UTRGV is celebrating its second annual Homecoming Week through Saturday. The week began last Thursday with a series of activities planned by a collaboration of school programs and organizations.
Homecoming is a tradition that many educational institutions in the United States celebrate. The campus community and alumni show their school pride and spirit.
Since the university only opened in Fall 2015, there aren’t alumni from 10 or 15 years ago to visit the university except for those of legacy institutions UT Brownsville and UT Pan American. Former coaches, students, faculty and staff are invited to join in the fun.
“It’s our second year, but we also have our extended alumni, which are UTPA and UT Brownsville student graduates, which are considered our alumni to some point,” said Janet Peña, who is part of the Homecoming Committee. “So, we invite everybody that has some type of connection to the university.”
The university will introduce a new tradition, the UTRGV Royals. There will be three UTRGV Royals, they must be role models that exhibit qualities, such as scholastic achievement, leadership, citizenship, character and emulate the spirit of the UTRGV community. The student body can vote on their favorite royal candidate on my.utrgv.edu. Voting began last Thursday and ends this Thursday.
“We want the students to get out there and feel that pride within the university,” said Louay Bachnak, president of the Campus Programming Board. “We used to be UTB and UTPA, but now we’re one university. We’re under one vision, one mission. We want students to have pride in being a Vaquero.”
There will be many activities and events happening throughout the week on both campuses.
Today, the Tip–Off Party runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Student Union lawn in Brownsville and at the University Circle in Edinburg. The event will feature UTRGV athletes and have free food, music and a lip sync battle of student organizations.
On the Edinburg campus, the Vaquero Olympics will run from 6 to 9 p.m. in the University Recreation Center. Teams of four to six members will compete in a variety of contests. The same event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Casa Bella student housing complex in Brownsville.
Student organizations are invited to participate in Can-Struction, a food drive benefitting the UTRGV Food Pantry, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Student Union veranda in Brownsville and University Circle in Edinburg.
A DIY Swag Party, where students can make their own Vaquero spirit flag, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Student Union lawn in Brownsville and the Chapel lawn in Edinburg.
The campus community is invited to root for its favorite college as deans across campus battle it out in the halftime free-throw contest during the 7 p.m. UTRGV vs. Seattle University men’s basketball game in the Fieldhouse in Edinburg. The event is part of Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night. The college with the highest student attendance will be declared most spirited.
At 6 p.m. Friday, the university will host the grand opening of the new entry plaza to the UTRGV Baseball Stadium, named after legendary baseball Head Coach Emeritus Al Ogletree and his late wife of 62 years, Joann.
On Saturday, the 2017 Athletics Hall of Fame Induction takes place at 11 a.m. at the Baseball Stadium in Edinburg. The class includes the 1980-81 men’s basketball team, former men’s basketball player Kenneth “Apple” Green, former women’s basketball player Becky (Dube) Thomas, former baseball players Jack Ewing and Jim Proctor, and former women’s tennis player Ellen Nelissen.
The Homecoming Cook-off at the Tailgate Party will run from 3 to 6 p.m. in parking Lot F near the Fieldhouse in Edinburg. Student organizations and departments can enter the three categories of the cook-off: fajita, guacamole and elote. Students can taste and vote on what they think is the most delicious dish.
The Homecoming Tailgate takes place before the basketball game from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Fieldhouse parking lot in Edinburg. Students’ family members are invited to experience campus life.
All the events are hosted by collaborations of the Homecoming Committee, the Campus Programming Board, the Student Union, University Recreation, Athletics and Housing and Residential Life. For more information, call 665-2660.
