This week kicks off Penn State's homecoming celebration and student organizations from the College of Engineering are getting ready to compete with others to see who has the most school spirit in a variety of homecoming events.
Engineering organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the Triangle fraternity, the Phi Sigma Rho sorority and Engineering Leadership Development Unlimited (ELDU) will compete to earn as many "spirit points" as possible. Spirit points are merits awarded to the organization with the best performance in each individual event.
Many student groups join forces for the homecoming festivities. SWE will team up with the Sigma Nu fraternity. The Triangle fraternity and the Phi Sigma Rho sorority also are teaming together for this year's homecoming.
The First-Year Celebration and First-Year Frenzy at East Halls on Monday started off the week's spirit events. Students involved in the organizations enjoyed performances from diverse student groups like the Break-Dancing Team, Groove Phi Groove and the Indoor Drum-Line.
Nittany Pursuit begins at 5 p.m. Tuesday in East Halls. It is a scavenger hunt-style race, taking students throughout campus to popular Penn State landmarks. At each landmark is a station where students are awarded points for completion accuracy and speed. SWE with Sigma Nu and Triangle fraternity with Phi Sigma Rho will compete in Nittany Pursuit.
On Wednesday, Schwab Auditorium will host competing teams in the Airband Competition. Airband is a series of skits put together by each team where members perform a choreographed number with lip-synching to a selected song mix. Triangle fraternity and Phi Sigma Rho sorority will perform to the theme "I Need a Hero," a musical mix created by Phi Sigma Rho's Amanda Varner, a senior civil engineering major. Other organizations like SWE and Sigma Nu will be performing to a song mix related to their 2006 homecoming theme, "Jimmy Neutron." Each performance will be judged by a panel of "celebrity judges" and the best performances earn more spirit points to their tally.
As Friday approaches, students will add the final touches to their parade float and mad hatter. Each organization involved in the parade designs a float according to a specific theme. "In front of each float is a character, (the mad hatter) which is usually being carried by some sorry soul," said Matt Barto, a junior computer science major and Triangle fraternity brother.
This year, the Triangle fraternity and Phi Sigma Rho sorority's float will be based on a Batman theme, with the villain Two Face as their mad hatter. SWE and their teammates from Sigma Nu are building a float and mad hatter in honor Jimmy Neutron. ELDU also will be parading on an "Under the Sea" float design and a giant lobster as their mad hatter.
The homecoming parade commences at 6 p.m. Friday and like all homecoming events, is free to the public.
Each group receives spirit points for their float, mad hatter and a banner that parades in front. These points are then combined with points earned in previous events.
"Our girls are usually very enthusiastic (and) we end up doing pretty well in the overall competition," said SWE's Malory Faust, a fifth-year architectural engineering major.
Last year, "we (Triangle and Phi Sigma Rho) got second overall in the parade," said Barto.
The top three point leaders in overall competition and overall spirit will be announced during the homecoming football game on Saturday.