Meet the students behind Homecoming Week

For most students, a line in the Pit that wraps around the side of Lenoir Hall brings nothing but frustration. But for sophomore Miota Allen, it brought a smile to her face this week. 

“When I saw the long line for SweetWater Ice (Tuesday), it was just fulfilling because I’m like, ‘Oh, I'm the one that called them, I'm the one that texted them,’” Allen said. “So it's kind of like good to see (the line) out here.” 

Allen is a Pit Events co-chairperson for the UNC Homecoming Committee. This 12-person student organization is responsible for organizing the events surrounding Homecoming Weekend, which takes place at UNC from Nov. 2 through Nov. 4. 

UNC Homecoming Committee members’ tasks range from giving out free Insomnia Cookies in the Pit to handling applications for Mr. and Ms. UNC to promoting various events, like pumpkin painting and powderpuff football, on social media.  

Every Tuesday, the organization holds a general body meeting and the executive board, which consists of a president, vice president and chief-of-staff, meets Monday mornings as well. Outside of meetings, members are responsible for specific tasks related to their individual committees.

“Mostly I focus on getting events in the Pit, so things like getting Insomnia Cookies,” Allen said. “We play the role of getting vendors out here. I just mostly call vendors, email vendors, try to get everything situated, get anything supplies we need. We have to go to Franklin Street sometimes to talk to different people to see if they’d be interested in partnering with us and giving us some of their products.

While some members’ duties involve campus and community outreach, others, like Chief-of-Staff and Budget Manager Walli Driggers, do more behind-the-scenes work like taking meeting minutes and managing the budget.

With all the different aspects of Homecoming having to come together in such a short period of time, the tasks and responsibilities of UNC Homecoming Committee members can be daunting. For many members, Homecoming Committee is just one aspect of their campus involvement. 

“I work part-time at the Genetic Medicine Building, and I also volunteer in a psych research lab, so together those are like 15 hours a week," Driggers said. "So full-time student, part-time work and then I’m in the Homecoming Committee and I’m also a senior marshall and I am in Harmonyx a capella group. It's is not easy necessarily, but it’s all worked out.”

Despite the balancing act, Driggers and her fellow committee members said that witnessing students’ positive reactions to Homecoming events makes all the hard work worth it.

"My best friend saw my Homecoming t-shirt on my bed and was like, 'Oh, those t-shirts are so fire!'" Royalty Chair Calia Johnson said. "Stuff like that, where we really don't know how it'll be perceived by the public, ends up paying off because people actually it."

For marketing co-chairperson Savanna Kanu, Homecoming Committee offers an opportunity to play a key role in a tradition she had previously missed out on.

“I’m a sophomore, and I went to a high school that didn’t have a football team, so Homecoming wasn’t really a big thing at my school," Kanu said. "I thought this would be a great way to get the experience that I never really had in high school." 

In addition to seeing all their hard work come to fruition, Homecoming Committee members enjoy the experience of working with a close-knit team. 

“There's definitely a community feel to our committee, and definitely a culture of picking up where others can't and not sharing blame and not getting frustrated. Just making sure the work gets done regardless of who does it,” Vice President Taylor Doggett said. “We have a great sense of camaraderie. Everyone on the team is really high energy and really invested in making it a success.”

Whether they’re reaching out to local business owners for donations or diligently taking notes at committee meetings, for every member of UNC Homecoming Committee, the meaning behind homecoming holds a special place in their hearts. 

“It's a time for everybody to be together,” Allen said. “Everyone can join together and have fun because that’s what it’s about, having fun. That's why we have these events for people, so everyone can have fun."

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