Teams compete to have best float

Homecoming at the university level is a bit different than in high school. For one, there is no dance, but at 5:30 p.m. Friday, parade spectators will see one tradition live on -- the floats.\nOrganized by the Student Alumni Association, the 48th annual homecoming parade will run west on Third Street and north up Indiana Avenue to its Sample Gates destination. The parade will consist of approximately 80 entries, ranging from the Marching Hundred to various student organizations and local businesses.\nSondra Inman, director of student programs for the Alumni Association, is anticipating maybe 10 or so floats, as many organizations struggle to find flat bed trucks. \n"There will be a handful of floats, but not a ton," Inman said. \nVarious student organizations involved with homecoming floats may include members of the greek community, Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Habitat for Humanity and the Black Student Union. Each float, as well as other parade entries, is judged by a three-person panel of IU faculty members. \nThe Craftsmanship Award is the only float-specific honor and is given to the best overall float. Floats are also eligible for the Cream and Crimson Award, given to the entry with the best use of the homecoming theme. Winners of these competitions will receive first place points, which will go toward the particular organization's overall homecoming point total. \nLast year, the Black Student Union won the Grand Champion Award. \nSenior D'Anna Wade, president of the BSU, said while it did not win the Craftsmanship Award last year, she is confident in its chances in 2006. \n"We're going to win this year," she said. "We are definitely looking for the win -- the big 'W.'"\nWhile some organizations scramble at the last minute to get their floats built, the BSU started planning far in advance this year. More than two weeks in advance, the Union had its design drawn out and ready to execute. Wade said she anticipated the float would take anywhere from 12 to 18 hours to construct. "I'm just guessing," Wade said, "but (I know) there is a lot to be done."\nAnother organization that will have a float is the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center. Not only did it incorporate the "Glory Days" theme, but it also took on the challenge of including an aspect of its project relating to Hillel. The group's float building was headed by Evan Remer, a University of Texas at Austin graduate, who serves as Hillel's Jewish campus service corps fellow. \n"We didn't have a homecoming at Texas, so I am looking forward to participating in homecoming," Remer said. "It's a good way to show support for IU and share your school spirit." \nWhile many student organizations compete against one another in hopes of earning an awards, the homecoming festivities are about joining as one to represent the cream and crimson. \n"The homecoming parade is a wonderful event for the Student Alumni Association to bring together students, alumni and the community in support of a University tradition and (to) celebrate Hoosier football," Inman said.