Written by Darian Johannsen, Writer and Sports Editor
This year’s homecoming is not the same as in previous years- due to COVID-19, all events will be held virtually. However, this year’s homecoming week is still jam-packed with events for alumni and for students alike.
An event held by Kappa Gamma Chi, VIRTUAL 5K ‘Roo Run, already happened last week. They hosted a virtual 5k which you could run and post your run time for a free T-shirt.
From Ocober 3 until October 17, Austin College is calling all alumni to participate in the all-class challenge to support its Annual Fund. According to Alexander Haj, Assistant Alumni Engagement Director, this fund “sustains essential services including resources for student success, information technology, and more.” His team will be tracking gifts made of any size over that time period to identify which class has the greatest participation rate within that time frame. Their goal is to surpass 12% alumni participation, and according to Haj, “gifts of any size will help us toward that goal.”
Alumni respond positively to Stay At Home with ‘RooNation. According to Haj said they are “certainly disappointed that we cannot have homecoming in person like in years past, but considering the current COVID-19 situation, everyone has been very understanding that we had to go virtual this year.” Since registration opened Oct. 3, over 70 alumni have registered to participate in at least one event. Haj said they hope for more people to register through this next week.
While homecoming week primarily focuses on alumni, there are events for students as well! The Williams Executive-in-Residence Lecture with Melissa Thompson ’84, and the Career Services Alumni Panel are two events that were designed specifically with the students in mind. Haj says he encourages every student to participate in any of the events they are interested in.
Starting Tuesday, October 13, there will be an event every day until October 18, so don’t miss out. To view all of the events and register for them, visit https://www.austincollege.edu/alumni/homecoming/. You will receive a zoom link to the event upon registering.
