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Photo by Davis Farthing - Contributing Photographer
UNCA students show school spirit and pride at the Bulldogs' home game last Saturday.
Students gear up for Nearly Naked Mile, games, dance
Maeve Callahan
mecallah@unca.edu - Staff Writer
UNC Asheville students prepare to build floats, cheer
their team to victory and put on their dancing shoes in
anticipation of this weekend’s homecoming festivities.
“I’ve heard all about the homecoming activities and
I’m definitely going to the games, but the other activi
ties are not as important as the games are I think,” said
Ariana Peden, freshman psychology student.
Homecoming activities begin Thursday afternoon
with float building. The first homecoming game hap
pens Thursday night as the women’s basketball team
hosts Liberty University.
“We have a new student organization competition
where we have invited student organizations to partici
pate in all of the events and receive points and prizes for
their efforts, not to mention ultimate bragging rights,”
said Director of Student Life Jill Moffitt.
The various participating groups meet together at
Highsmith University Union Grotto at 12:30 p.m. on
Thursday to start decorating their floats for the Friday
parade.
Other activities associated with the three-day home
coming include a pep rally, tailgating, a step show, a
dance and much more.
Students say the most important part of homecom
ing is athletics, according to Halima Flint, junior art
student.
“It’s homecoming for basketball. I think there is a
dance, too, but 1 don’t really know any of the details
about that,” Flint said.
M hope for my team's sake that 1 am running around campus
nearly naked in the near future."
Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick
head coach of the women's basketball team
There are three homecoming basketball games:
UNCA women versus Liberty on Thursday at 7 p.m.,
UNCA women playing Longwood University on Sat
urday at 2 p.m. and UNCA men hosting Jacksonville
State University on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Should UNCA win the Thursday night game, some
thing that has not happened since 2007, according
to university officials. Head Coach of the women’s
basketball team Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick agreed
to donate her game suit and join in the Nearly Naked
Mile.
“I hope for my team’s sake that I am running around
campus nearly naked in the near future,” Kirkpatrick
said.
The Nearly Naked Mile, hosted by the Student Alum
ni Association, allows students, and hopefully Kirkpat
rick, the chance to strip down to their bathing suits to
run a mile on Thursday at 10 p.m.
Philanthropy and service match the traditional
themes of school spirit and pride for UNCA’s home
coming, according to Lucretia King, assistant direc
tor of alumni relations and university events.
King said the Black Alumni Association wanted
to perform a service project while celebrating both
homecoming and their reunion. The Black Alumni As
sociation intends to participate in a day of service on
Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Asheville Habitat for
Humanity.
“We’ve never done anything like this before, so this
is our trial run. But the plan is to extend the day of ser
vice to all alumni by next year,” King said.
On Friday, the annual Hall of Fame Ceremony re
mains closed to those without an invitation.
The Celebration of Champions, which takes place
one hour prior to the Hall of Fame Ceremony, at 5:30
p.m., gives the public an opportunity to meet with both
past and present players in the Sherrill Center Con
course.
The homecoming festivities appeal to a variety of
students coming from all majors and ages according to
Helen O’Donnell, senior literature student.
“When I found out there was a step show on Friday. I
got really excited and made plans to go with a bunch of
my friends,” O’Donnell said.
Details about all scheduled events for Homecoming
2013 can be found at alumni.unca.edu/homecoming.