“Tales of Texas Tech: Published 1923” is the theme of this year’s homecoming week, which has begun and is highlighted by the Texas Tech Raiders facing the Iowa State Cyclones Saturday at 11 a.m. at Jones AT&T Stadium.
Matador themed float, 1957.
Bill Dean, associate professor in the College of Media and Communications, said that his homecoming experience while attending Texas Tech is somewhat different to today’s experience.
“We’ve always had a parade. I think the floats back in the late 50s or early 60s were a little bit more elaborate. I think the sororities and fraternities spent more time putting them together.”
Dean said that although some things have changed, some new traditions are just as great.
“One thing that is relatively new is the decorations that are put up around Memorial Circle and the entrance,” he said. “That’s something that has been added.”
Dean also said that the timing of the parade has changed.
Storybook themed boards line Broadway Street on campus. Maddy McCarty/The Hub@TTU
“The parade used to be on Saturday morning and I think that most people would prefer that it would be on Saturday morning, because more people would see it,” he said.
This year, the parade will be at 6 p.m. Friday and enter campus through Broadway. Click here to see the route.
Dean also said that he thinks the annual homecoming bonfire is better organized now than years before.
“Back in the day the western part of campus was bare, so they would collect all of the lumber and wood and put it in the middle of the field and everyone would assemble around it,” he said.
Dean said that another difference between then and now was that the different colleges at Texas Tech would have a breakfast or a brunch before the homecoming game.
Texas Tech fans and the lubbock community watch as the parade passes by at the entrance of the campus.
“Of course we can’t do that now with an 11 o’clock football game, so we have to take other routes,” he said.
Although there are some changes to Texas Tech’s homecoming traditions, Dean said that for the most part the homecoming culture at Tech is still the same.
Breanna Bordelon, journalism major and homecoming chair for her sorority Tri Delta, said homecoming traditions are essential to a successful homecoming week and that her favorite homecoming tradition is Student Organization Sing, or S.O. Sing.
S.O. Sing is a Texas Tech homecoming tradition where students of different organizations choreograph a dance and song to compete against other organizations.
“The preparation that goes into it the event, preparing the dance, getting everything organized, it’s a little stressful, but once we see it all come together, it’s really awesome,” she said.
Bordelon said that her responsibility as homecoming chair for Tri Delta is organizing and coordinating different events that her sorority participates in for homecoming.
“I painted our homecoming board, I choreographed the dance for S.O. Sing and I also had another member create our homecoming banner,” she said.
Bordelon said that overall she thinks that Texas Tech and the student organizations do a great job carrying out the events that take place during homecoming week.
Tri Delta before S.O. Sing. Picture by Kasyn Armstrong
“I think we cover all the bases when it comes to representing a certain theme,” she said.
Bordelon said that she has no suggestions for future homecoming events because every year the events are great to her, but with more participation the events could get better.
“I just think increased participation would be awesome because I know a lot of Greek fraternities and sororities really play a huge part in participating,” Bordelon said, “but I think if we could get other organizations to be more involved in homecoming week then it would build some morale within the Tech community.”
Bordelon said that she was thrilled with how Texas Tech Activities Board brought homecoming week together.
“Texas Tech Activities Board worked really hard to make it run smoothly and it shows,” she said.
If you want to attend homecoming events for the rest of the week, click here for more information.
About Courtney White
