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Before the glitz and glamour of homecoming week can begin, there is a slew of people working behind the scenes to ensure that everything goes well throughout the week.
The preparations for homecoming week start at the beginning of the fall semester, said Jessica Haskins, the assistant director for programs in the office of student activities and the homecoming chair. The events that occur during homecoming week are planned by the 18 member homecoming committee, which contains faculty and staff, as well as students, including the Mr. and Ms. ASU from the previous year. One of the first priorities of the homecoming committee is to figure out what the theme of the week is going to be, and this year it was “Augusta State Celebrates the Hero Within. After” choosing the theme, the committee then decides what events they want to take place during the week, whether they are new or old.
“(There are) some traditional events that we do,” Haskins said. “We do lip-synch every year, so lip-synch is always on the agenda. We do a meet-and-greet interview with the candidates every year, we have a kick-off every year. So some things that are traditional are done every year and then we fill in the gaps (for) the rest of the week, after we have all the traditional things on there that go along with the theme. We always have community services events somehow in the week.”
After picking out the events for the week, the committee creates packets for the Pass the Paw candidates who compete to win a $200 check, as well as packets for the potential Mr. and Ms. ASU candidates, Haskins said.
At the events, many of the candidates are in attendance in order to gain participation points. The participation in events consists of 40 percent of the candidate’s score, while the rest of the score is comprised of 30 percent of the student body vote and 30 percent from their meet-and-greet, interview judging.
Participation in the events throughout the week can be especially nerve-wracking for the candidates and preparing for what is to come can also be equally jarring. But to prepare for homecoming week, Sasha Martin, a junior pre-dental major and Ms. ASU 2011, had a game plan to help calm her nerves and get ready for what the week brought.
“I went out and went shopping (because) you have to feel good to feel confident,” Martin said. “I had to prepare an “A” like everybody else did this year (and) we had to make a mocktail. (The preparation) just had to do with my emotions and trying to cope with the stress of the week, because it is a lot going on, you have to deal with a lot of different things.”
Preparing for the events as a candidate is one thing, but as Ms. ASU 2011, Martin was part of the homecoming committee for 2012 and was heavily involved in the planning for this year, especially with certain events.
“We actually put together one of the events, we were sitting there and had this carnival idea that we were going to have these kids come and enjoy a carnival that the students did,” Martin said. “But we decided that in return, an epiphany came to me and I thought ‘Why don’t we just donate a bunch of food too, there’s an after school program where people come and they donate food to children that are less fortunate?’ But we decided Golden Harvest Food Bank would be more of an interesting prospect.”
One of the events that Martin really enjoyed planning and participating in was the bonfire.
“The bonfire was something we were really excited about because we wanted it to be something for the ASU students, even the organizations could get involved because that’s what it’s about,” Martin said. “It’s about everybody coming out and enjoying homecoming week. ASU is about to become something completely different, so it’s good to show that we have a sense of pride and go out with a hoorah.”
All of the behind-the-scenes work that Martin was involved in this year taught her something she had not realized about homecoming before.
“A lot more goes into it than meets the eye,” Martin said. “Last year I thought it was a lot just being a contestant and I thought that the fact that I have to do all these events (was hard), but actually being on the committee and being Ms. ASU is a huge responsibility, it’s a very big honor and whoever wears the crown that’s coming soon, she will bring honor to it. It’s all about holding your pride with dignity and representing the school and not varying from that at all.”
When all the hard work and planning pays off at the end and faculty and students can come together to celebrate ASU, Haskins said it is one of the things she looks forward to each year.