Students discuss 'Raiderpalooza' homecoming theme

In early August, the Student Activities Board announced this year's homecoming theme, Raiderpalooza. 

Mackenna Noland, a junior kinesiology major, is the spirits and traditions coordinator for the Student Activities Board. She said students were originally confused by the theme and thought they needed to pick a music festival, but they only need to pick the music. 

The slogan of the theme reads, “we bring the festival, you bring the music.”

“Hopefully it’ll be a giant music festival where organizations can pick a theme where they’re all different kinds of artists,” Noland said.

A homecoming committee of less than 10 people met and brainstormed ideas in February, she said. They then debated on a Battle of the Bands theme, but ultimately changed it to a music festival theme.

Troy Pike, an advisor for the Student Activities Board, said the theme is not supposed to be based on the annual music festival Lollapalooza. He said it was the music festival that would fit and sound best with adding a Texas Tech themed name to it.

Lollapalooza would be a good festival to base it off though, Pike said, because it is a festival hosted across the world all year long, so it encourages different cultures and diversity.

Pike said the committee thinks of homecoming themes by considering what would work best with the university and all the different organizations participating. They narrowed it down this year by thinking of what is popular in the world right now.

“If we could be the festival and have everyone else choose the line-up, then it would be Tech’s ultimate thing,” Pike said. “Whatever Tech likes to listen to, we’re doing.”

Raiderpalooza gives the organizations endless opportunities because there are thousands of musicians and bands, he said. Organizations submitted their themes, and there is a wide variety including rap, country, indie, rock and old-school-boy bands.

“There’s a lot of different opportunities for students to think of the music that represents them or their organization,” Pike said.

Chloe Killebrew, a senior communication studies major from Red Oak, said she expects every organization to go all out with big floats, bold signs and good costumes.

As a member of Delta Delta Delta, Killebrew said her sorority announced during its chapter on Sept. 10 that they decided on the Backstreet Boys for homecoming.

“As a group, we just love Backstreet Boys,” she said.

Killebrew said Raiderpalooza gives each organization an opportunity to represent themselves through their favorite band.

“I think it supports involvement,” Killebrew said. “There’s honestly something for everyone.”

Homecoming week starts on October 15. A list of events is available online at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/sub/Homecoming/schedule.php. 

http://www.dailytoreador.com/lavida/students-discuss-raiderpalooza-homecoming-theme/article_64b67ab4-b5d4-11e8-8a64-0f688c9ea56d.html