The first week of Homecoming activities concluded Sunday with the annual Recyclable Boat Race at the East Lagoon, attracting Greek organizations and DeKalb residents alike.

“We came just for the race. We saw it advertised on the Internet and it sounded like fun,” said DeKalb resident Elizabeth Potts.

The objective of the race was to create a boat made completely from recyclable materials. Styrofoam, empty kegs, wood and metal could not be used, but duct tape and plastic containers ranked as some of the most popular building materials.

Alpha Phi Omega fraternity’s craft, which took roughly 11 hours to construct, was tested to carry up to 400 pounds.

“We made it to the semi-finals last year, so this year we were really determined,” said Daniel Novak, an Alpha Phi Omega member.

Sigma Kappa and Sigma Phi Epsilon’s raft made of cardboard and duct tape included an inflatable pink elephant head taped to the front.

“It took about 20 minutes this morning, to be honest,” said Tommy Giganti, a sophomore physical education major who, alongside sophomore marketing major Jenny Wiatr, paddled the raft for a short distance before the cardboard gave out.

Though officials read the rules before the event began, disputes arose regarding regulations on remaining in the boat.

“The biggest problem is that some of them don’t even have a boat. They aren’t really on anything,” said Barbara Simmons, the Fine Arts Coordinator for CAB.

A disagreement at the finish line evolved after a group got to the end first by dragging their craft through the water.

“I don’t care if I win, I just want to get out of here,” said Katie McGraw, the Mortar Board paddler, when judges began to shout at the contestants to get back on the craft.

Some contestants disagreed with the judges’ decisions.

“It’s not really fair. We were on the boat the majority of the time. It’s a boat race, not a swimming race. We followed the rules,” said Ruben Ramos, a freshman marketing major, who attended the race in support of Omega Delta fraternity.

According to the rules, at least two people, with an equal amount of women and men, must remain in the boat at all times. If one of the participants falls out or the craft sinks below the surface of the water, the group will be disqualified.

The three groups who participated in the contested race were asked to restart the competition.

Despite the disagreement, most people reported enjoying the race and felt the judges had done a fair job in determining the winners.

“It was fun though, I had a really good time,” Ramos said.