UMD kicked off spirit week with a variety of in-person and online events
A Build-a-Bae turtle made at Adele H. Stamp Student Union building sits in front of Testudo and on a new 2020 homecoming scarf. (@thestampumd/Instagram)
The University of Maryland’s Homecoming week has come around again this fall season from Oct. 26 to Oct. 30. Despite COVID-19, the Student Entertain Events (SEE) worked hard at planning a variety of in-person and online events.
Both on-campus and off-campus Terps were able to show off school spirit and have fun in safe environments. For the Halloween spirit, SEE and the Stamp Student Union hosted scary movie nights on Monday and Friday. To encourage school spirit, Terps could pick up a homecoming spirit box with various crafts. They also held sales at the University Book Center, Nyumburu Cultural Center held a virtual juke joint, and there were art projections outside of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. On the very last day of Homecoming week were Build-A-Bae, Drag Bingo, and a Terps tailgate show to kick off the big football game against Minnesota.
Laura Kazdoba, a freshman English major, said that the events were “pretty fun.” Given that she is an on-campus student, the events were really accessible to her.
On Monday, she visited Studio A, in the basement of the Stamp, to get a homecoming spirit box. Like hundreds of other students, Kazdoba got a Build-A-Bae in the ballroom of the Stamp.
In one of the ballrooms in Stamp, stickers encouraging social distancing by remaining six-feet apart were plastered on the flooring. Students were given the choice between a duck, an elephant, a turtle, and more. As students entered, they were told that once they chose an animal to stuff, they couldn’t swap for another one.
Luckily, there were plenty of animals left by the end of the night for each student to get the animal they desired. After grabbing their desired pets, a bag of stuffing, and a miniature “Homecoming 2020” shirt for their new friend, students could take a seat in the socially distanced ballroom. There were rows of tables with the option to sit alone or with one other friend. At the very front of the room was a large screen and speakers to broadcast the tailgate show.
Kazdoba did mention that while she felt involved, it was only because she “proactively sought out activities.”
Stamp had the events posted on TerpLink, a website to keep track of student organizations and events to attend, for quite a while. But they didn’t post them on social media until a week before the events were being held.
“If you weren’t looking at TerpLink, then you were missing out,” Kazdoba said.
Off-campus freshman government and politics major, Vivian Ebisike, expressed those same concerns. While she understood that being virtual was necessary, she was disappointed. She said that the virtual environment takes away from the “personability of everything.”
She also explains that Homecoming and spirit week can help students, especially freshmen, feel closer to the school and boost community. She goes on to say that virtual events take away from that aspect, and there’s less reason to attend.
Despite the university’s attempt to foster community, Ebisike felt that she wasn’t really getting anything out of it.
“I haven’t been able to do these things, so it kind of sucks,” she said when comparing her experiences to upperclassmen who have been able to foster a strong community.