By Pierce Godwin
While many organizations participated in the homecoming events, it seems that a large number of students were questioning whether homecoming is for everyone.
There were concerns about the facts that all of the homecoming candidates were members of the five PanHellenic sororities, and that 15 of the 28 competing organizations were Greek organizations.
There was also the question of whether the homecoming theme, “We Are One: Getting Back to Our Roots,” was a statement of possibility. After some reflection, I could see why people had such doubts regarding the theme and the homecoming morale.
The majority of students on Troy’s campus are independent of Greek organizations. While there are many reasons that contribute to the high level of involvement from the Greek population, there are few valid excuses for why Troy’s campus is not predominantly run by non-affiliated members.
According to Chris Hager, coordinator of student involvement, of Troy’s 9,000-student population, only 1,364 are Greek-affiliated, which is roughly 15 percent.
The Greek-independent students have a good opportunity to become the ruling majority and move past the excuse that Troy is run only by Greek-affiliated members. They can, and I would believe the university event organizers want them to, step up and get involved.
One reason for the lack of involvement from non-Greek students may be that homecoming does cost a lot of money. However, the theme is about bringing all students together for a common purpose.
People like to win, but participating with other students who love Troy should be the more important goal. Many of the events cost very little if anything.
One of the characteristics of the non-Greek-affiliated student organizations is that despite their significant quantity, there is no mass organization over all the groups. I do not believe there should be one, yet this is a difference worth considering when looking at the involvement and achievement of Greek and non-Greek organizations in various events.
Greek members are constantly informed and involved because it is required of the organization-specific councils’ delegates to meet on a weekly basis.
Even though the 19 candidates for homecoming court were Greek-affiliated, anyone could be nominated. The candidates are put up by organizations that wish to participate in homecoming court.
Troy University College Republicans, a non-Greek-affiliated organization, nominated Molly Bell, a member of Phi Mu, to represent it for homecoming court. If the College Republicans club wanted to nominate a non-Greek member, it could have done so.
All students have the opportunity to make an impact while at Troy, whether they are Greek-affiliated or not. If you have always wanted to, go ahead and run for SGA, join an organization and seek homecoming court nomination. You can even start a club if Troy has not yet offered an organization to your interests. I was always told by my father: “You can’t complain about a problem if you didn’t try to contribute to a solution. Don’t get discouraged if you lose, and don’t tear down yourself for not trying.”
Pierce Godwin is a junior multimedia journalism major from Montgomery.
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