I can still picture it like it was yesterday; waking up at that early high school time of 6:30 a.m. in eager anticipation of my senior year homecoming. I know its "un-cool" to relate back to high school, especially as a senior in college, but the example seems worthy of mentioning. You can say it all you want, use such catch lines as high school glory days; living in the past, and high school hero, but those days were fun. Especially homecoming.
As I walked into school that day, students were covered in green and white, our high school colors. The spirit for our school and for our athletic teams ran high. Classes were suspended, and the day's events were strictly dedicated to the homecoming. Green and white filled the school, faces were painted, and tattoos of our wildcat mascot were everywhere. I remember arriving at my locker to find huge posters, bags of candy and baked goods, and notes of encouragement filled from the floor to the ceiling.
Talk surrounded the school, speculating and judging who would be the lucky two who were crowned homecoming king and queen. Each class came together, planning cheers, skits, and dances for the pep rally and for the football game that night. Huge pep rallies were held all throughout the day, as people revved themselves up for the day and the night to come. Cheerleaders, classes, faculty, athletes, and everyone else cheered and showed their spirit. It was an incredible atmosphere and one that brought everyone together in the spirit of the school. But where has it all gone?
Now in my senior year at Tufts, I reflect on the previous three homecomings, and I can honestly only feel a little ashamed and depressed. Where is the spirit, the fire, and the pride for our school and our Jumbos? I understand that many on our campus view college and our school differently; we are a Division III school, we have relatively small-time sports, and we are a middle sized school where often you know only a small percentage of the student body; we are a school with a nontraditional mascot and colors that really don't go together.
But honestly, who cares! It's fun to come together for one weekend, to enjoy each other's company, our school, and the opportunity and experience with which it provides us. That is what homecoming is all about. I am not writing this to sound corny or to, in some lame attempt, try to get more people to come to our football game. Instead, I want to begin a tradition on this campus and instill a sense of pride and ownership in ourselves and in our school. With the world in such turmoil, there is no better time than right now,
Saturday is not only a day for our football team to come together, but for our parents, alumni, and student body as a whole to congregate and enjoy one another in these times of mixed emotions, of grief, sadness, anger, and pride. Drop all your work, worries, and agendas and come together this Saturday and celebrate what we have here on campus. Whether you're an athlete or not, all of us are students at Tufts, so come out this weekend and be a part of Tufts.
Go to the pep rally, the parade, the tailgating, and the athletic events to support the Jumbos. Dress up in brown and blue, paint your bodies, fill your Tisch Library spill proof mugs up with whatever you desire, and enjoy the events and our school. Can't wait to see you there, feel your spirit, and feel your excitement. Go Jumbos! Enjoy!!
Scott Mittenthal is a senior majoring in biology. Everett Dickerson, who also contributed to this viewpoint, is a student at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Both play football for Tufts.
