Penn holds Homecoming tailgate for students, alumni to celebrate 175 years of Greek life

The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life celebrated Homecoming on Nov. 16 with a tailgate at Penn Park. 

The event was designed to bring together students, alumni, and the Penn community broadly to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Greek life at the University. OFSL and University Life staff, student leaders, and volunteers collaborated to host the tailgate, which included a live DJ performance, food from local vendors, and interactive chapter showcases. 

An OFSL representative wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the tailgate had over 300 attendees, exceeding their expectations and “serving as a testament to the strength and pride of our fraternity and sorority community.”

"The turnout and engagement from both students and alumni underscored the importance of events like this in maintaining and building our vibrant Penn Fraternity and Sorority community," the OFSL representative wrote.

The tailgate took place amid changes to the schedule of Penn's Homecoming activities. This year, in accordance with Major Weekend protocols posted over the summer, the registration of student group events on Nov. 16 was limited to the evening to avoid overlapping with the University's official Homecoming activities during the day. The restriction sparked frustration among students, with some accusing Penn of establishing the limitation in order to increase attendance at the University-sponsored tailgate. Other students said they understood the change as an effort to promote school spirit.  

The event began at noon and was free for all Penn students, with a general admission fee for alumni. 

Engineering junior and Penn Panhellenic Executive Board President Kaitlin Mrksich, who briefly attended the tailgate, said that the event was "chill." 

“They had a lot of food, a bar, and people playing games and stuff," she said. "It was nice to get a hot dog in the middle of the day."

Mrksich cited the tailgate’s “out of the way" location at Penn Park as a reason why the event might not have been "super crowded." 

Engineering junior Vicky Zolotar also attributed the low attendance she observed in part to the tailgate's location, which she said was “just really far away from everything.” 

She said that compared to previous years, Homecoming felt “weird” to her. 

“Normally [Homecoming] is people walking around in all their Homecoming gear, all dressed up and running around, but this year there was just none of that. It was sad to see, especially for all the freshmen,” Zolotar said. “It’s one of the few events on campus that actually brings everyone together. There’s this culture of ‘we all go to the same school, let's all hang out together,’ and there was definitely less of that this year.” 

Some students said they enjoyed the day despite the changes to Homecoming traditions. For College first year Megan Chan, attending her first Penn Homecoming was a positive experience.

“My Homecoming experience was still eventful. I got to spend time with my friends and meet new people while still having fun, despite there being a shortage of parties that would normally occur each year for Homecoming at Penn,” Chan said.

Reflecting on the broader campus reaction, Mrksich noted that many students still engaged with the day’s activities.

“I think it's hard to characterize the entire campus response, but it seems to me that more people went to the football game and a lot of people on campus were still participating in Homecoming,” Mrksich said.