Western Kentucky University - Talisman Yearbook (Bowling Green, KY)

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Western, Canada, Homecoming n uncommon bond erspiration was a common bond between nearly all those attending the Homecoming football game. Though it was the first of November, tempera- tures soared into the 8os. Shirt sleeves were rolled up, ties loosened and wool jackets removed as the crowd watched the Toppers tackle Georgia South- ern. Despite the even score in the first quarter, Geor- gia Southern, the 1985 Division I-AA national champions, proved too much for the Toppers. By halftime, Southern had widened the gap to 28-14. And much of the crowd hung around only long enough to see Whitney Auslander crowned Homecoming queen. Auslander, a Louisville junior, was actually crowned twice during the week-long festivities-first at Big Red's Roar, the annual Homecoming pep rally held two nights earlier, then again at halftime of the football game. She was sponsored ,by Kappa Delta sorority and Sigma Chi fraternity. Because of a tie, two first runners-up were named. Cathy Brown, a Louisville senior, was sponsored by Alpha Delta Pi sorority and Sigma Alpha Epsilon -Bob Bruck Covering his ears, 3-year-old Matthew Sparks watches the Homecoming parade with his mother Linda. The Bowling Green residents watched the activities from Center Street. 14 Student Life fraternity. Louisville senior Caroline Miller was sponsored by Chi Omega sorority and Delta Tau Delta and Phi Delta Theta fraternities. Though the game ended on a down note with the Toppers behind 49-32, the week had been packed with activities that included politics, parades and a no-show governor. With the theme Oh Canada-Oh Kentucky: Knowledge Makes Good Neighbors, the week was a celebration of the university's new Canadian Stud- ies Program. Seminars, exhibits and concerts were all used to parallel the homecoming theme. Gov. Martha Layne Collins was expected to attend a press confer- ence on Monday, but Canadian Consul General Sydney Harris, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Thom- as Niles and university president Kern Alexander had to confer without her. Politics aside, the week continued with Big Red's Roar, which might have seemed a little foreign as well. In the past the rally was held inside Diddle Arena. This year for the first time, it was conducted outside at Smith Stadium. Features included a dance routine by the WKU Spirit Dancers, a lively performance by New York comedian Rondell Sheridan, and a fireworks show with bursts of color coming from the football field behind the stage. To comedian Sheridan, nothing was sacred. Did someone have sex with a smurf? he asked of Big Red. And he questioned the Canadian Homecoming theme. I thought drugs were illegal. Who thought that one up? i Reaction to the revamped event was mixed, but mostly positive, according to Louisville sophomore Kent Groemling, a member of the UCB special events committee. Compared to last year, I thought it was much better being outdoors. Indoors was getting to be such a big production. It had grown out of hand. About the only negative reaction we got was that people thought it was too cold, Groemling said. Some people suggested that we have a bonfire next year. I think we'll probably have it outside again, and each year it will be getting bigger and better-going back to original, more traditional homecomingsf' f -'lim Broekema Tzu '5- pnfo f f-ff ' ' - q gfa iif iw z' I ' 5 Q If T - . ' 5: '.a wg .. V i'Q'Qfv , ' 3 4 ft Qt a i I M- f 0 - 2 'o I ff ,- , ,,,, ,,,,, ld Performing with the Big Red Marching Band, Horse Cave As the marching band playing Westem's fight song, freshman Chris Curry pounds out the rhythm on his base drum. WKU football players run onto the field. Balloons were launched Curry kept the band in step during the Homecoming parade. to mark the beginning of the Homecoming game.

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Bond The festivities continued Saturday with a parade. The float constructed by the KDS and Sigma Chis, with the theme Big Red-Cut Canadian Hero, captured the first-place title. The float featured an oversized Big Red as a Canadian mountie on a white horse. A KD, tied to railroad tracks in front of the mascot, yelled for help. Though their float won, correlating the float to the Homecoming theme was no easy task, KD Me- lissa Scott, a Louisville senior, said. The theme was almost impossible to work with, Scott said. We had a hard time relating how the theme had anything to do with Homecoming. Second place went to Pearce-Ford Tower and Poland Hall while Delta Sigma Pi fraternity won the third-place title. In between the breakfasts and dinners, students and alumni managed to squeeze in the game. But many left the game early to get a good seat at the annual step show, sponsored by the United Black Greeks. At halftime, crowds began to gather at the Block in front of Downing University Center to watch black greeks strut their stuff and poke fun at each other. In one skit, Delta Sigma Theta sorority sisters -Iofm Dunham accused Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority of requiring pledges to purchase a Gucci purse. The AKAS coun- tered by saying the Deltas carried fake Gucci purses. That's the fifth or sixth step show that I've been to. This one was by far the best, LaMont jones, an Owensboro junior, said. The AKAS looked gor- geous in their green. Part of the week's activities included the Hang- ing of the Red, where residence halls competed to see who could hang the most red out of their win- dows. Objects such as red sweaters and towels were seen dangling from the metal edges of windows, while one ledge sported a teddy bear dressed in a Western cheerleader's uniform. McCormack and Rodes-Harlin halls nailed down the first-place award while Potter Hall snagged sec- ond place. This is my first Homecoming, Melissa Bird- well, a Springfield, Tenn., freshman, said. I'm not sure if it,s what I expected or not. But I really liked seeing the red hanging from the windows. It showed support, not just for the team, but for the whole school. I -Story by Sandy Smith Underneath the swords of Scabbard and Blade, jim Tennill escorts Homecoming Queen Whitney Auslander during the half- time festivities. Auslander was sponsored by Kappa Delta. S571 GREAT WHITE - NDRTH ly- wi. . in'-1-s'W ,-.Masai CW