A day in the life of a homecoming committee member

Cassie Buchman, Staff Reporter

Homecoming Week is hectic for many students, but maybe even more so for the students working on the Homecoming committee

Shona Coleman, a sophomore history major who works on the committee, helps plan several of the Homecoming events for the community.

It is Coleman’s job to organize activities such as the Family Fun Night and “Blue-B-Que,” as well as assist with other Homecoming events. She also deals with budgeting for these activities.

She said on the whole, it is a fairly easy job except for “little difficulties and hiccups in organization.”

These hiccups include the time when some of the orders did not come in as they were supposed to, and when the office hours got mixed up.

Despite these inconveniences, Coleman said the work was worth the payoff in the end.

“(There is) a really good community here,” Coleman said. “Everyone has different personalities and different skills they bring to the table.”

She said she is also glad she got to be on the other side of Homecoming.

“I didn’t get to go to many Homecoming events last year, and it is interesting being on the other side of the fence when you’re planning things and making things work as well,” she said.

This is Coleman’s first year on the committee. She joined after some friends suggested her personality and attitude would be great for a position on it.

“You have to be a positive person,” Coleman said. “There are times when this job is stressful, and you need to remind yourself that you are doing this for other people.”

She said it was also important to be good with people, as everything done in the committee is a group effort.

Because of her work on the Homecoming committee, Coleman has met many knew people.

“I know a lot more people now,” she said. “I have gotten to know the Homecoming committee, the University Board people. It has been great to be able to work with many different people.”

There were things that surprised and excited her about her new job, especially because it was her first year on the campus.

One thing she said surprised her was how much work it ended up being.

“It is a lot of work, and planning,” Coleman said. “When you go to events, you only think it takes an hour (to set things up). It’s good to be a part of the job and learn how much work people from past years have put into it.”

Part of Coleman’s responsibility involves cleaning up the back room where all the things from Homecoming are kept.

“It’s always fun organizing the back room,” she said. “There are always so many things that pop up from past years.”

She said these pieces of memorabilia are “a good reminder of how successful Homecoming has been in past years.”

She said looks forward to an equally successful Homecoming this year.

“People should get excited for Homecoming,” she said. “It’s going to be a great year.”

Cassie Buchman can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].