The University of Tulsa welcomes parents and alumni back this homecoming weekend.
After preparations had consumed campus for weeks, the homecoming week at the University of Tulsa had finally arrived. Kicking off Monday with the annual Fall Festival, the Student Activity Board invited students to Chapman Commons from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to celebrate the start of homecoming week on campus. Celebrating with seasonal festivity, students were encouraged to design, paint and carve their own pumpkins and could also visit a variety of animals at the petting zoo. The next day, students returned to Chapman Commons to carry on the much adored TU tradition of painting Tucker Drive. Once again put on by the Student Activity Board, club members came from all over campus on the evening of Oct. 22 to design and create murals to represent their organizations, its goals or messages.
While some clubs did individual murals, such as Gen1TU and Give Gaza Hope, others like the Greek Life and Multicultural organizations did joint murals with other organizations. In fact, the university’s multicultural organizations came together to create a single, cohesive mural created by the Latin American Student Association, South Asian Student Association, Association of International Students, Asian American Student Association, Women of Color Collective, Muslim Student Association, Vietnamese Student Association, Korean Student Association, Afghan Student Association and the Association of Arab Students.
In planning these paintings, each organization chose an image or symbol that they believed captured the essence or message of their club and had approximately three and a half hours to paint their allotted section of Tucker Drive. With both time and supplies being limited, students’ creativity and ingenuity shone through via their elaborate designs and brilliant mix of colors. Gen1TU chose to spotlight their experiences as first generation college students showcasing a graduate climbing a ladder with the words “Breaking Barriers, Building Futures.” Whereas the Greek Life organizations incorporated each of their symbols into the murals. All the organizations would then have to wait for student voting to conclude to choose a winner.
The following Wednesday night, the Student Activity Board also put on its annual Raging Cane event in which students could destress from midterms by smashing cars and plates from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Students gathered in Dietler Commons for a concert Thursday night from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. with DJ Austin Mills and finally Friday brought the Homecoming Pep Rally. Also in Dietler Commons, The University of Tulsa invited students, alumni and fans in the community to celebrate homecoming weekend at 7:30 p.m. in advance of Saturday’s football game. Guests heard from TU’s own the Golden Hurricane marching band and the spirit squad, among other musical guests.
However, Friday also hosted a number of alumni events including Panhellenic open houses, which invite sorority alumni back into the house on Sorority Row and the Lottie Jane Mabee Hall Reunion that invited all past and current residents. In welcoming home past students, parents and faculty, the university was packed and buzzing with activity providing the campus community with a busy schedule and a very necessary refuge from midterms.
