Homecoming 2011

Alumni and students will join power dancers and cheerleaders during the Homecoming Spirit Rally.

UT Dallas prepares for a celebration of Comet spirit during four days jam-packed with festivities during Homecoming 2012, Nov. 14-17.

The 19th annual event will feature a coronation dance, parade and picnic, late-night float building, cardboard boat races, a 5K run, Spirit rally and a women’s basketball game.

“Homecoming is actually centered on the whole Comet spirit, and the pride we have in UT Dallas,” said Kecia Baker, assistant dean of students. “When I listen to students talk, it’s clear they love being here. This is a celebration of loving UT Dallas.”

Seventy band members from Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas will lead off this year’s Homecoming parade. Sixty floats have been registered for the parade, and hundreds of students and alumni are expected to show up for the picnic immediately afterward.

A first-ever Homecoming reunion for UT Dallas alumni members of fraternities and sororities will mark the 20th anniversary of Greek life on campus.

UT Dallas Homecoming 2011

The Homecoming Parade is Friday.

Highlights of the Student Union Activities Advisory Board’s “Green, Orange and White Ball” and coronation include a live band and three LED dance floors in the Galaxy Rooms, each lit with one of the official University colors. Students are encouraged to incorporate green, orange and white in their favorite party attire.

Game players at the annual casino, held in the dining hall, will vie for high-end prizes—including a bike and a full-size pool table.

The UT Dallas power dancers and cheerleaders, joined by the UT Dallas Pep Band, will pump up the crowd at a Spirit rally, followed by a “Powder Puff” football game featuring two female teams and male cheerleaders.

About 107 students and alumni have signed up for an evening 5K run and will sport glow-in-the-dark gear for the race.

Homecoming gives the campus community an opportunity each year to welcome UT Dallas alumni back to their alma mater in fun and meaningful ways, said Erin Dougherty, senior director for alumni relations.

“For some, it’s catching a basketball game or playing in the casino. For others, it’s enjoying breakfast with the president and the academic deans,” Dougherty said. “However much the alumni and the University have changed over the years, our goal is always to reconnect.”