OcTIGER Fest showcases campus organizations

T he Homecoming Committee organized by Lauren Land, the internal director of alumni, has been preparing for homecoming  week since last spring.

 “We met routinely last spring and this fall to determine which activities had worked well in the past during Homecoming,” said student Andrew Ford, “While also adding  new events and activities that would excite alumni and current students.”

  A brand new addition to the list of exciting events for this year’s Homecoming week is the OcTIGER Fest. All schools, social clubs, sports teams and student groups like Campus Activities Board, Ouachita Student Foundation and Student Senate will set up tables in the plaza for the outdoor reception this Saturday from 10-11 a.m.

 “OcTIGER Fest is a new event designed to give alumni and Homecoming guests a snapshot of life on campus today in one central location,” Land said.

 In previous years, socials clubs had organized private drop-ins for the alumni and friends.

 “The problem was,” said student Adam Wheat, “that like most students today, many alumni were involved in many different organizations and academic schools or had friends who were not involved with their social club.”

 OcTIGER Fest provides an opportunity to catch-up with alumni and see how the social clubs are doing.

 Student Sarah Johnson, who also headed the Senate Homecoming Committee, calls it “a fun new way for alumni to connect,” and hopes it will be “more family friendly than events of the years past.”

 “The goal is to foster an interactive time of fellowship and reunion,” Land said.

 Besides the events for social clubs and alumni, OcTIGER Fest will also include some events for kids.

 “Also exciting — Katherine Frazier and Amy Taylor have designed activities for the kids,” Land said. “Katherine has designed a coloring book featuring Ouachita landmarks and snapshots while Amy has designed a commemorative Ouachita keepsake for the kids to color and enjoy.”

 In the end, every aspect of this week is all for Ouachita community.

 “We hope that anyone who visits Ouachita this next week will see very quickly what a fun, spirited place Ouachita is,” Wheat said, “and how much everyone who comes here is impacted by the community here. 

 “We want past, present and future students to see homecoming as a time for exactly that: to come home to Ouachita, to reconnect with ‘family,’ and to share once again the love that permeates this place.  

 “We don’t want it to be just about one group but about the whole Ouachita community.  It’s not just a football game; it’s not just Tiger Tunes; it’s coming home.”