Alumni, family and friends returned to campus last weekend to attend a variety of Homecoming festivities — including tailgates, film screenings and concerts — and spend time with students and faculty members. 

The weekend kicked off at the Colgate Inn with the Lampert Scholars’ Presentations Forum, during which students participating in the Lampert Institute of Civic and Global Affairs presented their work and summer projects. 

Senior Sophie Hart reflected on her summer working on Capitol Hill as a legislative intern for Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. Hart focused on the impact of technological development on the media and how this shift relates to American political polarization. She commented on the rewarding experience of overcoming nerves to present her summer work.

“It was intimidating to get up in front of the crowd and present my research and summer internship, but it was definitely worth the nerves because it felt so rewarding to articulate my interests and hard work to the other members of Lampert and to the greater Colgate community,” Hart said.

Hart also explained the challenge of presenting her findings in such a short amount of time.

“I think that the presentations went really well for everyone,” Hart said. “Afterwards, [the Lampert Scholars] agreed that it was a great challenge to have to articulate our summer experiences and research in five minutes. While it was really challenging, it is a really important skill to practice to identify what is relevant and worth sharing […] in an encompassing and engaging way.”

The University sponsored numerous other events on Friday night, including the Harlem Renaissance Center (HRC) 40th Anniversary Reception and Dinner hosted in the Edge Cafe at the Bryan Complex. As described on the Colgate website, the Harlem Renaissance Center is “a living and learning center for sophomores interested in African and African American history and culture.”

Established 40 years ago, the HRC was brought to campus in order to give students an inclusive atmosphere and teach them about Pan-African heritage and culture. The reception was open to all students and alumni. 

On Saturday, after a lively tailgate, the football team went up against Holy Cross at Andy Kerr Stadium, losing 10-35. Throughout the tailgate and game, fans had the opportunity to buy from a bake sale for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) that was put on by members of Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG). Senior Sarah Finton said the bake sale was a huge success. 

“September is blood cancer awareness month and KKG wanted to raise awareness and money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS),” Flinton said. “We thought homecoming would be a great opportunity to spread the word and bring the community together and we were so amazed at all of the generous support from both Colgate and Holy Cross fans. We are proud and grateful to say that we raised $1,515 to donate to the LLS.”

On Saturday night, Echosmith — a sibling band most known for their 2013 hit “Cool Kids” — performed in the Hall of Presidents. The event was sponsored by the Student Activities Committee, Delta Delta Delta, Gamma Phi Beta and Kappa Kappa Gamma. Junior Hannah Rogan, Vice President of Organization for Kappa Kappa Gamma, thought the event went well. 

“Having an inter-sorority sponsorship for the homecoming concert was a great way to collaborate with different organizations and bring together the greater Colgate community,” Rogan said. “The concert was a huge success and Kappa was honored to contribute to such an awesome event.”

Despite the wide variety of fun events and celebrations that occurred, the university’s COVID-19 guidelines for visitors were still in effect. All guests had to be fully vaccinated in order to attend, barring religious or medical exemption. Those who are unvaccinated were required to wear masks. 

Even with the looming thought of COVID-19, alumni still had an enjoyable weekend full of nostalgia. Alumna Spencer Seaman ‘22 said she was very happy to return. 

“It was so great to be back on campus,” Seaman said. “I loved seeing so many familiar faces that I haven’t seen since graduation. It really reminded me of what a great and friendly place Colgate is. The campus events were great and seemed to be a success.”