'Lights, camera, action'

There is more to IU Homecoming week than getting nearly naked.

Though the Nearly Naked Mile, now in its fifth year, has become a popular tradition, the IU Student Alumni Association wants to remind everyone that homecoming festivities have plenty more to offer.

This year brings an unexpected change, since the IU Alumni Association decided not to have the homecoming parade, opting to put on a free concert instead.

The 2012 theme “Lights, Camera, Action!” ushers in three new events and four alumni from the entertainment industry.

“We want to up the wow factor to the events,” said Kara Brooner, IUSAA vice president of Homecoming.

Brooner and her team of directors have been working since spring to put together this year’s lineup, organizing everything from the Nearly Naked Mile after-party to the number of trashcans needed on Seventh Street during the concert.

By channeling the glamorous theme, IUSAA’s goal is to increase Homecoming awareness and maintain consistent interest in all events, not just the better-known ones, she said.

“A lot of people think the Nearly Naked Mile is its own entity, but it’s kind of the kickoff to Homecoming week,” Brooner said. “We want to continue that spirit throughout the week.”

This initiative began with “Paint the Town Crimson” on Sept. 30, a new event in which participating student organizations went to 15 local businesses to paint windows and decorate the town.

The IUSAA wants to involve more student organizations in homecoming in the future, hoping to raise spirit through collaboration.

Victoria Culver, graduate adviser for the IUSAA, served as the director for the event. She encouraged residence halls and fraternity and sorority houses to decorate their windows as well.

Following “Paint the Town,” the Nearly Naked Mile took place on Oct. 1. This fundraiser for United Way featured DJ Unique playing tunes before the race with laser lighting provided by Herm Productions.

After the mile, participants received special deals at Kilroy’s Bar N’ Grill, BuffaLouie’s, Campus Candy and Jimmy John’s.

Oct. 2 was Spirit Day, which underwent a minor makeover from last year. IUSAA members drove around on golf carts handing out IU swag as usual, but they also set up spirit stations outside Ballantine Hall, the Arboretum and the Neal-Marshall Education Center.

“We’re just hoping to get people excited for Homecoming and hoping to build off the energy from the Nearly Naked Mile,” Spirit Day Director Carlin Way said.

Way was also in charge of the Spirit Day Blood Drive, another Oct. 2 event. To make it more convenient for donors, the blood drive added a mobile unit outside Ballantine Hall in addition to its main location at the DeVault Alumni Center, offering multiple opportunities for students to literally bleed crimson.

The day’s events wrapped up with another new event called Ultimate Hoosier. This scavenger hunt began in Dunn Meadow and was presented by the IU Student Foundation.

Students formed teams of five members and paid a $50 registration fee. Half of the proceeds went to IU scholarships and the other half to the winning team for the charity of their choice.

George Thomas, a member of IUSF’s philanthropy steering committee, believes the cause will motivate people to get involved.

“It’s so student-focused,” he said. “We give it back to the students.”

Oct. 3 featured IU’s Got Talent, a tradition that began last year in place of Yell Like Hell.
The showcase used to be more focused on spirit and skits but has transformed into a much broader mix of performances.

Kate Swanson, one of the event’s directors, played a key role in making the show more worthy of this year’s theme. Previously performed in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union, IU’s Got Talent is now in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

“We have a real venue with a stage and tech crew,” Swanson said prior to the event. “It’s gonna be completely the bomb.”

The heart of the “Lights, Camera, Action!” theme took place on Oct. 3., when four alumni spoke to students about their experiences in showbiz at an alumni panel.

Actress Angelique Cabral, Jace Lipstein of the Grungy Gentleman online company, Vice President of New Line Cinema David Neustadter and Big Ten Network Correspondent Larra Overton were on the panel.

Finally, Oct. 5 shakes things up with a concert presenting South Jordan, a band originally from Bloomington.

Faced with the challenge of finding a suitable replacement for the Homecoming parade, Brooner and Mike Hammersley, director of the concert, aimed to make this event more of a homecoming festival.

Along with the concert, IUSAA is having food trucks and vendors along Seventh Street during the show.

Though IUAA says there might still be a parade in the future, Brooner is open to the idea of a Friday night concert next year, perhaps with a major artist.

Hammersley acknowledged that South Jordan “isn’t glitzy” like the theme.

“We’re bringing back more traditional stuff because they’re from Bloomington,” he said.

Homecoming week comes to a close with a familiar tradition, the IUAA-sponsored tailgate before the IU vs. Michigan State football game.

While the tailgate and the Nearly Naked Mile anchor both ends of the week, Brooner and company hope students and alumni don’t forget what’s in between.

Homecoming 2012 might recall some old favorites, but there are changes and fresh opportunities for the IU community to show its spirit.

“Homecoming brings people together,” Hammersley said. “I think it’s a great thing for our campus.”