Tonight the quiet streets of Westwood Village will be
transformed into an outburst of glitz and glamour as UCLA’s
70th anniversary parade takes place.
The 8 p.m. parade will kick off Homecoming weekend, a UCLA
tradition since 1927.
This year’s theme, “Luck be a Bruin Tonight,”
will give the community and students a chance to turn Westwood into
the infamous Las Vegas.
The Homecoming Committee, consisting of 10 people, began working
in April alongside the Student Alumni Association to plan
today’s events.
The parade will feature 36 entries including floats, student
groups and the UCLA marching band. Participating organizations will
include Habitat for Humanity, Alumni Scholars, Spirit Squad and the
UCLA Cycling Team.
This past year marked the first Homecoming activities in six
years. At one time, UCLA was renowned among universities for having
one of the largest and most exciting Homecoming celebrations. In
the 1960s, as students became more politically active, the
popularity of Homecoming plummeted and festivities were cancelled.
Activities were revived again in the 1970s, but cancelled once
again in 1996.
Jillean Dubatowka, executive director of the Homecoming
Committee, stressed the importance of such campus events.
“We decided to bring it back this year again to liven up
the campus with spirit and create a sense of Bruin pride,”
Dubatowka said.
Celebrity guests like Nick Spano, from the Disney
Channel’s series “Even Stevens,” and Kimberly
Locke, from “American Idol,” will participate in the
parade. UCLA’s Chris Waller, the assistant gymnastics coach
who was recently inducted into the Gymnastics Hall of Fame, will
also march.
Fraternities and sororities like Alpha Phi and Beta Theta Pi
have teamed up to create floats. First-year student Lauren Aspell
worked on the Alpha Phi/Beta Theta Pi float this past week.
“We have been working hard on our float and we are very
excited to be doing it with Beta because it won (part of) the
competition last year,” she said.
Sagar Parikh, first-year business economics student and Alumni
Scholar, will take on the role of a black jack dealer on one of the
floats.
“I’m thrilled to participate in such a rich
tradition. … This will only encourage me to get more involved
with school spirit,” Parikh said.
After the parade, a pre-game rally will occur at the
intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Le Conte Avenue.
UCLA’s Spirit Squad and Yell Crew will lead cheers to pump up
the crowd for Saturday’s Rose Bowl game, where UCLA will play
Arizona State.
During the rally, a panel of faculty and alumni judges will hand
out float awards in such categories as “Best use of
Theme,” “Best Bruin Spirit” and “Best Float
Design and Craftsmanship.”
Awakening and Random Voices, two UCLA a capella groups, will
also perform along with the band Almost Gone.
In hopes of creating a more unified sense of school pride,
Parents Weekend coincides with Homecoming. Alumni activities will
include the chancellor’s pre-game party at the Rose Bowl and
the Bruin Family barbecue. The weekend will come to a close with
Sunday’s Founder’s Day Celebration in Royce Hall.
Between 3,000 and 4,000 people filled the streets of the Village
last year to take part in Homecoming events. The Homecoming
Committee expects a similar turnout this Friday night.
The Homecoming Committee and SAA hope that Homecoming will
revive a sense of spirit within the students and community.
“Although there is no major lack of spirit here at UCLA,
we would like to see more spirit and pride,” Dubatowka
said.
And she said keeping this tradition alive will achieve just
that.