Religious holidays and school sporting events have caused this weekend's Homecoming to shift nearly a month earlier than usual. Parent's weekend has also moved _ pushed back a week to Oct. 18.
The rearrangement resulted from conversations between the Alumni Association and the Athletics Department about various timing problems that interfere with the two weekends. In recent years, many sports teams have played away from the University on Homecoming and Parents Weekends _ preventing parents, students, and alumni from attending home games and campus activities. The new schedule is an effort to split a variety of home sporting events between the weekends and allow for greater turnout at both.
Football, men's and women's soccer, and field hockey games are typically held on Homecoming Weekend, according to Director of Athletics Bill Gehling. But last year, only football and men's soccer could play. "It's been very difficult over the past few years to find two weekends that work," Gehling said. "This weekend was considered too early for Parents Weekend. From a Homecoming standpoint, we felt that it would be okay."
Additional complications, such as changes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) schedule, the Columbus Day long weekend, and the cluster of Jewish holidays in the fall, affected the decision.
The scheduling reorganization was considered before, Director of Alumni Relations Tim Brooks said. But it was too late in the planning to implement the change. This year was different. "We thought about it in late fall so that we had the benefit of almost a full year to get it out," Brooks said. Early planning allowed publicity for both events to be distributed before people made their travel plans, he added.
Traditionally, the Homecoming football game has been played against rotating opponents Williams and Amherst Colleges. This year, the Jumbos will face off against the Bates College Bobcats in Ellis Oval at 1 p.m. Parents Weekend will coincide with the home game against Williams this October.
Administrators are optimistic that the rearranged dates will improve turnout on both weekends. "We consulted just about everybody on campus who we felt would be affected by it before reaching a conclusion," Gehling said. "But it's a conclusion I'm pretty happy with."
Sports Information Coordinator Paul Sweeney agreed. "We've got a lot of teams that will be competing on Tufts soil," he said. "It's better, if anything." In addition to the usual games, a women's tennis match, a cross-country event in Grafton, and another men's soccer game on Sunday will be played, Sweeney said.
Signs of increased participation are already visible, Brooks said. "The good news is that we have a tailgater's area right there next to the athletics field _ one barometer to see if the date works is to see how well that sells. It sold out already."
Nicer weather was considered a benefit of an earlier Homecoming date, but clouds and a chance of rain are predicted for tomorrow.
The rescheduling will increase the prominence of sporting events on Parents Weekend, an added benefit of the switch according to Director of Parents Programs Eleanor Short. "It's very important that we have athletic sports during the time that the parents are here," Short said. "Well over 300 parents have children who participate in the sports."
The Alumni Association is responsible for much of the setup behind Homecoming, including organizing event publicity, catering, tent setup, a DJ, a children's activity area, giveaway activities, portable bathroom facilities, police support, and local community event notification.
Brooks was confident that the closer deadline did not affect Alumni Association preparations for Homecoming. "It just gave us one less month of preparation time," he said. "We have pretty much a set formula. This year we just did it all earlier."
Students greeted the change with mostly positive reactions.
"I think its good," sophomore football player Jack Byrne said. "Everybody's still in the swing of getting adjusted and I think it helps [students] get together and have a good time."
Junior Kurt Bruch felt unaffected by the change. "If it's going to happen it's going to happen," he said. "It should be nicer weather, I'd hope.
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