Homecoming 2012 Summary
Overview Homecoming is an annual tradition hosted by Florida State University during the fall semester to welcome the alumnus back to the campus, as well as foster a sense of school spirit among students. The event offers a variety of programs that attracts a diverse crowd of students. This year’s homecoming took place Sunday, October 21 through Saturday, October 27 under the theme ‘It’s a Seminole Thing.’ FSU Homecoming is a collaboration between students, staff, faculty, and alumni. This summary focuses on the Student Government Association (SGA) sponsored activities. The Student Activities Center directly advises the Homecoming Executive Council, which coordinates these events. Homecoming Council The 2012 Homecoming Council consisted of 22 students and 2 advisors. The student committee included a Director, an Assistant Director, and Coordinators for events, marketing, and student groups. The Pow Wow Director, Pow Wow Assistant Director, and Student Alumni Association Director of Parade/Chief and Princess were also included as members of the Homecoming Executive Council, providing for increased collaboration between all groups. The Student Body President appointed the Overall Homecoming Director and the Assistant Director. Additional committee members and volunteers were selected in the spring semester prior to Homecoming. Homecoming Events Torch Pursuit Renegade Recess SAA Flag Football Tournament FSU Cares 5K Walk/ Run Warchant Concert ft. T.I. Faculty and Staff Reception Odds and Evens Volleyball Tournament Skit Night Seminole Festival
Seminole Showdown Spear-It Night Homecoming Parade Clock & Seal Pow Wow ft. Kathy Griffin The Alumni Association’s Homecoming Award Breakfast Jimbo’s True Seminole Tailgate All-College Alumni Tailgate
Attendance Figures Event
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Warchant Concert
3500
4000
3500
9000
2500
12000
Spear-It Night/Big Fan on Campus
1200
1200
1200
1000
1000
950
Skit Night
1300
1000
1200
1000
1100
1500
Faculty and Staff Reception
N/A
N/A
250
200
50
150
Seminole Festival
N/A
N/A
2000
2500
2500
3000
Seminole Showdown
N/A
N/A
N/A
100
200
170
Renegade Recess
800
185
150
200
200
250
Pow Wow Jimbo's True Seminole Tailgate
5667 N/A
4387 N/A
4789 200
2802 350
5385 750
6500 424
Evaluation In order to receive feedback from students participating in Homecoming, a short survey was distributed during Seminole Festival and the Homecoming Parade. Almost all respondents (94%) enjoyed the Homecoming events that they attended Most respondents were Caucasian (49%), female (75%), and freshmen and sophomore students (27% and 24%) A majority of the respondents resided off-campus (61%) Most respondents heard about Homecoming events through means other than those listed (26%), flyers or posters (17%), the website or Facebook page (15%), banners (12%), or promotional items/t-shirts (11%) The top three reasons respondents attended Homecoming events were: they wanted to enjoy the event (21%), support school spirit events (20%), or were hungry and wanted cheap food (18%) Each year, an online survey is distributed across campus to gather feedback from participants. Below are the highlights from the survey. A majority of respondents attended Homecoming (93%) Most respondents were Caucasian (72%), female (74%), Greek (69%), and sophomore and junior students (27% each) A majority of the survey participants resided off campus (64%) The top three ways students heard about Homecoming were: Friends/Word of Mouth (77%), Facebook (77%), and Flyer/Posters/Table Tents (67%) (Students were allowed to choose more than one choice) Most participants chose to participate in the Homecoming events in order to enjoy the events (78%) or support school spirit (72%) 63% of respondents voted during the Homecoming Chief and Princess elections, a 4% increase from last year’s elections Most respondents agreed that Homecoming events provide an opportunity to meet new people and socialize (90%) Most participants were not involved in Homecoming as a member of a student group (46%) The most popular events were Pow Wow (17.5%), the Homecoming Parade (9.6%) and the Homecoming game (7.5%) 78% of participants attended the FSU v. Duke Football game