A new take on Homecoming Court

Furman’s Homecoming celebrations are filled with tradition. The Friday night carnival on the mall, orange-streaked trees, crisp temperatures, tailgates, and class reunions. But one Homecoming tradition is changing for the 2014 celebration, taking place October 24–26.

A reinvention of Homecoming Court.

In years past, each class voted for their own representatives, with the senior class receiving more candidates to be considered for Homecoming King and Queen. However, recent years have exhibited less student involvement in the process.

In response, Furman’s Student Alumni Council (SAC) created a plan to make the court more representative of numerous student groups and to showcase those who have been true campus leaders. The new model is based on the process used for larger schools, where only seniors are eligible and are elected through nominations from student groups, interviews, and a selection committee comprised of administrators, faculty, and students.  Each student group is able to nominate one candidate for queen and one for king.

The court of 12 rising seniors was chosen from 30 applicants at the end of spring term. Each candidate had to submit an application essay and the nominating organizations also provided endorsements. Leo Fackler ’03, associate alumni director and SAC advisor, says, “We wanted the 12 people who go onto the field at halftime to truly represent the entire Furman experience. For the first time ever, there were requirements for being nominated and we hope this will add more significance to the process.”

While the details are still to be determined, Fackler anticipates plans to showcase the court at several events throughout the fall term so students will get to know them before voting for a king and queen before Homecoming weekend.  “The interview process alone showed the new system is working. It was inspirational to spend time with the candidates and they were humbled to be considered among Furman’s best and brightest,” he said.

The following students comprise the 2014 Homecoming Court, listed with their sponsoring organization:

Katie Burke – Orientation Staff
Teddie Chastain – Chi Omega
Luke Christie – Habitat for Humanity
Audrey Davis – Delta Gamma
Sarah Katherine DeVenny – Kappa Delta
Courtney German – Panhellenic Council
Bernadette Hritzo – Beta Theta Pi
Matt Janowski – Delta Gamma
Sean McBratnie – Orientation Staff
Patrick Rankowitz – Kappa Alpha
Donny Santacaterina – Sigma Chi
Coady Shovlain – Pi Kappa Phi