Hail to the Brown and Gold: Rowan Homecoming to celebrate heroes

October 14, 2008

Rowan University's annual Homecoming promises to be a banner event this year as the University comes together around the theme "Brown and Gold: Heroes Young and Old."

Homecoming Week, Oct. 13-18, culminates on Saturday, Oct. 18, when students display their school spirit during the 2008 Homecoming Parade, which begins at 10 a.m. The parade will be followed by Profs football as Rowan takes on Morrisville State College at 2 p.m.

According to Joanne Damminger, executive assistant to the vice president for student affairs, the Homecoming parade will be expanded this year to include more groups and organizations. A special spirit banner competition has been instituted this year and 17 groups have entered banners. The groups will join the traditional floats presented by Rowan's Greek organizations, all of which will showcase the "heroes" theme.

Floats are expected to include tributes to heroes from the nation's military, ancient
Greece, and comic books and video games.

Student groups walking in the parade include everyone from the RUFF seeing eye puppy program to the Campus Players to PRSSA and the Ad Club, according to Damminger.

The parade grand marshal is 1958 alumnus Robert L. Belle, Jr., a former Student Government Association senior class president. Belle, an alumnus of the College of Education and a standout basketball player, was inducted into the University's athletics Hall of Fame in 1986. He oversees the doctoral scholars program for graduate students in the Southern Regional Education Board in Atlanta.

Rowan President Donald Farish and his wife, Maia, will ride in the parade, as will Glassboro Mayor Leo McCabe and his wife, Mary. SGA President Phillip Castro, Senior Class President Brittany Meyer, and Alumni Association President Ron Lewandowski also will participate.

Participants in the annual Homecoming Push Cart Competition, which will be held Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. on the Student Center patio, also will ride in the parade.

The parade, which begins at the University Green, will conclude on Bowe Boulevard near the football stadium as the floats present skits on the "Brown and Gold: Heroes Young and Old" theme.

For a full schedule of Homecoming activities, visit www.rowan.edu/homecoming.