Another Hillsdale Homecoming came and went with Simpson carrying on their legacy of domination after receiving competition from the newly formed Off Campus Coalition (OCC), and with Kendra Lantis and Alexander Green crowned as king and queen.
For the eighth year in a row, Simpson Residence took home the Homecoming trophy. After placing first in wing eating, as well as second in the banner competition and Mock Rock, they were able to hold their title as Homecoming champions.
“It’s pretty crazy to think that there have been two full cycles of college students that haven’t known anything except a Simpson win,” said junior Simpson Resident Assistant Stephen Richmann.
Competing for the first time this year, the OCC is a team comprised of 14 off-campus houses. The OCC was first proposed by junior Dietrich Balsbaugh last spring after he decided to move off-campus after serving as a Simpson RA for a year.
Junior Helen Potter, one of the members of OCC, said she couldn’t be happier with how the group came together.
“There was a lot of interest,” she said. “It really showed how much community there is off-campus, and I think that’s the whole point of Homecoming week.”
“The OCC owes a lot to Simpson,” Balsbaugh said. “Knowing how to take something seriously and knowing how to do that well is something I learned a lot from Simpson.”
“We certainly knew the OCC would put up a good fight because they have such phenomenal people,” Richmann said.
Balsbaugh noted that, being a new group, it was tough to keep up morale after facing defeat in the banner and video competitions. By the time Mock Rock, the last event, came around, they were ready for redemption.
“We gave our heart and soul to Mock Rock,” Balsbaugh said. “That was the best part of the week.”
After losing to Simpson in the end, Balsbaugh was not shaken.
“If we weren’t going to win, I’m glad it’s them beating us,” Balsbaugh said. “But they’ve got their work cut out for them next year. We will be back.”
Balsbaugh said they owed their success with volunteer hours to the fact that they had four GOAL Program leaders on their team.
Homecoming King Alexander Green, a senior, said he was impressed by the OCC and thought they showed campus that Homecoming “isn’t just a dorm thing or a Greek house thing.”
Although he was crowned king, Green said it was a causal process. Getting voted onto court only involved “an email in the middle of the night” letting him know he had been nominated for the position.
“I thought it was a prank and someone was just messing with me,” Green said.
The funniest part of the week for Green was seeing what his “campaign team” was coming up with. His two siblings — junior Tim and freshman Susannah Green — as well as his girlfriend, junior Christa LaVoie, and senior Dominic Whalen took over creating memes in their campaign efforts.
As a member of Student Activities Board and the Homecoming court, Homecoming Queen Kendra Lantis, a senior, said her day was extremely busy.
Lantis’ favorite part of the week was Saturday when she was able to walk around and experience Homecoming, visiting with alumni and family.
“Saturday is just the peak of Homecoming week and seeing people eating and walking around, seeing people who you wouldn’t usually get to see is just the best,” Lantis said. “I’m already planning on coming back for Homecoming next year.”