Every year, toward the end of October, campus is immersed in a sea of red — at no cost to students.
Next year may be different.
The Homecoming Committee and the Alumni Association have proposed a $6 student fee to cover the cost of Homecoming events.
In exchange for this, students will no longer have to pay to attend the Pack Howl Concert.
Homecoming events such as the Homecoming Parade, Pack Howl and Wear Red, Get Fed attract thousands, both on and off campus.
“Homecoming is definitely one of N.C. State’s largest and longest-running traditions,” Adam Compton, the Homecoming Committee’s publicity chair, said. “We’re looking at ways to continue to improve that. With anything that continues to grow, it’s a matter of money.”
The fee, which Compton said the Homecoming Committee and the Alumni Association proposed, has never been implemented, though past committee chairs have thrown the idea around.
There have never been any student fees that go directly toward funding Homecoming, Compton said. The only event students for which students pay is the Pack Howl concert.
Student Government, the Alumni Association and student-based revenue departments such as University Dining and Housing — cover the cost of the remaining Homecoming events, Compton said.
According to Compton, the new fee has to be approved by the fee advisory committee, the chancellor, the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors before it goes into effect.
However, Compton said the fee might not make it to this approval process.
“We don’t even know if we’ll even be able to request the fee,” Compton said. “The guidelines from Board of Governors hasn’t come down yet.”
Compton said these guidelines will decide whether any new fees will be approved for the next year.
“This fee is a way to continue to allow Homecoming to grow,” Compton said. “We want a Homecoming that is comparable to those of the largest schools in the nation.”
Joanna Reynolds, a junior in textile and apparel management, and Liz Styron, a junior in middle grades education, said they would approve of a fee increase if it would improve the Homecoming attractions such as events, bands and fundraisers.
“I don’t even know when Homecoming is this year,” Reynolds said. “It always seems like just another day at N.C. State.”
Compton said the fee would allow the committee to expand Homecoming events to create an atmosphere in which students will be aware of all planned events and find ones to which they will want to attend.
“We would hold Wear Red, Get Fed not only in the Brickyard but also on Centennial campus,” he said. “It would allow the kickoff to grow. It would allow us more funds for planning Pack Howl earlier in advance so we could bring in a larger-name performance.”
If the committee passes the fee, Compton said, the Alumni Association is committed to assuring that Homecoming is done best for students and alumni.
Styron said homecoming needs more variety in its events.
“This campus is so diverse. We need something that appeals to everybody,” Styron said.
Reynolds agreed with this sentiment, recalling last year’s Pack Howl performer, Chris Daughtry.
“Who played last year?” she asked. “Exactly.”
