Correction: The original version of this editorial contained an error. Although individual organizers set personal goals for attendance at lower numbers, an official number for projected attendance was never released.
For many students, homecoming festivals and traditions are fondly remembered events.
In theory, Friday’s homecoming carnival was an OK idea. School spirit is lagging, and a large rally and celebration of the school might have encouraged attendance at Saturday’s game against Cal. But at what cost?
A critical problem with the event was its price tag ““ $23,700 was allotted to the homecoming committee from student government surplus funds to put on the event.
While Undergraduate Students Association Council said it worked to minimize expenses and did not use all of the allotment, we can’t help but think there is a more lasting cause to which these funds could have gone.
In light of the state budget cuts, maybe the $23,700 could have been put toward a scholarship fund for deserving undergraduates, or to other campus programs that were sent to the chopping block.
Though not as glamorous as a carnival for school spirit, these programs are of much more practical use to students.
Lack of state funding looms over many aspects of the university, and the homecoming carnival did address this fact by asking students to fill out petition postcards to be sent to lawmakers in support of higher education funding. While using surplus funds for a carnival may have seemed counter-intuitive to this purpose, a huge event does better facilitate this kind of lobbying, and this particular project was a good one.
But the homecoming effort as a whole was a little misplaced. Many students came to the carnival without having the slightest idea of what it was, using their high school’s homecoming celebration as a point of comparison.
For an event that was touted so highly on this year’s USAC agenda, the lack of publicity and advertising was somewhat disjointed. Out of those who did come, a number of students said the event was simply OK.
Since it was Parents’ Weekend, a number of families came along to check out the festivities, which probably bolstered numbers. In this respect, the carnival may have succeeded in uniting the UCLA community of students, parents and alumni, one of the key goals for the event.
But on the whole, what did homecoming really accomplish? A few hours of activities, some prizes, but nothing that really stood out to students.
The attempt to display school spirit and camaraderie would be better saved for the traditional Beat ‘SC week, and the USAC’s funds would be better spent on student-oriented programs and services. Homecoming had some good intentions, but this idea is probably not worth a second shot.