By Emma Weidmann | Staff Writer
Homecoming events are more fun than Diadeloso events. There, I said it.
Before you write me off immediately, consider the events you went to on Dia. You probably went to none of them. You may have been sleeping in, cherishing a random Tuesday off — that is, one that won’t negatively affect your attendance. You may have been spending your time with friends off campus on your day off from classes.
Did you miss goat yoga? How about the ferris wheel and the slides? Were you one of the few people on Fountain Mall listening to Apollo LTD? I bet not.
However, you can expect to see hundreds, if not thousands, of students crowd Fountain Mall to watch the bonfire, hear the Golden Wave Band play and flock over to the Bill Daniel Student Center to watch the Stroll-Off.
Students actually care about the on-campus festivities held during homecoming. However, when it comes to Dia, the low turnout makes the whole event a pretty depressing ordeal, if you ask me. Fountain Mall is more crowded between classes than it is on Dia.
On the “Day of the Bear,” campus lacks an alarming amount of school spirit. Where are all the Bears, you ask? I’ll leave that to your imagination.
This phenomenon is partly due to the fact that people use their day off to either rot in their dorm rooms or apartments or do something fun with their time off campus. However, homecoming falls on a weekend like any other. Classes are in session, responsibilities persist and students still find the time to come out and show their school spirit.
Homecoming is also spread across an entire week, with events beginning on the Monday of homecoming week that keep the excitement and school spirit going for much longer than just one Tuesday.
With a bonfire, a parade, a football game and more, there’s simply more to enjoy during homecoming than on Dia.
To be clear, I wouldn’t trade Dia for anything.
If you asked me if I’d rather go to homecoming events or take a day off, I’d take my free Tuesday any time.
But I believe homecoming inspires a lot more feelings of warm fuzziness for the university than Dia does, with zero risk of sunburn and a whole lot less sweaty grossness.
So, when you’re watching the parade go by or staring into the bonfire this homecoming, enjoy the cooler temperatures and just think about how this spring you’ll probably be spending your time stressed about finals, procrastinating your homework and running to CVS for aloe vera gel.
