When Homecoming comes to mind, some may think back to their high school days of dancing the night away, wearing dress-code approved attire, in a gymnasium full of teacher-chaperones. However, college Homecoming is celebrated as a time to invite alumni back to campus and remember their university experience.
Northwestern State University of Louisiana is hosting several events to celebrate alumni for the 2023 Homecoming season.
Joel Ebarb, alumnus of the Eta Omicron chapter of Theta Chi fraternity, defined Homecoming and what it means for him and all alumni.
“For me, Homecoming literally is coming home, it really is a cherished opportunity to revisit the places and people that made you who you are today,” Ebarb said. “For any community, Homecoming is about connecting with your roots, where you came from and celebrating and thanking the people that helped you along the way.”
Ebarb sees Homecoming as an opportunity to not only celebrate the past, but embrace the future.
“For a brief moment, alumni are able to recapture the excitement and energy of their undergraduate experience, we see ourselves in the students of today, and it gives us hope for tomorrow,” Ebarb said.
Theta Chi will be hosting Friday Night Brotherhood, tailgating, Brotherhood at the Loft, an Alumni Softball Tournament and an Alumni Corporation Meeting in which alumni can revisit with their fraternity brothers for Homecoming.
Danielle Cobb, director of NSU Alumni affairs, explained that many organizations welcome their alumni back to NSU for the Homecoming season.
“We have a bunch of different chapters of different organizations that are present here at Northwestern, so a lot of them have their own groups for their affiliates but we also have events that all alumni are welcome to,” Cobb said.
The Louisiana Scholars College, NSU Lady Demon Volleyball, the Black Alumni Alliance and Theta Chi will all be hosting reunions in the spirit of Homecoming.
“Each group kind of has their own mission, if you will, of just trying to keep those former students engaged with the university as a whole, and building those relationships with alumni, so that faculty members can build connections to help our current students,” Cobb said.
The importance of alumni relations with NSU is paramount to Cobb.
“Without our current students we wouldn’t be here, like NSU would not be an entity, and whenever they graduate that still holds the same ‘cause alumni, a lot of them, really support the university,” Cobb said.
Cobb explained Homecoming as an embrace of the comradery between NSU alumni and current students.
“Just having everyone come back and not forgetting about NSU creates a realization that they’re still a part of this family even if you’re not a current student here,” Cobb said.
Clarence Frank, Theta Chi Alumni Association president, also believes Homecoming creates a family environment for NSU.
“It is a time for us to come together again at the university that we love and relive some of our college life and rekindle those relationships we developed while in undergrad,” Frank said. “It is our way of building relationships between alumni and active members to promote our motto of ‘Theta Chi for Life.’”
Frank hopes for the traditions of Homecoming to continue.
“We hope to reconnect with all of our alumni who may have been out of the loop for a while and restart a tradition of gatherings to stay in support of our active chapter,” Frank said.
This Homecoming season, Frank is excited to celebrate Theta Chi’s 50th Golden Celebration. Frank hopes to celebrate all the past accomplishments of Theta Chi and all those who have contributed.
Frank values the connection that Homecoming brings. This is why he said Homecoming is one of his favorite memories from NSU.
“Homecoming was always a special time for me because lots of alumni always return to campus and I loved connecting with them and enjoying them for a weekend or however long they were in town,” Frank said.
Ebarb shared Frank’s excitement to connect and celebrate their fraternity during Homecoming.
“I remember when I was an undergraduate and all of our chapter alumni would return to campus,” Ebarb said. “I am looking forward to meeting the current members and sharing the Homecoming experience with them, just as the alumni did with us when I was a student.”
Ebarb is ready to reflect and expand his Homecoming memories by attending this year’s festivities.
“I loved our marching band, color guard, and Demon Dazzlers when I was at NSU, and I am excited to see how the Spirit of Northwestern marching band has evolved since I graduated in 1990,” Ebarb said.
Cobb shared her favorite memories of the NSU Homecoming parade.
“When I was a student at Northwestern my favorite event was the Homecoming parade,” Cobb said. “I was involved in the greek system, so that was always something we really looked forward to, the late nights making the floats and everything and then participating in the parade it’s just special to me.”
Now that Cobb is an alumni herself, she continues to celebrate her time at NSU by attending the Homecoming parade with her family.
“My little girl loves the Homecoming parade and this will be my little boy’s first Homecoming parade this year, so the whole thing comes full circle, like I used to participate in it but now my family gets to participate in it,” Cobb said.
Cobb urges NSU students to take advantage of Homecoming events this year and celebrate the full circle it creates.
“If you see someone that looks like they could be an alumni, take the opportunity to meet them and introduce yourself,” Cobb said. “I have found that the alumni are so excited to meet current students and love to share their memories, so take advantage of those opportunities to mix and mingle because you never know if that could be your next boss or even mentor.”
