No Homecoming Parade This Year
Video by Kimberly Leoffler and sromero
USC's annual Homecoming Parade will not be taking place this year due to a general lack of interest in the event, Undergraduate Student Government (USG) officials said on Tuesday.
Although it is still not clear exactly as to why there is a lack of interest, there has been some speculation.
USC's Greek houses have typically been the main participants in Homecoming; traditionally, they pair up and participate in spirited events for the occasion. Recently, many of these events have been under investigation due to reports of hazing and other illegal activities, but officials say that the decision to forego the tradition is not related.
"This year [the Office of Campus Activity] reached out to a lot of the Greek community and leaders, which are usually some of the bigger participants in the events. And there [weren't] really a lot of responses," said Logan Burkhead, Greek Senator for USG. "They sort of recognized the years' past [homecoming events] and there wasn’t a lot of participation in those events."
According to Burkhead, the Office of Campus Activity has begun planning programming for Thursday night on McCarthy Quad. The event will include several activities and attractions students can enjoy, such as a bicycle-powered stage with DJs performing, bungee cords and food trucks.
This new concept for Homecoming was inspired by USG and the Office of Campus Activity, who wanted to "rebrand" homecoming so that it would be a more inclusive schoolwide event.
"I think it will give more of a chance for people to interact beyond just the sort of organizations they're a part of. Everybody can participate in this; it's not something that anybody will feel excluded from or feel like they can't participate in. So I think it's an improvement," said Burkhead.
