IU is celebrating homecoming this week, a longstanding tradition that first appeared 117 years ago.
The homecoming court, which comprises IU undergraduates involved in the campus and philanthropy, was once a beauty contest that can be traced back to the 1940s. In 1968, the tradition of having a homecoming queen was suspended after five Black students filed a complaint stating that they weren’t selected for the court because of their race.
Former IU President Herman B Wells suspended the elections after an investigation concluded that the judging criteria was a form of institutionalized racism. In 1978, the competition was reinstated to provide outstanding students with scholarships and recognition.
This year, there are 12 members of the homecoming court, and the two winners will be announced on the field at Saturday’s football game against Michigan State. Each winner will receive a $500 scholarship.
In recent years, there have been around 100 applicants annually for the homecoming court. After around 12 members are selected, they are interviewed ahead of homecoming week by a panel of judges that includes alumni. Ally Wolfgang, president of the Student Alumni Association and chair of the SAA’s homecoming steering committee, said these interviews account for the majority of how the court’s winners are decided.
Over the years, students have joined the court for various reasons. In 2014 interviews with the IDS, court nominees cited leadership, involvement, giving back and suggestions from peers and professors as reasons they decided to apply for homecoming court.
Members of the court will participate in this week’s various events. On Monday and Tuesday, the Student Alumni Association hosted a blood drive at the IMU that the court attended.
Another event the court participated in was Paint the Town Crimson, a collaboration with downtown businesses that allowed students to paint their windows on Oct. 12. Each member of the court gets to paint the window of a local business.
“Throughout the week, they get to do a whole lot of stuff, so the blood drive, and then Ride or Dye, the IUSF Trike Race, all sorts of stuff like that, they help out throughout the week,” Wolfgang said.
When Wolfgang first joined the SAA, the blood drive was a one-day event, but after its success last year, it expanded this year to last two days. Other events, such as the IU Student Foundation’s trike race, are meant to promote student spirit.
“We can see people from all over the campus, all over the community, all in this parade in the same place,” Wolfgang said.
