University celebrates 2009 homecoming with activities beginning Oct. 3
Virginia Tech has scheduled a series of homecoming events throughout the week of Oct. 3-11, including concerts, a step show, a pep rally, and the Homecoming 5K.
Homecoming Week kicks off Oct. 3 with Greeks Giving Back, a community outreach day sponsored by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, followed by events that are open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the general public. The theme for this year’s homecoming is “Welcome Home is Etched in Stone.”
"The 2009 theme was chosen because the students really felt the significance of the Hokie Stone to our campus is a unique tradition for all Hokies,” said Monica Hunter, associate director of campus programs for the Department of Student Activities. “This stone is not found on any other university campus in the nation. The first Hokie Stone structure on campus was built in 1899; now 110 years later, we see it on almost every university building. Hokie Stone is truly the foundation of Virginia Tech and is sacred to all students, faculty, staff, and alumni.”
Homecoming at Virginia Tech has been a tradition for 78 years. Each year, Homecoming Week features a wide variety of events. The complete calendar of homecoming events is available online.
Some of the events for this year include
- Blues artist B.B. King performs live in concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 in Burruss Auditorium; Virginia Tech students tickets are available for $15, faculty/staff tickets are $20, and general admission is $30. Tickets are available through the ticket office in Squires Student Center. The concert is being sponsored by the Virginia Tech Union.
- A Community of Hokies: The Celebration of Diversity starts at 6 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Haymarket Theater in Squires Student Center. The event offers a variety of performances by Virginia Tech cultural organizations. Admission is free. The celebration is sponsored by Multicultural Programs and Services and the Virginia Tech Homecoming Board.
- Laugh Riot featuring Michael Ian Black and Greg Giraldo will take place at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 in Burruss Auditorium. Virginia Tech student tickets cost $7 in advance or $12 day of show; general admission tickets are $10 in advance or $15 day of show. Tickets are available through the ticket office in Squires Student Center. Laugh Riot is sponsored by the Virginia Tech Union.
- Jim Wand, hypnotist, will be hypnotizing members of the Homecoming Court at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Commonwealth Ballroom, Squires Student Center. The event is sponsored by the Homecoming Board and admission is free.
- Fabolous will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8 in Burruss Auditorium. Virginia Tech student tickets cost $20 in advance or $25 on the day of the show, and general admission is $25, or $30 for the day of the show. Tickets are available through the ticket office in Squires Student Center . This event is sponsored by the Black Student Alliance.
- A Sprit Rally will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 9 on the lawn at the Graduate Life Center. This is a free event sponsored by the Student Alumni Association.
- The Zenobia Hikes Memorial Step Show will take place at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 in Burruss Auditorium and is being sponsored by the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Tickets for fraternity and sorority members are $5, general admission is $7. Tickets will be available through the ticket office in Squires Student Center beginning Sept. 25 or can be purchased at the door.
- The National Pan-Hellenic Council DJ Party will be held in Old Dominion Ballroom, Squires Student Center. Admission is $5; tickets are available at the door.
The week of homecoming will conclude with the annual Homecoming Parade in downtown Blacksburg sponsored by the Homecoming Board and the homecoming football game versus Boston College on Saturday, Oct. 10, followed by the Homecoming 5K sponsored by Recreational Sports on Sunday, Oct.11.
Voting for Homecoming Court will take place beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 6 until Thursday, Oct. 8. Winners will be announced during halftime on Saturday at the homecoming football game.
The homecoming theme contest and homecoming celebration events are sponsored by University Unions and Student Activities, a unit within the Division of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech. University Unions and Student Activities complements the academic program by providing a variety of activities, educational opportunities, programs, facilities, and services that enhance student development and enrich the quality of campus life at Virginia Tech.
For homecoming events located in Burruss Auditorium, free parking is available around the Drillfield with a visitor’s pass from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. No pass is necessary on the Drillfield after 8 p.m. or on weekends. Parking is also available in Perry Street Lot 1, 3, 4 and 6 near Prices Fork Road.
For events after 5 p.m. in Squires Student Center and at the Graduate Life Center, free parking is available in the Squires Lot, located at the corner of College Avenue and Otey Street, or the Shultz Hall Lot, located off Alumni Drive near the North Main Street campus entrance. Find more parking information online or call (540) 231-3200.
Written by Melanie Harris of Hampton, Va., a senior majoring in communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
