Homecoming in high school used to mean finding a date, getting a dress (or tuxedo), and picking out the the right flowers for a special someone. In college, Homecoming is an opportunity to reflect and remember where a school comes from.

From Oct. 9 to 15, the university will host Homecoming, an event for students, alumni and their families. It’s a time for people to come together and see what times are like now and what it was like back in the old days. This year, the theme is dinosaurs and history, very fitting for an event welcoming back students of the past and present.

“It’s kind of a combination of honoring the students who are here, but also welcoming the students back who help to make Rowan what it is,” said Carly Samuels, graduate coordinator for the Chamberlain Student Center & Campus Activities. “It’s a really cool combination of the present and the past and kind of showing people who haven’t been here in a while what cool changes have been made but then showing students that are here where it came from.”

Every year a committee votes on the theme of the homecoming. The committee will pitch multiple ideas and eventually narrow it down to one.

“A bunch of faculty, staff, students who all sit down together and we brainstorm a whole bunch of ideas. So that was how the prehistoric dinosaur theme came up and then we narrowed it down our list to like our top three and then we talked about why each one was cool and how when we got down to PROFhistoric,” Samuels said.

Samuels continued, “That is my favorite part of homecoming, seeing the students who are right here in the student center and then you have the golden year alumni come and seeing them at the tailgate together is really cool.”

Like previous years others, there will be recurring events as well as a few new additions:

• The Homecoming Banner Competition will take place at the student center back patio on Oct. 9 at 5 p.m.
• The push cart competition down Rowan Boulevard on Oct. 10 starting at 7:30 p.m.
• The lip-sync competition will take place in the Plfeeger Concert Hall at 9 p.m. on Oct. 12.
• the annual Rowan block party will be held at the Hollybush green as well as a Rowan community dig at the Edelman Fossil Park at 5 p.m. on Oct. 13
• Oct. 14 will feature parade and float competition, followed by a tailgate leading up to the Rowan vs. TCNJ Homecoming football game. Oct. 15 the festivities close out with fans in the stands.

Additional events for the weekend include a beer garden at the Glassboro town square, PROFtalks by current Rowan students and alumni and trivia games in the Student Center.

“I’m most looking forward to the beer garden. It sounds like it’ll be a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can find to enjoy there,” said Zack Spencer, 21, junior Spanish major.

Samuels said each event is connected to the PROFHistoric theme in some way, shape or form.

There will even be an area mimicking the Jurassic Park movies with Jeeps, cameras and much more, replicating the feeling and mood of the movies. Needless to say, there is not a lack of events or fun to be had.

Homecoming festivities run from Oct. 9-15. Don’t forget to come out and support Rowan against rival TCNJ in the Homecoming football game on Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. in Richard Wackar Stadium.

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