you're doing things right you should know that this is the birthplace of Homecoming. No, we're not the only university that celebrates it, but we like to think we do it best. If I were an alumna (thank God I haven't gotten there yet), Homecoming wouldn't be about the house decs covered with tissue paper and the tears of pomp liaisons or the parade that you begrudgingly get out of your bed for at 7:00 a.m. on a game day. So, I have to wonder, what would coming back to your old college stomping grounds feel like?
Is it like going back to high school? Of course, I've been back to my high school only a few times but never during the school day. It would've felt weird to see all the girls walking between classes in the tartan plaid skirt that I used to strap on daily. I wonder if alumni feel weird seeing college kids strolling around in the university's beloved colors and not being one of them anymore. If they see students walking out of their respective dorms, sororities, fraternities, and apartments and wonder if maybe they are sleeping in the same room where they once slept.
Oh, the house decs. Many people flood the streets of Greek Town to get a good look at the enormous decorations put up by fraternities and sororities every year. But do those Greek alumni look at it and remember the taste of tissue paper? Because honestly, yes they're great and cool and fun, but wow that's all I can think about.
Homecoming isn't just a time to invite alumni back and show them how great Columbia is, because they already know. They know Greek Town sometimes smells AWFUL after it rains. More recent alums know you need to be careful when climbing on the tiger in Tiger Plaza because it is a lot taller than you think and falling off is a high possibility. They remember how it felt when Mizzou hosted College GameDay, beat Oklahoma and carried the goalposts from Faurot to Harpo's.
Some alumni also see a lot of differences. My mom has told me many times that her favorite bars are in different spots or gone altogether, her sorority house has been rebuilt and the residence hall she and I both resided in was knocked down at the end of last year.
It makes you wonder what's going to be different when we come back? Will my sorority house still be there? My east campus house will almost definitely not be in 20 years, because it will be either condemned or invaded by multiple, different animal species.
Some things, though, have to stay the same. Alumni and students alike still love Harpo's, we will all boo at any KU game no matter what conference we find ourselves in (or how bad they're playing that year), and everyone always seems pretty pumped to be back. Hey, even Sheryl Crow is coming back this year and she seems like a pretty busy gal.
So as Homecoming gets underway this week for everyone, let's look forward to how many Mizzou students are going to be roaming around campus this weekend. Alumni always make a solid showing on football weekends, and homecoming is no exception. Hey, they will probably cheer louder, whistle more, and be just as ecstatic if we bring home a win, especially on the best football weekend in the fall.
