It’s Homecoming week, and SMU knows just how to kick it off. Every year, Student Foundation hosts a massive pep rally in Moody Coliseum to prep students to vote for their Homecoming candidates, and it sure is a site to see. Sororities and fraternities battle it out to see who can have the most spirit and cheer the loudest. Residence commons send in their representatives who can yell with the best of ’em. Candidates from each organization attempt to answer slightly themed questions on the spot. Winners from the crafting and field day contests from the week before are announced. It’s all a specifically curated type of mayhem. We don’t know yet who will win Homecoming King and Queen, but one thing is for certain: SMU certainly Rocked the Vote.
The event was led by Masters of Ceremony, Nathan Devera, who you might recognize as our Student Senate President, and Christina Gilchrest, who has served as Student Foundation’s Homecoming Chair in the past.
Alpha Chi Omega brought Christmas to Halloween season as they rocked their red and green alongside Beta Upsilon Chi. They rooted for candidates Grant Hibbard and Ashley Marshall.
Chi Omega is known for having some serious spirit, and this year was no exception. With partner Beta Theta Pi, they brought home second place in the Peruna and first place for the banner. Their candidates are Michelle Campbell and Raj Suppiah.
Delta Delta Delta partnered with Sigma Chi, their hard work winning them third place in the banner competition and tying with Theta for third place in the Peruna competition. They wore their usual blue and gold, supporting candidates Kathryn Curtis and Evan Webb.
Delta Gamma and Alpha Epsilon Pi cheered for candidates SJ Fiala and Benjamin Kaye along with a Delta Dinosaur. They won first place in the field day competition.
The Gamma Phi Beta goddesses and the Kappa Sigma kings really leaned into their theme of ancient Greece with the ladies in laurels and the gentlemen in togas. That amount of spirit obviously worked for them, as they were one of the organizations honored for having the most spirit at field day. They supported candidates Melissa Chambers and Matthew Flinchbaugh.
The cats of Kappa Alpha Theta donned their signature feline ears and banded together with Phi Delta Theta. They tied with Tri Delta, taking home third place in the Peruna competition. Their candidates are Andrea Adler and Jordy Moix.
Kappa Kappa Gamma and Sigma Alpha Epsilon sported blue on blue, scoring second place in the banner competition and third place in field day. They cheered for candidates David Gans and Aubry Hinners.
Pi Beta Phi shouted “West is Best” as they supported candidate Margaret West and their partner Mac Andrews of Phi Gamma Delta, who was one of the best dressed of the candidates in his blue plaid suit jacket. They wore their signature halos and got into the angel spirit.
Of course it is not all about srats and frats at Rock the Vote. Other candidates, like Averie Bishop for Embrey Human Rights, pictured above, strutted their stuff and showed their talents on the court. We can’t forget about Christopher Washington and Cecily Cox from the Association of Black Students, who had quite an impressive showing from their organization. Neither of these groups have participated in Homecoming in the past few years, so it was very exciting to see them show off their skills at Moody.
The residential commons brought their candidates too, who have often lived in all their years of college, sometimes even serving as Resident Assistants. SMU switched to a commons system a few years back, hoping to bring a spirit of unity and cohesion to the dorms, and they certainly did that. Every year, different commons from all over campus participate, and some, like Crum Commons and Boaz commons, even bring home prizes in the Homecoming competitions. Boaz won second place in field Day, and Crum won first place for their Peruna. Anthony Chartier and Courtney Schumacher represent for Boaz commons. Samantha Sabour and Ben Horton represent for Virginia-Snider. Momin Irfan, our resident meme king, along with Kristin Hodges represented for Armstrong and Loyd.