The College of William and Mary’s Undergraduate Council met Oct. 28 to review the effectiveness of Homecoming activities and to discuss upcoming class initiatives.
In past years, the Undergraduate Council planned many aspects of Homecoming, but this year the Alumni Association took over the majority of preparations.
Senior class president Joe Foster ’15 said there was miscommunication between the Alumni Association and the student body during Homecoming planning. As the main intermediary between the Alumni Association and the student body, Foster said there should have been stronger options up for discussion.
“Having only one person in the line of communication between the entire student body and the Alumni Association doesn’t seem like a great thing,” Foster said.
Foster also said that many students did not know when the pep rally was happening, as it was mainly advertised to alumni.
“If you’re having Homecoming, it’s not really for alum[ni]. It’s for current students also,” Foster said.
Giorgio Caterini ’17, chairman of the Undergraduate Council, pointed out an additional issue with Homecoming events, namely the lack of council members at the parade.
Caterini had hoped members would attend the parade to allow students to meet their class representatives.
“I wish there had been more people there,” Caterini said. “We need to make the Homecoming parade something students, especially freshmen, go to.”
In addition to discussing Homecoming, the College’s four class councils shared ideas for upcoming events.
Sophomore class president Phoebe Galt ’17 discussed three event proposals designed to give back to the College.
Galt’s goals for the proposed events are to support the staff at the College, offer philanthropic donations, and increase awareness about Road to Richmond, a program in which students visit the Capitol to ensure issues they care about are heard.
To meet these goals, Galt said she hopes to increase student participation in existing events that support the staff. She also hopes to host an educational programming event clarifying what philanthropy is and to offer a program designed to teach students how to utilize Road to Richmond.
Freshman class president Jose Acuna ’18 also shared several ideas, including Warm Wednesdays, an event with free hot cider, hot chocolate and cookies, and a “reverse” program in which students serve food to the Sadler Center and Commons Dining Hall workers.
Foster’s debriefing focused on helping seniors prepare for life after college through Career Readiness Night Nov. 19.
The event, co-sponsored by the Career Center, will include information sessions about topics such as LinkedIn and networking.