NEW TRADITIONS: HOMECOMING COURT IS NO MORE

ABBY DENAULT, KNIGHT WIRE GUEST WRITER

There’s a change coming to a longtime tradition: no homecoming court.

The usual process involved a group of seniors of five men and five women. Then a king and queen were chosen.

The decision to get rid of coronation was a decision that was a long time coming.

“At Wartburg, we are trying to be very inclusive and more showcase our students,” said Allison Wood, the student co-director of homecoming.

This year will involve a new tradition.

There will be a focus on highlighting Wartburg awards, which center on students, associations and faculty.

“I don’t think these awards in the past have received the recognition they deserve for their work. They won the awards for a reason, and you know they are good awards to win,” said Sam Bast, the student leader for the Renaissance Fair Committee.

These awards have been long established by the college and come primarily out of student life.

“Homecoming court has been talked about for years and years, and last year it just made sense for the official end of homecoming court. It wasn’t COVID. It would have happened if we had had Homecoming or not last year. There isn’t a replacement, that is not the goal, it will just no longer be a part of Wartburg College Homecoming & Family Weekend,” said Dani Gordon, assistant director for alumni and parent relations, co-advisor for homecoming committee, a 2017 grad, and a second-year employee of Wartburg.

One student, Maggie McDonald, a fourth-year, hopes for the upcoming homecoming to be inclusive.

“I’m fine with them getting rid of Homecoming court. I’m excited at the idea of an activity or event that could get everyone on campus participating and engaged during homecoming. It could be really fun!” McDonald said.

The committee shares a similar goal with McDonald of a more unified event.

“It’s not just two specific people that get attention, now it is a whole bunch of people. You’ve got your specialized awards, you’ve got your groups, all these people are great, they are good. It helps show them off, and hopefully it can help them to do other things, or just promote goodness in the Wartburg community,” said Bast.

Beyond the scope of the event of Homecoming, the committee also looks toward other elements such as the parade.

“We also chose to have the awards in the parade. It is one of the first events that our alumni see on Saturday when they come back for Homecoming. The parade has shifted to showcase what’s going on and going back to the roots of Homecoming”, said Wood.

Bast also has a message for all those unsure about the new event.

“Go to Homecoming, it should be good. Sure, Homecoming royalty is not there, but we have Ren fair, we have the parade. We now have Mensa night as well as others. There are new and old things, so even as the old things are gone, there are still new things to look forward to, and old things to still look forward to. So it caters to everybody that is interested.”

If students have questions regarding Homecoming, they are encouraged to direct them to the Homecoming social media accounts through direct messaging or contact the Alumni & Parent Relations Office at alumni@wartburg.edu or the Homecoming Committee email, homecoming@wartburg.edu.