Every year, hundreds of UW-Oshkosh alumni return to their alma mater for homecoming, and this year should prove to be no different.
The Reeve Union Board (RUB) and the Department of Alumni Relations work together each year to plan special homecoming events for all alumni.
According to Christine Gantner, alumni director, the amount of alumni who attended homecoming last year set a new record high. She is hoping to draw as big of a crowd this year.
“I have worked pretty closely with the student homecoming committee to plan various ways to bring students and alumni together,” Gantner said.
The planning committees have come up with a series of events, all of which will take place on Saturday. The alumni events include the Tour de Titan bike ride, a trolley tour of campus and a banquet at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.
Gantner is excited about the banquet at the wellness center because many alumni have not yet seen the new building.
“Our students have been enjoying it and using it for some time now, but a lot of people have never been inside it,” Gantner said. “When I go out on the road and talk to alumni in various communities about the changes that have occurred on campus, and I show them pictures of the new building, they are just blown away.”
On Saturday morning at the wellness center, there will be a continental breakfast open to alumni, students, staff and the community. Wellness center staff will also be giving tours of the building to interested alumni.
According to RUB Special Events Chair Danielle Vanschyndel, RUB wanted to do a banquet at the wellness center last year, but because the bridge was down, they were unable to.
“Transporting people back and forth would have been really hard,” Vanschyndel said.
The Tour de Titan will follow the banquet at the wellness center. According to Vanschyndel, anyone can sign up to participate.
The Tour de Titan bike ride is a 5.5-mile ride, starting at Pearl Street and ending at Tent City (south of the Oshkosh Sports Complex) for the pre-game celebration.
Gantner said that bikers who are interested in participating in the Tour de Titan may still register if they want to.
“We’ve encouraged advanced registration, however, we are also taking registration the day of the event,” Gantner said. “The doors will be open at 8:30 a.m. and the ride starts at 10 a.m., which will allow people to register that morning.”
Since the bike ride ends at Tent City, participants will be able to enjoy the festivities of the pre-game celebration before the kickoff of the homecoming football game against Stevens Point.
“What’s really great about Tent City this year is that many of the student organizations will be present there,” Gantner said. “I think that’s just going to be a great synergy between alumni, students, faculty, staff and the community.”
Gantner looks forward to having the community come out and get involved with the events.
“Its very family-friendly at Tent City and at the (wellness center),” Gantner said, “In both places, there will be clowns doing balloon animals and face painting, the Titan Pep Band will be there, and there will be a lot of carnival games for kids to play.”
Both the Department of Alumni Relations and the RUB Special Events Committee are expecting a good turn out from the community for this year’s homecoming game and pre-game events.
In addition to the wellness center banquet, Tour de Titan and Tent City, there are a number of other events going on around campus on Saturday for alumni to participate in.
From 9 to 10:30 a.m., there will be a Historical Photo Exhibit in the Pollock Alumni House and there will be campus trolley tours, departing from the wellness center.
There will be tours of Nelson, Breese and Clemans halls from 9 to 11 a.m., where alumni will get one last chance to tour the dorms before they are demolished.
From 10 a.m. to noon, there is a geology alumni reception in Harrington Hall, where refreshments will be provided.
The Department of Alumni Relations looks forward to Saturday’s events and hopes that the record high attendance from last year will be beaten this year.
“We are really excited about homecoming this year,” Gantner said. “It will have a very celebratory atmosphere.”
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