Fabienne Fleurantin/ Staff Writer
Mysterious videos teasers on Instagram, contests held of battling DJ’s, and a final reveal of the musical lineup in the GC pit all lead to one thing — Homecoming week.
The heavily promoted and highly anticipated FIU tradition is back and many students are excited about all the events. Each campus has added their own flair with hosting an event on their campus by bringing culture, music and of course, fun to each activity.
The Biscayne Bay campus hosted events like the Cirque de Nuit at the Panther Plaza and the LXV Lounge: Halloween Town, a masquerade dance where students dressed in semi formal attire and indulged in amazing food, giveaways and performances in the WUC Ballrooms.
Coming up on Nov. 3, BBC will host Caribbean Fest at the WUC Ballrooms 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. where Panthers can experience Caribbean culture through music, dance, food and so much more.
There is also Unleash the Crown: Court Pageant, which will be hosted at MMC where the King and Queen of homecoming will be chosen.
All that Panther Pride will come to an end on Nov. 4, where the Parade will celebrate all of the week’s events, followed by the Homecoming game at 7 p.m.
However, with all of these events lined up and ready to go, not every event is tailored to the interests of every student.
In a recent poll, 41 percent of students said they would attend homecoming events, while 59 percent said they would not. However, while nearly 29 percent of students preferred MMC events, about 39 percent of students think the events at BBC are better.
The issue is mostly likely due to the fact that most students cannot make it to events because of distance, school, lack of interest or not being their type of scene.
“I’ve never been to the homecoming events on the BBC campus, but the ones I have attended at MMC have always been fun because I lived on campus at the time and would go to the events with friends,” senior journalism major Janel Rizzo, said.
Rizzo also mentioned that distance plays a huge factor in whether she can attend events on either campus or not. “I don’t go to BBC homecoming events because I don’t live in the area and it is a far drive,” Rizzo said.
Junior English major, Melanie Suarez, echoed the same sentiments as Rizzo. However, she is interested in attending Homecoming events at either campus, if only she had time.
“I wanted to go the Homecoming dance they had at BBC and the Panthermonium concert,” Suarez said. “I haven’t been able to because I work until 2:30 p.m. and I have class at 6 p.m. It’s 40 minute drive from my house. I don’t have enough time to shower and eat and come here.”
While the Homecoming Council does a great job of promoting and creating events for students and keeping them engaged with Panther Pride, the reality is that many students cannot make it to these events because of their prior commitments.
Many students are focused on school and work, making it difficult for them to have a semblance of a social life. Distance always is an issue because many people don’t want to drive that far if they think the event is not worth the travel.
However, it’s important for students to take a break for midterms and all the craziness that is college, and relax with attending the events they have available to them. They have many activities to choose from and it gives students a chance to forget about all the deadlines and stress that come with exams.
So, I stress that if you do get a chance, come out and enjoy one of the many homecoming events taking place at either campus this week.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo taken from Flickr.
