What Homecoming means to Penn students

At Penn, Homecoming weekend is more than just a day of football and fraternity tailgating. It represents a celebration of Penn pride for both current students and alumni. 

Traditionally, the Alumni Relations Committee plans a variety of events for those returning to their alma mater. Frederick Hoopes Wampler, Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations, said that the weekend is a celebration different from other class reunions and other planned events throughout the year. 

“The name says exactly what it is for alumni. It is especially noteworthy for them to comeback not during the spring for reunions, or over the summer for events,” he said. “To be able to come back when the leaves are falling, and our team is playing carries such a sense of nostalgia.”

In the past seven years, Alumni Relations has made an effort to expand Homecoming events in an effort to celebrate the arts as well.

“We have organized more events with the various galleries, museums, Kelly Writers House," Wampler said. "We also have a terrific band competition planned all to try to make the celebrations as diverse as possible."

The Alumni Relations Committee has dozens of events planned for alumni, with several organized specifically for the returning members of the Class of 2016, who are expected to come back to campus in large numbers. Even some current seniors are enthusiastic about returning after they graduate.

Wharton senior Gabrielle Pullia said she loves Homecoming because she believes it brings out Penn spirit across campus. She plans on returning for years to come.

“I one hundred percent plan on coming back next year to see everyone. I miss all of the seniors who graduated last year and can't wait for them to visit, so I know I’ll want to come back and see everyone when I'm in that position,” she said. “Plus I feel like it will be a good break from the real world — younger students should enjoy it while they can.”

For Engineering sophomore Jamie Tomlinson, a cheerleader, the football game is truly the center of the celebration.

“This is the game that all the students, families and alumni make sure to have marked on their calendars so they can join in on the toast throwing and singing of 'The Red and The Blue,'” she said. “As a cheerleader for Penn, I can say my team takes Homecoming very seriously because we lead the crowd in these traditions, which are so essential to the overall feel of Homecoming. We want these traditions to be perfect so that the alumni feel that they have never left and the students learn how to carry them on.”

One of the highlights of her first year at Penn was looking into the stands following the Quaker’s overtime victory over Princeton. 

“The best part of Homecoming is at the end of the game during the singing of 'The Red and the Blue', looking up from the field into the full stands, and watching the fans join in with the motions of the song. Last year at my first Homecoming, this was an absolutely surreal experience… for the first time, I felt unified with the entire Penn community. I hope it’s a moment I’ll relive for years to come.”