Homecoming 2016 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 alumni back to 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 participants. The week takes place during the fall semester each year. Homecoming 2016 took place from Sunday, October 9 through Saturday, October 15 under the theme, “A Living Legacy.� 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 and Committee, which coordinate these events. The Homecoming Executive Council and Committee, a committee consisting of 25 students and three 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 (from the Student Alumni Association), and a coordinator for each event, marketing, student groups, and more. The Student Body President appoints the Overall Homecoming Director, Assistant Director, and Pow Wow Director. Additional committee members are selected in the spring semester by a committee comprised of the Overall Director and Assistant Director, the outgoing Pow Wow Director, SGA appointees, and Homecoming advisor(s). The schedule of events for Homecoming 2016 was planned by the Homecoming Executive Council and Committee 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 2015 Executive Council.
Event Attendance: Event
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Warchant Concert
12,000
6,640
2,489
6,624
8,039
Spear-It Night
950
950
654
530
800
Skit Night
1,500
1,050
1,260
1,100
883
Torch Pursuit
100
125
N/A
130
105
Faculty and Staff Reception
150
106
120
85
150
Seminole Festival
3,000
3,000
3,000
500
1,242
Seminole Showdown
170
145
N/A
N/A
N/A
Karaoke 4 A Cause
N/A
N/A
369
350
292
Renegade Recess
250
200
200
225
N/A
Green Dot
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
250
Pow Wow
6,500
7,998
6,347
8,932
3,088
Jimbo's True Seminole Tailgate
424
330
453
423
540
Survey Results: Of those 15,389 students who attended various Homecoming 2016 events, 894 students (5.81%) completed the surveys. Highlights of findings: • A total of 1,095 surveys were started, with 894 completed, (82%) completion rate o Ethnicity Breakdown: Caucasian/ White (54%), Hispanic/Latino (19%), African American/Black (16%), Mixed (6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3%), Other (1%) o Gender Breakdown: Male (39%), Female (70%), Other (1%) o Classification Breakdown: Freshman (39%), Sophomore (23%), Junior (19%), Senior (16%), Graduate Student (4%), Transfer (3%), Other (1%) o Most respondents resided off-campus (52%) o Most participants chose to participate in the Homecoming events in order to enjoy the events (91%) or support school spirit events (56%) o Most respondents attended Homecoming with their friends or roommates (91%) • The majority of survey respondents agreed with the following statements: o Homecoming appeals to FSU’s diverse student body (93%) o Homecoming events provide an opportunity to enjoy the event (25%) o The overall theme for FSU Homecoming 2016: “A Living Legacy” was appropriate for campus (97%) o FSU provided a variety of events for Homecoming (96%) o Individual themes for FSU Homecoming 2016 activities were creative (94%) o Amount of activities offered different opportunities to participate (93%)
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The respondents that did not agree Homecoming appealed to FSU’s diverse student body (7%) were given an opportunity to comment as to why they felt that way. Here are the top responses: o Events/the week is centered around Greek life, and small student organizations and individual students struggle to participate o More representation of other ethnicities and cultures, maybe an event like a Carnival with different types of foods from regions to bring people together o Publicize events to all demographics of students The top three ways respondents heard about Homecoming events: o Friends/Word of Mouth (14%) o E-mail (13%) o Facebook (11%) Unity Points o The majority of respondents indicated that they did not take advantage of Unity Points, 91%. Participants offered a number of reasons as to why they may not have participated in Homecoming. The top three responses were: o They had school work (29%) o They were out of town (23%) o They were not sure of the schedule of events and did not have enough information regarding events (18%) Majority of respondents indicated that they were not members of the Greek community, 78%.
Recommendations for Next Year: • More hands-on student training –Many students expressed frustration with not being informed on office procedures including Event Permits, Performer Information Sheets, and Purchasing forms. Including a day of training in the Spring semester will set students up for success in these areas. • Logistically, a number of improvements can be made to help next year run more smoothly. Completing event permits in the Spring once the calendar is set, purposefully creating rain plans for each event, and organizing all receipts and purchase orders as they are being created will help Homecoming 2017 remain organized. 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 Executive 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.