The 100th Letdown

Yard of Fame or Yard of Disdain?

Howard Students and alumni alike come together in the name of Howard Homecoming. Howard’s Homecoming has been the epicenter of Black excellence and cultural integrity for Black scholars for decades. Especially with this being the 100th annual Homecoming, it is set to be one of the best. Howard, as a community, will always find a way to have a good time and celebrate our historical legacy, so it is shocking to see that, while there were positive moments, our community felt an overall sense of disappointment. Students faced struggles with excessive lines, expenses, lackluster planning, and a general lack of morale regarding Homecoming festivities. While Howard’s theme this year was “Yard of Fame,” most realized that The Yard wasn’t the same.   

Security 

The presence of security this year could be described as weary. The usual influx of “protection” wasn’t amplified as it was at past Homecoming events, which could be believed to have led to students being put in danger. During on-campus events such as Bison Madness and the Divine 9-Step Show, the security was sparse and very opinionated in emotions. Displaying poor attitudes, yelling at students, accusing them of skipping the line, and all around emulating an attitude of disdain put a damper on Homecoming. More significant events such as Yardfest, the Football Game, and the festivities leading up to nightlife were deemed unsatisfactory. There was a lack of security around the vendors, and they all seemed to pull towards the stage with the artists. As the day ended and students were getting excited for nightlife, security was nowhere to be found. There were two shootings near campus on U-Street, with one person injured. Some students reported that they were trampled as a result of chaotic running, and the percentage of car robberies increased. With Howard Homecoming being such an advertised and highly anticipated series of events, the administration should prioritize keeping students, alums, and guests safe.

Prices

Unlike many other HBCUs, Howard students must pay for all events and activities on campus. Considering the high student activity fee included on every student’s bill, this was an extreme and costly inconvenience for students. With ticket prices ranging from $40 to $70, almost double the price from the previous year, it made this homecoming very difficult for students to enjoy events catered towards them. Not only were the prices too high for college students, but the quantity of tickets for the events was also limited. Because of this, even free events like Bison Madness couldn’t accommodate the growing student population, leaving many bison extremely upset, disappointed, and distraught. 

Poor Planning and Advertising 

In the days leading up to homecoming, there was much less excitement and anticipation in the air than there once was in past years. Many have ruled this reaction to be a direct impact of the expensive tickets no one could afford or the uninteresting (uninteresting to many, attractive to some…to each is own) line-ups of artists planned. Still, ultimately, this is due to poor planning and advertising. This year, Howard failed to excite its community with the lack of yard activities and overall catering toward guests. Planning an event of this stature boils down to proper preparation, which, in this case, was poor. In event planning, there are the 4 Ps that help guide: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. The planning of this year’s homecoming can be considered poor, which explains why the outcome was received negatively in terms of believing something was lacking. Compared to previous homecomings, there should be no question on whether the 100th annual homecoming was the best, but many are starting to question it as some are claiming this year to be their worst homecoming. How you plan an event is what you get out of it, and based on how most participants received this year’s homecoming, the planning lacked tremendously in more ways than one. 

No Kamala 

Two days before gameday, The Hilltop's on-campus newspaper alerted students that Vice President Kamala Harris would not make the Howard University stop on her HBCU Tour. This was quite a unique letdown since the student body highly anticipated Harris’s planned appearance. Many precautions were taken to restrict the opportunity for more activities in the yard. When students were notified, it was too late to return to their original tailgate traditions.