By Maria Kimble, Contributing Writer
WLU is expecting big changes for homecoming this fall semester. After scheduling conflicts with the Wesbanco arena, SGA left it to the student body decide the location of the dance.
Traditionally, after the parade and tailgate, students would commute to the Wesbanco arena. This year the dance will be held on campus in the ASRC. This is a positive change and I hope it will continue for future dances.
One of SGA’s main priorities during the fall is to secure a venue for the dance. Due to prior event planned for the Wheeling Nailers, Wesbanco arena was out of the question.
SGA narrowed the decision down to two options: The McClure Hotel in Wheeling or the ASRC. They then conducted two online polls to gain feedback from the students. Hosting homecoming on campus overwhelmingly won both polls, leading the SGA executive board to vote unanimously for the ASRC.
“I am very much in favor of the homecoming being on campus! The ASRC is a great space to hold the dance and has plenty of room that we will need to use.” said Adam Croasmun, the Driector of Programming for SGA. Alcohol will be available for sale for students 21 and older.
“I believe this will be much safer for your students because the dance is in walking distance for all students that live on campus, and it is a familiar place for our commuters to travel to,” Croasmun continued. Some students express that this is a positive change.
“I am really excited that homecoming will be held in the ASRC this year. Everyone will be able to enjoy their time and not worry about asking someone to DD,” said senior, Brianne Mason.
Even though the location is familiar and close to most students, there is rumors that the dance could get out of hand on campus once students leave the ASRC.
An anonymous RA stated, “I know a lot of us are on edge about it because it could cause some serious havoc. It’s great for drinking and driving, yes, but think about the possibility for underage drinking and assaults in general to sky rocket. It could really hurt WLU’s safest campus in West Virginia, if sexual or violent assaults happen.”
SGA is planning to have campus police inside and outside of the ASRC, as well as hiring security to come to campus to ensure safety.
“The safety of the student body is our number one priority for this event, and we are doing everything we can to assure the students this will be a safe, enjoyable homecoming.” said Croasmun.
The main thing to remember is to have fun. SGA has worked very hard to have this opportunity for the students. This is a year of first and if this event goes as planned then hopefully we can push for more dances like this one in the future.
Croasmun continues, “This is such an exciting time of the year where alumni come back, our king and queen are crowned, greek life is alive and well, students are hyped up, our sports teams are working hard for a win, and we all truly come together to show the black and gold topper pride we all have! This will be a fun, exciting new tradition on the hill.”
If anyone has any questions or concerns about this years homecoming, I urge you to contact the SGA office. Their office is located on the 2nd floor of the College Union and their phone number is (304)336-8027. You can also contact them by e-mail, [email protected].
