Students and alumni on the Hill on Saturday had the opportunity to attend the universitys first Homecoming Carnival, held on the rugby field from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
According to the events Facebook page, the carnival, organized by the Senior Class Council, featured various attractions, including a temporary tattoo stall, a caramel apple and cotton candy stand, a fried dough truck, an inflatable quarterback attack booth and a dunk tank.
All activities were free to students and alumni except the dunk tank, which cost $1 to play. According to Senior Class President Patrick Kazley, students raised $300 dollars to benefit Gildas Club, a support group that raises money for cancer patients and their loved ones.
Kazley, who organized the carnival along with Senior Class Vice President Nick Cutsumpas, was satisfied with the event. Kazley explained that, under Programming Boards supervision, he and Cutsumpas spent roughly four weeks planning the carnival a task that involved calling companies to provide services, receiving clearance from the Tufts Community Union Treasury and working with the Alumni Association.
Traditionally, weve done a homecoming pep rally with a king and queen, but we wanted to do something that was a little more appealing to the student body to get the students exposed to the existing alumni event, Kazley said. This is one of our big events of the year. ... We thought [a carnival] would ... really complement the game and people would walk there anyway.
Part of the Senior Class Councils goal for the event was to encourage students to interact with alumni, Kazley said. They also hoped to create an event that both alumni and their children would want to attend.
We worked alongside the alumni association, who covered some of our expenses too, so it was a very collaborative effort in that sense, Kazley said.
Kazley, who is also president of Delta Upsilon , collaborated with other Greek organizations on campus in planning the event.
We do a lot of events through the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and I know all [of the] presidents, he said. I asked them if they were interested, and they all indicated that they were.
Chi Omega President Nina Denison, who sat in the dunk tank at the carnival along with other fraternity and sorority presidents, hoped the event would demonstrate the Greek organizations contributions to campus.
[Participating in the event was] part of our efforts to unify Greek life on campus and make us a joint presence instead of specific chapters, Denison said. [Kazley] also wanted to integrate our presence into the greater Tufts community by [having us] very visibly taking part in this.
Morgan Kee, a senior who attended the event on her way to the womens rugby match, said that she enjoyed the Homecoming Carnival and hoped that Tufts would continue to hold it in future years.
I never attended any of the pep rallies in years past, but I made sure to visit the carnival, Kee said. I think that Tufts should consider making the carnival an annual event, as I would love to see it again as an alumna.
