Homecoming 2013 Summary
Homecoming Overview: Homecoming Week at Florida State University is a weeklong series of events planned for the student body and alumni to celebrate their connection to the institution. 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. The week takes place during the fall semester each year. Homecoming 2013 took place from Sunday, November 10 through Saturday, November 16 under the theme, “A Legendary Spirit.” The Student Government Association (SGA) at Florida State University Homecoming Executive Council sponsors all Homecoming events in coordination with the Student Activities Center, the Alumni Association, the Student Alumni Association and the entire university community. Homecoming Planning Committee and Campus and Community Partners: The Student Activities Center directly advises the Homecoming Executive Council, which coordinates these events. The Homecoming Executive Council, a committee consisting of 22 students and two advisors, oversee the planning of several Homecoming events during the week. The student committee includes an overall director and assistant director, the director and assistant director of Pow Wow, the director and assistant director of Parade and Chief and Princess, and a coordinator for each event, marketing, student groups, and more. The Student Body President appoints the Overall Homecoming Director and Assistant Director. Additional committee members are selected in the spring semester by a committee comprised of the Overall Director and Assistant Director, SGA appointees, and Homecoming advisor(s). The schedule of events for Homecoming 2013 was planned by the Homecoming Executive Council and added to the Overall Official Homecoming Calendar by the All-University Homecoming Committee. Selection of events and scheduling took into account assessment information and feedback from the 2012 Executive Council. The following are campus and community partners for the week: • Florida State University Alumni Association • Florida State University Student Alumni Association • Florida State University Student Government Association • Florida State University Athletics • Florida State University Campus Recreation, Intramural Sports • Florida State University College of Music • Florida State University Dean of Students Food Pantry • Donald L. Tucker Civic Center • FSU Cares • Student Activities Center • Seminoles.com (Seminole IMG Sports Marketing) • Boys and Girls Club of Tallahassee • Tallahassee Democrat • FSView & Florida Flambeau
• • • •
Tobacco Free Florida Collier Companies College Living Today Second Harvest of the Big Bend
Event List: • Torch Pursuit • Renegade Recess • SAA Flag Football Tournament • FSU Cares 5K Walk/ Run • Warchant Concert ft. Florida Georgia Line • 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.Nick Offerman The Alumni Association’s Homecoming Award Breakfast Jimbo’s True Seminole Tailgate All-College Alumni Tailgate
Event Attendance: Event Warchant Concert Spear-It Night Skit Night
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
3,500
4,000
3,500
9,000
2,500
12,000
6,640
1,200 1,300
1,200 1,000
1,200 1,200
1,000 1,000
1,000 1,100
950 1,500
950 1,050
Torch Pursuit
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
100
125
Faculty and Staff Reception
N/A
N/A
250
200
50
150
106
Seminole Festival
N/A
N/A
2,000
2,500
2,500
3,000
3,000
N/A
N/A
N/A
100
200
170
145
800 5,667
185 4,387
150 4,789
200 2,802
200 5,385
250 6,500
200 7,998
N/A
N/A
200
350
750
424
330
Seminole Showdown Renegade Recess Pow Wow Jimbo's True Seminole Tailgate
Survey Results: Of those 20,544 students who attended Homecoming 2013, 441 students (2%) completed the surveys.
Demographics and Marketing
Classfication
3%
No Answer
1%
3%
Gender Freshman Sophomore
19%
42%
27%
Junior
Male
Senior
19%
Graduate 16%
No Answer Female
70%
Transfer Other
Ethnicity
Residence No Answer
2% 6%
1% 17%
19%
0% 5%
50%
African American/ Black American Indian/ Native Alaskan Asian/ Pacific Islander White/ Caucasian Hispanic/ Latino Mixed Other
No Answer 50%
50%
On-Campus Off- Campus
Who did you attend Homecoming events with? 4%
No Answer 9%
Class Council
27% 26%
Greek Organization Group of Friends
6%
IRHC/ Residence Hall
14%
14%
RSO Other
How did you hear about this event? 2% 1%
2%
1%
1%
3% 2%
2% 11%
3% 6% 4% 5%
33% 12% 11%
Banner Billboard Dining Hall Ad Door Hanger E-mail Facebook Flyer/ Poster in Residence Hall Friend/ word-of-mouth Newspaper Nole Central Promo items/ t-shirt Resident Assistant Table Tent Twitter Website Yard Signs
Why did you come to the event? 3%
Enjoy the event(s)
13%
Hungry/free food
7%
45%
2%
Learn about campus activities Meet new people/socialize Nothing else to do
30%
Other
Have you enjoyed the Homecoming events you attended? 3%3%
No Answer Yes No 94%
Recommendations for Next Year: • Keep Warchant in the Civic Center – After being hosted at Langford Green, Doak Campbell Stadium, and now the Civic Center, it’s clear that Warchant is best suited for this venue. The facility provides protection from the unpredictable weather and is well suited for large concerts when it comes to staffing, equipment, concessions, etc. • Year-round Campus Engagement – With the Seminoles earning the title of BCS National Champions this year, there were more opportunities for year round engagement with the student body on social media and other platforms. Staying active on social media throughout the year can help the Executive Council build a larger audience, which will be useful for purposes other than programming, such as recruiting new members, distributing surveys, etc.
•
Collaborative Events – Torch Pursuit proved to be a big success in 2013 as it fed into Seminole Festival. Having more collaboration between various Homecoming events in 2014 could be a great way to boost student engagement.
Conclusion Florida State University Homecoming is a weeklong event of activities and programs concluding with a home football game. Several departments across campus participate in the planning, executing and hosting of Homecoming events. The Student Activities Center works directly with the student Homecoming Committee in collaboration with the Student Government Association and the Florida State Alumni Association. We look forward to working with the university community to continue to improve upon Homecoming by engaging more students, staff and alumni.