The homecoming steering committee hosted “Homecoming Quad Party” at EIU Library Quad on Wednesday as part of a weeklong series of events welcoming back Eastern alums.  

The event was held from 3-6 p.m. and featured a rock-climbing wall, food trucks, mini golf and inflatables. The event was previously held in the evening at the back of O’Brien Field, but organizers decided in 2023 that moving to the Library Quad could help attract more visitors, according to Office of Leadership and Engagement Director Ceci Brinker.  

There were about 200 to 300 people in attendance at last year’s event, Brinker said.  

Homecoming committee member and senior engineering technology major Eugene Tanner said that he incorporated student feedback into this year’s event.  

“I feel like Eastern was missing a lot of fun and amusement, so I brought different things to EIU this year. Different food trucks, different inflatables. I gave EIU what the people asked,” Tanner said. “I feel like soon, with the help of different people with different ideas, we could probably bring something a little better than just a quad party. We could probably get EIU some live entertainment in the near future.” 

Fellow committee member and first year graduate assistant Ria Holley said that they are always trying to get new stuff to get people more engaged every year. 

“We always try to find stuff that’s trending. And so, we always try to stay relevant to the media,” Holley said. 

She also said that they want people to feel safe when having fun at Eastern and to have an open mind when hanging out with new people.  

“When they come out here, I just want them to be open-minded. I want them to interact with all kinds of different people, no matter where you come from, no matter how you grew up. You know, everybody has similarities regardless of our differences. And so, I just want people to come out, and you may be on the shy side, but, you know, open up a little bit. You never know what opportunities await,” Holley said. 

Mikey Collman is another member of the homecoming committee and a sophomore nutrition sciences major.  

He said that the new additions to this year’s quad party will hopefully increase turnout at the event.  

“We had a great turnout for our quad party last year, which is the entire reason why we wanted to do it again. It is honestly such a good spot. It’s about the right time when classes are going out. People are leaving the North Quad and the South Quad, and we’re just right in between,” said Collman.  

He said that rock climbing and the obstacle course have been major hits.  

Mike Browne, a junior in finance, was in attendance at the event. He said that the party was a great idea for getting students like him out and doing things on campus. 

“Because I was just walking back with a buddy from math class. I saw all you guys out here, so I just met up with a couple of friends, and here we are,” Browne said.  

Wissam, a freshman majoring in computer science, said that the event was an exciting way for him to meet people and feel involved at Eastern. 

“This is a pretty good event for me as well because I get to meet a lot of new people…,” Wissam said.

Rob Crownson can be reached at 581-2812 or at rjcrownson@eiu.edu.