February 28, 1980
UNC-A Homecoming- A Tradition Whose Time Is Past
by Chris Mann
For my first assignment as a reporter,
was given the job of covering the festi
vities at this year's Homecoming dance.
As a fledgling, I received this job because
the other members of the staff had bet
ter excusesifor not attending than I was
able to come up with. With very mixed
emotions, I set about to cover the event
and find a story. I woke up the morning
after without so much as a hangover to
show for all my in-depth research. I
asked myself, "Why did you go to the
Homecoming?" The dance was attend
ed by over 500 people. "Why did they
go to Homecoming?" Trying to answer
these questions, I painfully recalled the
events of the previous night.
The Homecoming dance was held this
year at The Inn on the Plaza on Febru
ary 15th. The dance itself ran from 9
p.m. until 1 a.m. and was followed by
informal partying on the fifth floor.
The informal carrying on began with
the end of the formal dance and con
tinued until the last reveler closed his
door sometime just before dawn.
I assumed, correctly, that the dance
woutdn't be hopping early and arrived
at the door of the Inn at 10 p.m. Press
credentials were not honored at the
door so, squeezing my formally attired*
body through the formally dressed
crowd, I presented my UNC-A I.D.
card at the desk and walked in to scout
for a good seat. My discomfort was
obviously shared by many of the blue-
jean-at-heart-types in attendance. Many
of the couples were so tense and stiff
it seemed as if they had forgotten to
remove the hangers from their clothes
before dressing.
Reporting can be a rather dry task
and so, after several minutes of diligent
observing, I headed toward the lone keg
of free beer. I may be a cub reporter
with less than a fine tuned nose for news
but I have a veteran's nose for free booze
I squeezed my way across the room hop
ing the supply of fr^e beer hadn't run
out. I reached the tap in time to get a
free brew and turned again to the task
at hand. Before I could get back for
a refill the freebies ran out. The death
of the token keg did not bring a halt
to the drinking, however, for the cash
bar was packed ail night. Many of the
student imbibers complained that
$1.75 was a strong price to pay for a
weak drink. The smart money went to
the end of the bar serviced by a broken
armed bartender with a heavy hand who
courageously poured the only good
drinks in the house. He attained in
stant celebrity among the many cost-
conscious drinkers and provided a
bright spot in an otherwise dull even
ing. His efforts behind the bar helped
many of the students loosen up be
neath their unfamiliar attire.
The band "Staircase" provided the
music for the evening and had a good
effect on the chemistry of the dance.
The band's repertoire included standard
Top 40 tunes, some disco and down-
home country boogie. Toward the end
of their first set, the "main event" of the
night began — the announcement of the
Homecoming King and Queen. A hush
fell over the raucous crowd as they lis
tened for the results of the election
held in conjunction with the elections
for Student Government President and
Vice-President. The selection of Vice-
President Mike Ochsenrelter as Home
coming Queen was the comic highlight
of the night. The results are a vivid
indication of students' disinterest in
such remnants of past traditions and
may signal the end of the custom here
at UNC-A. Homecoming King Chris
Frank vyas intercepted by runner-up
Queen, Judy Hunnycutt, ruining Chris'
chance for a night with the rightful
winner of the Queen's crown. Follow
ing the traditional King and Queen's
dance, the floor was filled by other
dancing couples.
The evening continued in its dull
fashion until 1 a.m., when the last wa
tery drink was served. Several dollars
poorer and still in search of a story, I
headed toward the party on the fifth
floor. I found, not one big party, but
a lot of small, private soirees. Although
I understood that people stayed up
'til dawn enjoying themselves, the Idea
didn't appeal to me and so I headed
home still in need of a story.
On a scale of one to ten, the entire
Homecoming' affair rated no better
than a four. My Impression was that
student's fees could have been spent
on something more worthwhile than a
superficial popularity contest. It seems
to me that most UNC-A students woulc
have had their fill of such festivities af
ter their senior proms in high school.
o
,o'
K SHOP
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