As the UI prepares for its 104th-annual Homecoming, traditions new and old are explored
By Charles Peckman
As leaves on the trees begin to change from green to shades of red and orange, the University of Iowa campus is becoming adorned with shades of black and gold, signifying the arrival of Homecoming.
In an email to The Daily Iowan, University Archivist David McCartney wrote that there are “several traditions that have played a part in Homecoming since our first celebration in 1912.”
“The most durable Homecoming tradition, aside from the games themselves, is the button,” McCartney said in the email. The tradition, he said, which began in 1924, may have changed media since the inception, beginning as metal badges but evolving into paper buttons.
Perhaps larger in size than a button — much larger, in fact — yet still as important to Homecoming Week at the UI is the Corn Monument. The tradition began in 1919 when a group of engineering students designed the monument, he said.
“That year, passersby were awed by the spectacle of hundreds of multicolored cobs of corn attached to a 25-foot tall obelisk and flanked by four corner light posts, utilizing the modern miracle of electricity,” McCartney said.
The Corn Monument’s popularity declined in the 1960s, but it resurfaced and has been an Iowa staple since 1981, McCartney said.
Regardless of position in the Iowa City community, Homecoming can be an exciting time for all.
UI senior Maja Sunleaf has a very active role in this year’s Homecoming. As a member of the Campus Activity Board, she helps play a pivotal role in the festivities.
“Aside from participating in the events this week, [the board] is helping set up and tear down various events, like Havoc in Hubbard,” she said.
As a member of the Homecoming court, she has many responsibilities and privileges.
“I have the honor to mingle with other Hawks during events, as well as promote Homecoming activities,” she said. In addition to this, Sunleaf gets to walk on the field of Kinnick Stadium during the halftime show of Saturday’s football game.
Sunleaf said it is hard for her to recall her fondest memory from her Homecomings at Iowa.
“Last year, the Homecoming Council made a push to increase décor to make sure everyone was feeling the Hawkeye spirit,” she said. Because of all of the décor, she said, the campus had the energy of a football game every day during Homecoming Week.
UI freshman Anders Torgerson described Homecoming as exciting and energetic.
“The students, staff, and residents of Iowa City are really excited for this weekend,” he said, and he looks forward to attending the events and football game this weekend as well as spending time with friends.
Torgerson also said that Homecoming at UI is much different from homecomings he has experienced in high school.
“The population is significantly larger than in high school,” he said. “There is more excitement because there are more people.”
