HoCo’s annual facelift

By: Bina Patel

Homecoming has come and gone, but its planning is still a point of discussion for those involved.

The planning phase of this past homecoming weekend spanned three and a half months during the summer. It began with finalizing the $25,000 of funding first introduced at an SRA meeting that took place in June, and brought new considerations for increasing  safety into the mix.

The additional money was announced in June after being voted in by the SRA, who must approve any expenditure over $7,000. Prior to the vote, the MSU had a net allocated loss. The motion passed during a June SRA meeting, with 28 members voting in favour of the additional Homecoming funds.

“In Al’s budget, it had $45,000 set aside for expenditure and an estimated revenue of $40,000. So the MSU at that point was planning to lose $5,000,” vice president (Finance) Ryan MacDonald explained, referring to the Campus Events homecoming budget.

Community concerns were also addressed in the planning of this year’s homecoming. Once each year, Al Legault, director of Campus Events sits in on a meeting for the President’s Advisory Council on Community Relations. His primary role on the council is to discuss how community members will be affected by Welcome Week and homecoming events.

“The MSU listened to the community and heard some issues that came out and a lot of them were driven by the overcapacity of parties and wandering around the streets,” Legault said.

As a result, the MSU developed a strategy to keep more students on campus but also keep it central to campus. One of those was to introduce a second concert for the first time.

“It’s all about having Marauder pride on our own territory, and why not bring that in with morning entertainment,” explained Legault.

Another new aspect of homecoming weekend was a beer garden. Alcohol has been available during homecoming since 2012 and in previous homecoming weekends was located in the Athletics Centre just outside the concert in Sports Hall.

“There in no way is a suggestion or a drive to consume alcohol. In fact, quite the opposite,” assured MacDonald.

“We have not increased [the capacity of the venue],” adds Legault, “we just feel that there are students that are of age that have the right to consume a beverage if they choose so. We found over the last four years it was never really a large draw, but it was readily available.” The licensed area is gated and has a maximum capacity of 200 people.

There were also new measures for security put in place. Campus Events staff and volunteers from the Maroons received training from the Ottawa Sexual Violence Network to learn how to respond to incidents of sexual violence. WGEN members were also stationed to assist students who might need to navigate the sexual violence protocol through Meghan Ross’s office.

“Even one instance of sexual violence is too many,” said MacDonald.

An event as big as homecoming will be fraught with logistical concerns, but with continued changes in budgeting and planning, Legault says the MSU has “a lot of hopes.”

For those with any homecoming related concerns, contact Al Legault of Campus Events or the board of directors.