A busy schedule of tours, reunions and open houses will kick off Nov. 1 at Elon University for Homecoming Weekend 2024. Sophomore Amelia Totaro said she is looking forward to meeting fellow students and alumni involved with the Catholic Campus Ministry.
“I’m setting up the tailgate with CCM, and I’m very excited for it,” Totaro said. “We’re going to have lots of food and we’re going to have lots of friends come, and it’s going to be a good time.”
Assistant Director for First Generation Student Support Services Kenneth Brown Jr. ʼ19, is most excited to reconnect with his former classmates.
“People talk about how different classes have different energies, and we were the class that graduated right before COVID,” Brown said. “During my class, there's just a certain energy that was there that we kind of cultivated. I was class president for two years, and I hold a deep appreciation for my classmates, and I can't wait to see them back.”
Elon’s Student Union Board runs on-campus programming and one of its divisions — Late Night — offers evening activities for students every Thursday through Saturday. With Halloween parties and Homecoming falling on the same weekend, Late Night chair and junior Katherine O’Connor said their programming for Homecoming will include similar activities.
“Drinking is a part of college life on campus, but not everyone does it,” O’Connor said. “What we want to do is host things for students that don’t always want to do that.”
Paint 1010 — a teacher-led painting session with supplies included — is also a main event this Homecoming.
“This is something fun people are doing on Halloween,” O’Connor said. “You can come dressed up to it, get candy, hang out with your friends on Halloween for free, and do that instead of going out, which I think a lot of students should take more advantage of.”
SUB Homecoming activities begin Oct. 28 and range from College Coffee at a new location to movie showings at Turner Theater.
Outside of annual Homecoming traditions, there is still room for new activities and events. Related to his job, Brown would like to see first generation student reunions incorporated into future Homecoming weekends at Elon and wants to create more opportunities for first generation students to comed together, during Homecoming or throughout the year. A main appeal for Brown is the ability for certain identity groups to come together as well, he said.
“Homecoming, for me, I also enjoy because you get to see people that you have heard legends or stories about,” Brown said. “Being a Black student at Elon, you hear the stories of these Black Elon legends, but to see them and meet them in person, like, ‘You're this person,’ or ‘You're on the wall,’ or ‘You're doing this.’”
Brown suggests students take advantage of all the opportunities at Homecoming to meet alumni and build connections.
“Homecoming, it means a lot for me. It's a cool way to just see old friends and to be reunited with friends that I went to school with. It means the whole world,” Brown said. “Being able to have a space to come together, to be able to reminisce about days of old and to just catch up about how life is going for them. It's a blast. It's a joy.”
Here is a comprehensive calendar of all Homecoming Weekend event.
*Registration Required
$Paid or Ticketed
Friday, Nov. 1:
Alumni HQ
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Martin Alumni Center
Check in at the welcome center for giveaways, the Homecoming & Reunion Weekend t-shirt, refreshments, and other information and handouts.
Reunion Check-In
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Martin Alumni Center
Alumni celebrating reunions can grab buttons and other reunion-specific information.
Flashback Friday and History Harvest at Belk Library
Noon to 5 p.m. | Belk Library Archives and Special Collections, Room 204
Look through past yearbooks and historical records, and help identify people and places in unidentified Elon photos. People can add photos and memorabilia to digital collections via a “history harvest,” where archivists will provide on-demand digitization. Answer trivia questions to win Belk Library swag and grab snacks.
Freedom Footprints Walking Tour *
3 to 4 p.m. | Martin Alumni Center Freedom Footprints
Learn about Elon’s Black history through the Freedom Footprints Walking Tour, adapted from Elon’s Juneteenth celebration. Sign up for a guided walking tour with Elon’s local historians, or take a self-guided tour at any time throughout the weekend by following the yard signs around campus. Guided walking tours have limited availability and will be offered for those who are registered.
Friday Alumni Campus Tour
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. | Martin Alumni Center
Join a campus tour led by student tour guides to get an inside look at Elon’s award-winning campus and relive some of your favorite memories as you walk the bricks again.
Women of Elon Networking Event
4 to 5:30 p.m. | Elinburg Room & Patio, Student Professional Development Center in the Moseley Center
Women of Elon and the Student Professional Development Center invite all alumni to connect with current Elon students during brief, one-on-one conversations. The event will include a reception for continued conversation and networking. While this event is designed for women, anyone is welcome to join.
Loy Farm Open House
4:30 to 5:30 p.m. | Loy Farm
Loy Farm includes a solar farm and the Elon Environmental Center, which includes the responsible design studio, forest classroom and agricultural farm. Join us for a taste test of peppers grown on site. The student Housing Manager for the EcoVillage will also be available to answer questions about the Loy Farm Living Learning Community EcoVillage. Loy Farm is located at 2635 W. Front Street Burlington, NC 27215, which is a short walk from main campus along the greenway path or limited parking is also available on site.
Rock the Block
5 to 9 p.m. | Young Commons & Haggard Avenue
The entire Elon community of alumni, faculty/staff and students are welcome. A variety of food trucks, corn hole, live music performed by Soul Psychedelique and inflatables will be present.
Saturday, Nov. 2:
Alumni HQ
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Martin Alumni Center
Check in at the welcome center for giveaways, the Homecoming & Reunion Weekend t-shirt, refreshments, and other information and handouts.
Welcome Home College Coffee
9 to 10:30 a.m. | Scott Plaza — in front of Alamance Building
Celebrate the Elon tradition alongside alumni, faculty, staff and students. Light breakfast pastries, coffee and juice.
Saturday Alumni Campus Tour
10:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Martin Alumni Center
Join a campus tour led by student tour guides to see the campus.
All Alumni Tailgate Village $
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | Schar Center
The ticket price includes a tailgate lunch,vegetarian and vegan options available, and lawn games and music. The tailgate village includes general seating and reserved areas for all greek reunions, class reunions and cohort reunions. Tailgaters must provide their own alcoholic beverages.
Elon vs. Campbell Football Game *$
2 to 5 p.m. | Rhodes Stadium
Tickets can be found at elontickets.com and ticket price includes a $5 processing fee. Any questions regarding football tickets, can be directed to the Elon Athletics ticket office at athtickets@elon.edu.
PostGame Zone
5 to 6:30 p.m. | Schar Center
Snacks and drinks are available after the game for the last main celebration of the evening.
Young Alumni Celebration
7 to 9 p.m. | The Mission—961 Burlington Ave. Gibsonville, NC 27249
Join alumni of the last decade at The Mission for drinks, food, a photo booth and much more FUN. All current fiscal year donors will receive a free drink ticket.