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2 — Homecoming 2016
November 7-12, 2016
Message from the Chair Happy Homecoming, Coogs!
Welcome to Homecoming 2016! My name is Brooklin Corbins and I am the Chair of the 2016 Homecoming Board. Throughout the summer and fall semester, the Homecoming Board and I have had the privilege putting together a Homecoming Week that will make you proud. This year’s Homecoming theme is “True We’ll Ever Be.” When looking for a theme, we searched for words that would represent all Cougars, past, present and future. “True We’ll Ever Be” is the last line of the University’s Alma Mater which is sung at the end of every home game
for every varsity collegiate sport, as well as University programs and commencement. These four words represent a bond that will unite us as Cougars forever no matter who we are or where we come from. This year, myself and the Homecoming Board have worked extremely hard to make Homecoming more diverse and representative of the University of Houston community. We want every student to feel and embody what “True We’ll Ever Be” means. I would like to thank each of you for allowing me to serve as the Homecoming Chair for 2016.
It has truly been an honor and the highlight of my collegiate career. Have a great time at Homecoming 2016 and remember Go Coogs! #UHTRUE Brooklin Corbins 2016 Homecoming Chair Class of 2017 Public Relations Sports Administration
TRUE WE’LL EVER BE
is the official publication of Homecoming. Layout and typesetting of the Homecoming Board Insert provided by the Center for Student Media.
Meet the Homecoming Board Vice-Chair Devin Sanders, Senior Human Development and Family Studies
Fun fact: I hate hate hate being out in the sun. Why I love Homecoming: This is the one time we can celebrate our University with past, present and future Coogs. Homecoming is a place for people to come together and have a good time.
Director of Court Activities Celeste Henderson, Senior Marketing
DEVIN SANDERS VICE-CHAIR
Director of Marketing Evelyn Ejike, Senior Nutrition
Fun fact: I love the smell of new shoes. Why I love Homecoming: I love Homecoming at the University of Houston because it is a time for current students, faculty, staff, and alumni to gather as one and celebrate our great institution. For many, it is the one time of the year that we can all join together as one family to let the world know what it means to be a Cougar.
CELESTE HENDERSON DIRECTOR OF COURT ACTIVITIES
Director of Spirit Jennifer Ho, Junior Public Health EVELYN EJIKE
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
Fun fact: I once met Dave Franco on the side of the road in Austin. Why I love Homecoming: It was one of the biggest events during my freshman year, and it’s great knowing that the same traditions and events are still alive to this day. You really get to see how big the spirit of Houston is and how far we’ve come in such a short period of time.
JENNIFER HO DIRECTOR OF SPIRIT
Director of Social Media and Assessment Mayra Castillo, Sophomore Philosophy
Director of Productions Jesse McGraw, Sophomore Kinesiology
Fun fact: I am a male cheerleader for the University of Houston. Why I love Homecoming: Homecoming is a great time at UH! I love traditions and the ability to celebrate our school’s spirit with other Cougars. Homecoming symbolizes unity. It’s a time everyone puts their differences aside, and they come together for the traditions and the University of Houston.
Fun fact: I don’t have a favorite color! Why I love Homecoming: Homecoming is a time for memories. The best part is you never have to stop making those memories as Cougar! Whether you are a first-year student, faculty, staff or alumnus, you can always make memories dur ing Homecoming. Homecoming brings everyone together to continue our traditions at the University of Houston.
JESSE MCGRAW DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTIONS
Fun fact: I can’t swim. Why I love Homecoming: Homecoming is an amazing time at UH where Cougars from near and far come together celebrate this awesome university! I love that homecoming connects us all together and allows us the opportunity to celebrate what UH means to each of us!
MAYRA CASTILLO
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA & ASSESSMENT
True We’ll Ever Be
Homecoming 2016— 3
Homecoming Event Schedule 11/7
Cougar Walk
Pep Rally and Block Party with RHA Student Center Plaza, 5 - 8 p.m. (In case of rain, the event will be held in the Houston Room)
Cougar Place, 4:30-5 p.m. Start your Homecoming 2016 with a Cougar Walk to the Pep Rally! The Spirit of Houston Marching Band will be encouraging Coogs all over campus to walk with them as they ramp up Cougar Spirit and make their way to the Homecoming Pep Rally and Block Party.
11/8
Get Loud and Get Excited! Join your fellow Coogs as we kick off the 2016 Homecoming Week of events with the Pep Rally/Block Party. Come cheer on your favorite Homecoming King and Queen candidates as the final selection for Homecoming Court is announced. Wait…there is more! Get pumped up for the UH Basketball home opener and the Homecoming Football Game with a special appearances by Coach Kevin Sampson and Coach Tom Herman. Of course it wouldn’t be homecoming without free food and free swag! Ensure you pick up a white shirt to wear to Color Me Houston!
CAN-struction with MVP
Photo by The Cougar
11/9
Cullen Family Plaza, 4:30 - 6:30p.m. Throughout Homecoming Week Spirit Cup teams will participate in several events. The first event is CAN-struction, each team brings canned goods that they have collected in order build a sculpture out of those canned goods that promotes Cougar Spirit.
Color Me Houston
Lynn Eusan Park, 7 - 10 p.m. (In case of rain, the event will be held in the Houston Room) It’s time to paint ourselves RED…literally! Have you ever been to Color Run? We’ll have tons of RED color powder to cover ourselves in as we dance the night away. Looking for Homecoming Swag? We’ll have it! Free food? We got that too! Want to watch the US Presidential Election results? We’ll have it streaming! You have no excuse. Let’s paint ourselves RED and GO COOGS!
COOG-lympics
Roll Bounce Skate Party
Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, 4 - 6 p.m.
Photo by The Cougar
11/10
Come cheer for your favorite Homecoming Spirit Cup Team at Coog-lympics hosted by Campus Recreation! Cooglympics is an event where teams participate in various challenges that showcase the group’s ability to work as a team. These Coogs will be working extremely hard to work their way to the top of scoreboard!
Student Center Houston Room, 7 - 10 p.m. Yep! You read it right…we are turning the Houston Room into a Roller Rink! This event could only happen for Homecoming! Come out and skate the night away in the Houston Room. We’ll provide the skates, roller rink, food, custom airbrush T-shirts, and of course more homecoming swag! Is it Homecoming yet?!
Strut Your Stuff Student Center Houston Room, 7 - 10 p.m. Strut Your Stuff is an annual Homecoming show that gives organizations participating in the Spirit Competition a chance to prove who has the most Cougar pride. Teams that are participating in Strut Your Stuff are given the chance to showcase their hidden talents through acts such as skits, stepshows, and dancing! Strut Your Stuff has been a University of Houston tradition since the early 1970s. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to see your fellow Coogs put on an awesome show. P.S. There may be official Homecoming Shirts available at the end of the night!
11/11
Rock the Campus with MVP Lynn Eusan Park and Butler Plaza, 9 a.m.
Rock the Campus is an event in conjunction with the Metropolitan Volunteer Program (MVP). It is an annual campus clean-up where MVP assigns different service projects to the students who participate. Rock the Campus is another way for Coogs to give back to the community by directly impacting our campus. #CoogsServe #ServeUH
UH Men’s Basketball
Hofheinz Pavilion, 7 p.m. If you are looking for another exciting event on Friday night head on over to Hofheinz Pavilion after Homecoming Fiesta and check out Cougar Men’s Basketball as they take Morgan State in their home opener.
Homecoming Fiesta with Frontier Fiesta
Lynn Eusan Park, 5 - 7 p.m. (In case of rain, the event will be held in the Houston Room) The pre-cursor to the Homecoming Concert is another tradition, Homecoming Fiesta with Frontier Fiesta! Are you ready to transition from one great UH tradition to the next? Let’s get ready for Frontier Fiesta with hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill, dessert food trucks, midway games, custom flipbooks, T-shirts and much more! This event is one you do not want to miss! Make you sure you get there early to experience it all.
SPB Presents the Homecoming Concert Cullen Performance Hall, Doors Open at 7 p.m. The Student Program Board is excited to present the 2016 SPB Homecoming Concert for the University of Houston! International stars, Nico & Vinz, who have brought us hits like ‘Am I Wrong,’ will join us at Cullen Performance Hall to celebrate Homecoming 2016. Do you have your tickets?
Photo by The Cougar
11/12 Homecoming Football Game vs. Tulane TDECU Stadium, 2:30 p.m. We know you love the HTOWNTAKEOVER! Let’s fill TDECU Stadium to capacity, cheer on our team to a victory over Tulane University and see who is crowned Homecoming King and Queen!
4 — Homecoming 2016
November 7-12, 2016
Alumni support brings spirit to Homecoming Since 1940, the UH Alumni Association (UHAA) has served and supported the University of Houston. The association encompasses over 200,000 alumni and friends in the community it calls home. From student scholarships and legislative advocacy, to alumni networks and communications, UHAA is working to enhance the value of your degree and your alumni experience. UHAA also continues to build new relationships that are designed to better serve UH alumni with rewarding career services, stronger national networks, and other meaningful programs, including their brand new community service project opportunities and superior student recruitment and mentoring. One of the well-known ways the association reaches alumni and students every year is through its Cougar 100 Event. This is an event that uplifts and supports 100 local businesses that were established and/or are currently ran by UH Alumni. This gives Cougars, both young and seasoned, a chance to network. There are also annual luncheons held to recognize the most outstanding businesses owned or led by high-achieving UH alumni. Within the
UHAA, there are various clubs and networks that helps the association reach each alumni in the organization on an individualistic basis. For example, there are 11 different college-based alumni associations that correspond with the different colleges at UH. There are also clubs and networks for those alumni that want to be a part of the continuing tradition but are no longer in the Houston area. These clubs and networks reach other states such as Georgia, New York, Illinois, California and many more. To add to the rich diversity of UH, the UHAA also brings its own diverse spin with its various special interest alumni associations. These include organizations such as the Black Alumni Association, Hispanic Alumni Association, and the Spirit of Houston Alumni Association. When it comes to Homecoming, UHAA plays a much appreciated part in one of UH’s oldest traditions. Many alumni offer their help through the association by serving on the Homecoming Steering committee and offering valuable insight to help mold the week of tradition, spirit, and festivities. Alumni have also helped out with other as-
Photo by The Cougar
pects, such as being judges for the large campus wide talent show Strut Your Stuff. UHAA hosts a variety of other events during homecoming week, but the biggest is their traditional home game tailgate Party in the Plaza. Alumni come together and build their Cougar pride before each home football game by grilling, setting up games, and bringing family and friends together to show
them what it really means to be a Cougar on campus. The UHAA does a fantastic job of being a supportive organization for alumni and current students as well. For additional information on the alumni association and its schedule of events, visit the UHAA home page at www.houstonalumni.com.
Photos by The Cougar
Do you have what it takes to win the Spirit Cup? The Cougar Spirit Cup Competition is an annual competition to award the students that show the most Cougar spirit by competing in a series of fun and challenging tasks throughout Homecoming Week. This year’s Homecoming Theme, “True We’ll Ever Be” allows teams to explore the University’s culture, pride, traditions and great school spirit. The theme provides participants the opportunity to be creatively fun and unique and showcase their organizations and their UH loyalty in the best way possible.
Throughout Homecoming Week Spirit Cup teams will participate in several events. The first event is CAN-Struction, where each team brings canned goods, and they will have an hour to build a sculpture out of those canned goods. Next the teams will participate in Cooglympics, an event where teams participate in various challenges that showcase the group’s ability to work as a team. Groups also will participate in the Paint Shasta, Banner and T-Shirt Competitions. These events allow the teams to
showcase their unique school spirit. Strut Your Stuff is the largest event of the Spirit Cup Competition. Teams participating in Strut Your Stuff are given the chance to showcase their talents through acts such as skits, dancing or stepping. Strut Your Stuff has been a University of Houston tradition since the early 1990s. Every year since its initiation, Strut Your Stuff has continued to grow and is now a treasured Homecoming tradition. The show is open to the public and we highly encourage
you to come to cheer on your fellow Coogs. To close out the competition, teams will give back to UH campus by participating in the Metropolitan Volunteer Program’s (MVP) Rock the Campus event. It is an annual campus service event where MVP assigns different service projects to each team. Teams that volunteer for Rock the Campus also get points that go toward the Spirit Cup Total. Let the games begin!
True We’ll Ever Be
Homecoming 2016— 5
5 ways to have a ‘Coog-tastic’ Homecoming 1. Attend Homecoming Events
4. Go to the Homecoming
Concert Friday, Nov. 11
2. Get FREE Homecoming Swag
5. Go Early, Cheer Loud, Stay Late
& Wear Red to the Football Game
3. Vote for
Homecoming King & Queen
Photos by The Cougar
The faces of Cougar Spirit Spirit of Houston The Spirit of Houston is an icon for the University, the city of Houston and the State of Texas. The band performs at all home football games and travels to select away games throughout the football season. While some might think members have to be music majors to join, that’s not the case. The band is open to all university students and incoming freshman in all majors. In fact, the band is actually composed of an almost equal mix of music majors and non-music majors, and every member in the marching band receives a band scholarship for involvement with the organization.
comprised of up to 41 talented female and male cheerleaders and is coached by former University of Houston cheerleader, Lenny Cervantes. The squad has won numerous NCA and UCA Collegiate Camp Championships.
Helmet Buggy Beauties In the early 1970s, a new spirit addition was introduced to the University of Houston. A golf cart was retrofitted with a fiberglass football helmet that was painted scarlet and white with the UH logo. After each UH touchdown, the buggy would be driven around the stadium celebrating the event. In addition, four female students chosen by the administrative and coaching staffs would ride on the buggy and wave to the fans during the celebration.
Cub Camp/O-Team The Cub Camp Student Leaders and The Orientation Team (O-Team) is a family comprised of student leaders who distinguish themselves on campus as the bridge between the University of Houston and new students. This group of individuals’ aids in each student’s success by helping them integrate into university norms and instilling them with Cougar Spirit.
Cougar Cheerleaders Squad members cheer and perform at football games and men’s and women’s home basketball games. In addition, cheerleaders travel to all postseason football bowl games and basketball tournaments. The squad also represents the university at many university and community events. The University of Houston Cheer Program is
Cougar Dolls The Cougar Dolls Dance Team’s main purpose is to entertain, energize and inspire at designated University of Houston athletic contests and promotional events. The team consists of approximately 16-23 members. The team covers all home football and men’s and women’s basketball games.
Student Athletes UH student athletes make up one of the largest groups on campus that showcase school spirit nearly every day, wearing the colors scarlet red and albino white as they compete. They are a representation of what it means to be The PowerHouse. The University’s athletic teams include: Basketball, Golf, Cross country, Baseball/Softball, Soccer, Tennis, Track & Field, Dive & Swim and Volleyball.
Photos by The Cougar
6 — Homecoming 2016
November 7-12, 2016
Meet your candidates for King and Queen
Miles Coleman Nominated by: Kappa Alpha Psi Fun Fact: I crawled backwards when I was a baby.
Harrison Fletcher Nominated by: Sigma Phi Epsilon Fun Fact: I love puppies and long walks on the beach.
Sedick Iyamah Nominated by: Alpha Phi Alpha Fun Fact: I am a huge anime fan! My favorite anime is Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Jamarcus Lacy Nominated by: Alpha Sigma Phi Fun Fact: I feel that I represent the average Cougar-in which we do exceptional things!
Myles Parnell Nominated by: Student Programming Board Fun Fact: I teach Nightclub Cardio at the Recreation Center.
Nicholas Randle Fun Fact: I graduated high school with an associate’s degree.
Christian Santillan Nominated by: Delta Upsilon Fun Fact: I was an extra in a short film called “Those Who Can.”
Nataly Cantero Fun Fact: I have adopted Shasta the UH mascot alongside other UH alumni.
Jasmine Cook Nominated by: Society for Human Resouce Management Fun Fact: I have a winter white hamster named Axel.
Kelechi Efochi Fun Fact: I love football! I’m a huge Cowboys fan.
Monique Hall Fun Fact: I remember the song I learned in 3rd grade to name all 50 states in alphabetical order.
Aaleyah Hicks Nominated by: Spirit of Houston Fun Fact: When I don’t know the words to a song, I make them up and act like the artists is wrong.
Krystel Johnson Nominated by: Gamma Sigma Sigma Fun Fact: Favorite color is purple.
Betty Lulseged Nominated by: Delta Sigma Theta Fun Fact: I love trying new things!
Anthea Ojadi Nominated by: Alpha Chi Omega Fun Fact: I can eat one large box of pizza in one sitting.
Alejandra Rangel Nominated by: Phi Sigma Rho Fun Fact: My career goal is to one day become a professor at the University of Houston.
The final selection for Homecoming Court will be announced at the Pep Rally and Block Party at the Student Center Plaza, Nov. 7. See who is crowned Homecoming King and Queen at the Homecoming football game, Nov. 12, at 2:30 p.m. at TDECU Stadium. For more about the UH 2016 Homecoming Court, visit www.uh.edu/homecoming/candidates.
True We’ll Ever Be
Homecoming 2016— 7
Houston’s History of Homecoming
Lynn Eusan appears flabbergasted following announcement that she had been selected Homecoming Queen as escort Dwight Allen rushes to embrace her. | Courtesy of Houstonian
Shasta III relaxing outside of the University Center | Courtesy of UH
1946 – First Homecoming on Nov. 16, dedicated to ex-students who served in WWII. 1947 – Shasta named at the bonfire Friday night before the Homecoming Game on Nov. 22. 1951 – Homecoming dedicated to the Cullens on Sept. 22. The winning float that year was a replica of the front of the Cullen Building with “Win for the Cullens.” 1959 – Ugly Man Plaque presentation given to Wayne Dessens. Before there was a Homecoming King, UH gave an award to a representative of the fraternity or sorority pair who raised the most money for various campus causes. 1965 – First Homecoming game played in the Astrodome, Cougars beat Ole Miss 17-3. 1968 – Lynn Eusan named first African American Homecoming Queen. Cougars Beat Tulsa 100-3. 1972 – Man comes in second place in Homecoming Queen Race. 1984 – For the first time in 35 years, the Homecoming parade was held downtown. Olympic track star and current assistant track and field coach Carl Lewis was named as the parade’s honorary Grand Marshal. 1996 – Homecoming celebrates its 50th birthday with an overtime victory of 56-49 against Southern Mississippi at Robertson Stadium. 2001 – The Cougars faced the Cincinnati Bearcats for their Homecoming game, UH came out on top with a 23-20 win. 2002 – UH celebrates 40 years of African American excellence as part of the Homecoming celebrations.
Gabriela Chen and Sam Stilley were crowned Homecoming Queen and King in 2015. | Photo by The Cougar
A float in the form of the Cullen Building rolls down the street during the 1951 Homecoming parade | Courtesy of Houstonian
2007 – Case Keenum played the first full game of his collegiate career with two touchdowns in Homecoming game against Marshall. UH won 35-28. 2008 – Dr. Renu Khator investiture ceremony became part of the Homecoming festivities. 2014- UH host first homecoming in the TDECU Stadium against Tulane. 2015 – Houston Cougars played the Cincinnati Bearcats advancing them to a smooth 9-0; this was Coach Tom Herman’s First Homecoming at UH. UH won 33-30.
This year will be head coach Tom Herman’s second Homecoming at UH. | Photo by The Cougar
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8 — Homecoming 2016
November 7-12, 2016
| Courtesy of Nico & Vinz
Nico & Vinz to play Cullen Performance Hall Nico & Vinz are an international music sensation who have already set the European entertainment scene on fire. Hailing from Oslo, Norway, the singing/songwriting duo, made up of Nico Sereba and Vincent Dery, has tapped into the heart of global culture by writing and performing songs that joyfully speak of life, love and identity. Though it’s hard to name their sound, consider it reminiscent of The Police and Paul Simon’s Graceland. The pulse of good music throbs powerfully through their Afro-Norwegian veins. These exciting new songwriters of Ivorian and Ghanian backgrounds respectively have come together fusing their varied eclectic influences—from pop to reggae, West African dance to hip hop, rock to soul—to create an engaging sound featuring soul-stirring messages that claim high hopes for the future. “We are Norwegian and African,” Vinz says, “It is important for us to inspire. We sing about things we’ve been going through and about finding ourselves. To us it’s important to have a message, and the goal for us is to inspire people to find happiness.” Coming from a small country that has welcomed immigrants from all over the world has influenced these artists, pointing their vision
toward what is possible if you put your heart to it. At first for Nico music was not his passion; it was soccer. For Vinz it was rapping. Since Nico & Vinz began working together five years ago, their mission has been laser sharp: to make magic in the studio, dream up the most imaginative videos to illustrate their ideas and travel the world to share their artistry with everyone they can. Since their debut in 2010 as Envy, Nico & Vinz have drawn huge audiences thanks to their unique performance style. They stepped on the scene at the Emegenza Festival where they eventually won first place for new, emerging artists at the Taubertal Open Air Festival with their electric live performance. In June 2011 they released their debut single, “One Song” which peaked at #19 on the Norwegian Single Chart and earned them a Spelleman Award (Norwegian equivalent to a Grammy) for the song’s video. Expanding beyong their Scandinavian borders to reach the blob, Nico & Vinz took their new music on the road across much much of Europe and producing music inspired by their travels. Their combined focus has evolved into a movement and a message. In their song, “Am I
Wrong” that flew to the top of the charts in Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden last year, they speak about a universal theme following your own heart. Says Nico, “It is our hope that people who are asking ‘should I go the safest way that everybody says I should go, even though my gut says to go where my true happiness lies?’ to be happy. We want to inspire them to follow their heart.” The “Am I Wrong” music video, directed by Kavar Singh, already has more than 60 million views on YouTube, and over 16 million for its lyric video. That’s no surprise given the riveting images and settings captured in this eye-catching “short film.” Vinz explains that it was shot in Botswana. “We said let’s go there and make a video that really projects the positivity and joy and good energy that’s in Africa, not always the negative stuff.” Their vision is paying off. The single has won an NRJ Award for “Song of the Year,” and a Spelleman Award nomination for “Hit of the Year.” To date, “Am I Wrong” has a 20x Platinum combined certification in Scandanavia, and almost Double Platinum in the US! When “Am I Wrong” made its American radio debut in April of 2014, it was the #1 most
added record at the Top 40/mainstream format with 90 adds, a rarity in first-week airplay for a new artist. It has already made it to #1 Top 40 and Hot Ac airplay charts. And, as THE most Shazamed song worldwide, “Am I Wrong” held #1 on Shazam’s Top 100 Worldwide for 2 months, and #2 North American charts. “Am I Wrong” continues to skyrocket up both streaming and download charts – Top 5 iTunes Singles Charts (#2 peak on iTunes Pop), Top 5 on Billboard Hot 100, and Top 5 on Spotify US and Worldwide charts with 135 million global streams to-date. Fueled by global ambitions, they are getting ready to release their debut album, Black Star Elephant, while supporting Bruno Mars on his national tour in July and August. After catching a sneak peak of the upcoming film The Good Lie which portrays Sudanese refugees taken in by Reese Witherspoon’s character, the two penned an uplifting song, “Find a Way,” featured in the official trailer and soundtrack. Nico & Vinz will perform at 8 p.m., Nov. 11 in Cullen Performace Hall. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets on sale at the Athletics Ticket Office at TDCEU Stadium, 3875 Holman St., 713-46266478, and on Ticketmaster. For more information, visit www.uh.edu/SPB.