Homecoming Week is returning to Chatham University for students, alumni, family and friends. This event aims to unite the Chatham community, generate excitement and increase school spirit.
Homecoming Week kicks off on Monday, Sept. 23, with events planned through Sunday, Sept. 29. These events look to bring excitement to Chatham’s usually quiet Shadyside campus.
“We have a whole lot of quiet weekends at Chatham, we don’t want this to be that,” Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs Chris Purcell said. “We want for once at Chatham to once in a while have a weekend that has little more action on campus … That allows our students to meet our alumni, that brings our families back here for a weekend that isn’t just a few small events.”
While there have been smaller attempts made in the past, Chatham hasn’t had a homecoming event in at least eight years. This week will act as a combination of Alumni Weekend and Family & Friends Weekend but kept open to all students regardless of whether they know any alumni or have family on campus.
“Folks want to come together, they want to celebrate Chatham, they want to be in the same space and we were having all these small segmented events,” Dean Purcell said. “We want to bring all these things together in a week-long event that … promotes school spirit and brings the campus community together.”
On Monday, students can enjoy donuts with the faculty at each of Chatham’s locations. Tuesday is Go Purple Day! which encourages campus pride by inviting the Chatham community to wear purple. Anyone who does so will receive $2 off a beverage at Cafe Rachel from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
On Wednesday a Dean’s Hour event will feature baked treats from an alumni owned business. Thursday will feature live music from the Rea Coffeehouse, accompanied by food trucks serving ice cream and crepes. Thursday will also be a day of service, as the community will have the opportunity to take part in campus beautification, a Knit Hope workshop or Cardz for Kidz, which creates handmade cards for pediatric children.
Friday will allow students, alumni, friends and family to visit the Eden Hall campus as a part of the Eden Hall Campus Experience, which will include food and live music. On Saturday, there will be a Women’s Volleyball Pregame tailgate followed by a game against Fransician. Also on Saturday, the community can enjoy Quadfest, which will feature food, music and games on the Quad. Other activities and sporting events will also be taking place throughout the week.
While unity is the goal, some events are exclusive to students or alumni. However, most events welcome everyone to take part in the festivities.
While many of the events don’t require registration, some of the events later in the week (such as the Eden Hall Experience) require registration for transportation purposes.
All events for Homecoming Week can be found on the schedule on the Chatham website.
