#1.840987

USU kicks off Homecoming Week

By Debra Hawkins

The community, USU students and faculty kicked off Homecoming Week with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Cache County Building on Monday.

The purpose of the ribbon cutting ceremony was to emphasize the importance of community in celebrating Homecoming, according to information put out by the USU alumni association.

“There is no such thing as a great university without a great community,” Grady Brimley, ASUSU president said, reiterating the words of USU President Stan Albrecht.

The football team is not down and are ready to play hard this weekend, said Scott Barnes, USU athletic director. When students leave USU, Barnes said he thinks Homecoming will be a fond memory for all of them and he feels a Homecoming win is possible for the football team.

“It’s a great time to be an Aggie,” Barnes said. “Two years ago we had a similar situation to this one, it was Homecoming and who did we play?”

“Fresno State,” answered the crowd.

“And who did we beat?” asked Barnes.

“Fresno State.”

“Well, let’s do it again,” Barnes said.

To help get people involved and ready for Homecoming, students from Troy Oldham’s public relations agency class put together “blueing kits” for purchase at the event. There are five different kits, including an Aggie baby and an Aggie youth kit, Hayley Axtell, member of Oldham’s class, said. The bags all contain 10 or 15 items and get more full as the they get more expensive, she said. Items in the bags can include a shirt, pom-poms and sippy cup, for those people buying the baby bag. The bags are 40 percent off what people would pay to buy each piece separately at the Bookstore, she said.

“Blueing kits are an easier, cheaper way to get your Aggie pride,” Axtell said.

People interested in purchasing blueing kits can looks for the kits at the USU Bookstore starting Wednesday. The kits will only be sold for this Homecoming Week, Axtell said.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was also accompanied by Sweet Traditions, an event where local business sold participants desserts for a dollar a piece. Restaurants featured included the Bluebird, Hamiltons and USU Catering Services. Each dessert entree was judged by Brimley and the student body presidents from the valley’s high schools. In the end, the Bluebird’s selection of cheesecake and a cherry ironport were declared the winner.

–debrajoy.h@aggiemail.usu.edu