Homecoming at a glance

Homecoming and Family Weekend brought visitors from all parts of the USD community to campus

Celina Tebor | Feature Editor | USD Vista

Every fall, the University of San Diego is overtaken by a burst of school spirit. Students, alumni, and parents congregate on campus for the Big Blue Bash concert, free food, carnival rides, and other homecoming weekend activities. Most students at USD are informed about Homecoming and Family Weekend, but few might know the behind-the-scenes process to put it together.

Homecoming and Family Weekend is created with the help of Torero Program Board (TPB) and Associated Students (AS). Pitrina Gilger, Vice Chair of Special Events, said that the process of bringing homecoming together is a long and extensive one.

“[Planning] homecoming weekend starts right away when the new team comes together,” Gilger said. “The new team came together in May of last year.”

School administration does have input in terms of the events during homecoming, but a new approval process allowed for more freedom for TPB and AS.

“Everything still needs to get approved by our advisors and administrators higher up than us, so they are involved in the whole process,” Gilger said.

Junior Maureen Cobile’s family attended Homecoming and Family Weekend when she was a first-year, and she stated her appreciation for the weekend while she was still adjusting to the college lifestyle.

“Two years ago, being a freshman and missing my family, it was nice to have them here to experience what I get to experience,” Cobile said. 

This year, Cobile’s parents did not attend homecoming weekend, but she still attended the events during the weekend.

Sophomore Michael Apostol questioned the necessity of the weekend being catered to parents visiting their children.

“Why does there have to be a special weekend just for [parents visiting their children]?” Apostol said. “They can come visit whenever they want.”

Gilger said it was important for homecoming weekend to occur, as it brought the USD community together.

“It’s definitely important that we push that community aspect of the whole weekend,” Gilger said. “By incorporating events like a tailgate and a concert, it really brings people all together in one place rather than have them come to campus and kind of being on their own.”

The weekend was not only catered to parents, however. There were  more than  20 alumni reunions over  the weekend, ranging from sports reunions to the ‘Golden Torero’ reunion for alumni who graduated over 50 years ago.

Cobile was impressed by the number of alumni she saw during the weekend.

“I saw some alumni doing the Amazing Torero Race,” Cobile said. “It was great that they love USD so much that they’re always willing to come back.”

One of the biggest events of homecoming weekend was the Big Blue Bash, a concert and festival put on by TPB. This year, Matt Fairorth, Jawara Mills (UNKWN), Sage the Gemini, and B.o.B performed.

One of Apostol’s favorite parts of the weekend was the Big Blue Bash concert.

“The concert was great, the food was great, and the rides were questionable,” Apostol said. 

While Apostol thought the performance by Sage the Gemini and B.o.B was much better than last year’s concert, he noticed that there was less emphasis on other parts of the Big Blue Bash.

“I thought the rides and food were worse,” Apostol said. “The quality was still there, but there was just less of it.”

Cobile noticed that the spirit seemed increased compared to homecoming in previous years.

“The singers were really cool in the concert,” Cobile said. “I really think there was good attendance this year, so it got everyone involved.”

While the artists who performed at the Big Blue Bash seemed catered toward students, TPB wanted to ensure all visitors during the weekend were included in the festivities.

“We keep the whole family in mind,” Gilger said. “Because we want to have everyone have fun at the event.”

Homecoming weekend was a success in the eyes of Gilger.

“I think this year we had the biggest turnout we’ve ever had, which I think is really nice because it reflects the time period and amount of work we put in,” Gilger said. “We really kept the student body in mind in wanting everyone to have a good time, and the number of people who showed up really reflects that.“

Over the course of the weekend, hundreds of visitors came to visit campus and participate in USD’s school pride. From alumni reunions to the football tailgate, the community came together to celebrate their university spirit.