Collegiate Times

When asked to describe Virginia Tech to someone who knows nothing about the school, I can usually sum up our school in three words: Ut Prosim, tradition.

The tradition of service, leadership and community that embodies Tech is what being a Hokie is all about.

Homecoming is a tradition that Hokies have been a part of for more than 80 years.

I understand that many students view Homecoming as a Greek popularity contest, and honestly, I would agree with that viewpoint for the most part, but I would also add some information to it.

Homecoming is an opportunity for different organizations to sponsor a candidate who they feel embodies what it means to be a truly inspirational Hokie. Every candidate on the 2011 court is exemplary within their sponsoring organization, as well the other organizations they are part of.

To read the rest of Kelsey’s column, go online to collegiatetimes.com.

Now, I am not going to ramble on about why you should vote or why you should vote for me, but I do encourage you to learn a little more about Homecoming’s significance to our university.

Homecoming is about tradition.

Tradition of selecting one king and one queen to be the ambassador to Tech for the remaining school year is something Tech has done for years.

People always ask, “What do the king and queen do? Do they serve any purpose?” The answer to your question is yes, they actually do serve a purpose.

The crowned king and queen act as the face of our university when important officials or political representatives come to Tech and want to have one-on-one time with a student to discuss different issues pertaining to campus or just want to see a point of view from the perspective of a student. These two students have the opportunity to represent the student body in a different way than Student Government or any other student groups on campus.

Our king and queen are an important part of our community at Tech, as well as part of upholding a long-standing tradition on campus.

Prepare yourselves for four days of flyer handouts, free candy and an obnoxious amount of homecoming T-shirts on campus.

I know that if you’re not part of one of the organizations representing a candidate, the whole event can feel like a waste of your time, but the candidates really do care about reaching out to students.

Take a flyer or a free piece of candy, and while you eat your free lollipop, go ahead and scan the QR code on the flyer, or visit the candidate’s website, because you will most likely be pleasantly surprised with what you see.

I thank you in advance for your support of Homecoming and all the events. We all appreciate it very much.

A version of this article appeared in the Oct 18 issue of the Collegiate Times.