The first four weeks of school have flown by and Saint Xavier students now have Homecoming Week to look forward to.
“This year’s Homecoming Week is really special,” Ali Zaharris, Director of Student Activities, says. “It’s the inauguration week of President Joyner.”
Yet, President Joyner will not be the only one receiving recognition the week of Homecoming.
“One of the events we’ll have leading up to the Homecoming game is the Heritage Ball. That’s always a really fun event for our student leaders, it’s a way to honor them,” Ali continued.
But Homecoming is a tradition shared with all members of the SXU community, not just student leaders. Planned by Saint Xavier Council, the student government on campus, students will find a plethora of events to attend during the week leading up to the football team’s game against Indiana’s Taylor University.
“One of the main goals of SXC,” Logan Copeland, President of SXC explains, “is to advocate for the entire student body on campus, to ensure they are having the best experience they can. So, we have a ton of events planned for all students.”
What are some of these events? A scavenger hunt around the campus. SXC will have puzzle pieces of Champ the Cougar scattered around the school.
Anyone who finds a puzzle piece can bring it to the Student Organization Center, located on the first floor of the Warde Academic Center, and receive a prize, like SXU gear.
“One event I’m really excited about is the Photobooth with President Joyner,” Logan says. “I think it’s going to be really cool because she’s very easy to talk to. She’s funny, she’s witty, and she has a goofy side to her.”
SXC will also be hosting a Hispanic Heritage Month, inauguration, and Homecoming triple event with guest speaker, Carlos Andrés Gómez.
An award winning poet, actor, speaker, and writer from New York, Gómez will be speaking in McGuire Hall on Wednesday, September 27 at 7:00pm.
“He has done lectures and performances all across the country,” Ali says. “He’s been a keynote speaker, he’s spoken at Harvard, and he’s written a book on gender identity in society.”
“His spoken word poetry is about what it means to be Latino,” Ali continued It will be a really neat event for students because it won’t be just another lecture. He’ll be incorporating his spoken word into it as well.”
Of course, SXU will also be hosting another important event: the inauguration of SXU’s new president, Dr. Laurie Joyner.
Joyner will be inaugurated on Friday, September 29 in the Shannon Center at 10:00am. All students are encouraged to go. In fact, morning classes have been cancelled so students can attend the event.
“We’re inviting people to wear red,” Logan says. “Our goal is to see a huge blanket of red there, and then at the reception in the library.”
Logan continued to discuss the ways in which this event is such a big deal to the SXU community.
“Government officials will possibly be there to see this inauguration. This is a huge event in SXU history, and we’re hoping to have many of the students show up in support.”
All of it, the scavenger hunt, the Presidential Photobooth, Carlos Andrés Gómez, and even the inauguration, all lead to one thing: SXU’s Homecoming Football Game on Saturday, September 30.
With the annual Cougar 5k Run/Walk, followed by a tailgating party preceding the main event, SXU community members can get amped up before the Cougars take on the Taylor Trojans at 1:00pm.
Cheyanne Daniels
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