DeKALB – NIU will hold its 2024 Homecoming celebration from Oct. 13 to Oct. 20. The many events that will be available are planned thanks to committees such as the Homecoming Planning Committee and Campus Activities Board.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Matthew Streb, chief of staff to the president of NIU and professor of political science, was tasked with the initiative to plan NIU’s homecoming celebrations.
“I think we felt like we needed a little bit of jolt to homecoming with COVID in particular, it was hard to get people back,” Streb said.
Homecoming at NIU is a long-standing tradition, one that the Homecoming Planning Committee has been building on for the past three years.
“We have the oldest homecoming in the state of Illinois. This is our 117th homecoming, so homecoming has always been something that’s been very special on campus,” Streb said.
Homecoming at NIU is not only for the students; there are events for alums, faculty and the greater DeKalb community as well.
“There are going to be some events that are more student-focused and more alumni-focused. There are some events that we want the entire community to be engaged with, and that’s been something that’s really been a benefit that’s come out of this committee,” Streb said.
One of the community-wide events that will take place during homecoming week is the March of the Huskies, where student organizations will march, and the Campus Activities Board will announce the homecoming court.
Streb also mentioned that some DeKalb businesses will have homecoming discounts, such as Barb City Bagels and Cracker Jax. A full list of businesses offering homecoming discounts can be found on the NIU homecoming website.
In addition, this is the third year the committee has done its Pride with Purpose initiative, a T-shirt design competition that the community votes on, which Streb believes is important for engaging the campus.
“We’ll unveil the winning design on Monday of homecoming. It’ll be available throughout the year, but we’ll have it available at the bookstore and some of our homecoming events. The proceeds go to student scholarships. It’s those types of things that I think are really important to have campus engaged,” Streb said.
Amarion Weathersby, Campus Activities Board president, said CAB is planning a Homecoming at Holmes event, which is set to take place Oct. 17 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
“For Homecoming at Holmes, there were things that students told us last year that they thought worked great. As CAB, we are always trying to elevate our events every year to bring new experiences,” Weathersby said.
A common favorite among NIU students during homecoming week is the school spirit the football game brings.
“It was a really nice environment and the school spirit was very nice. I was very grateful to have that experience,” said Sondos Hassan, a sophomore health sciences major.
Kleo Bano, a second-year master’s student in computer science, said attending homecoming events is also a good way for the community to get together.
“Everybody is excited about it. We all gather. We use these events together with our friends and create a community,” Bano said.
A common theme among NIU students was the desire for more promotion surrounding homecoming events.
“I didn’t find out myself what was going on. I had my friend tell me, so I think there has to be more promotion,” Bano said.
Streb said there are many events this year, with information about them available on NIU’s homecoming website.
“There’s a lot of different things going on. If you look online, there’s a ton of things that I think our students will be excited about,” Streb said.
