Students will swap crowns for a new title at this year’s Homecoming contest to become one of Ohio University’s eight ambassadors.
The switch from royalty to an ambassador role was created to provide a more professional opportunity for students, said Amelia Shaw, the Bobcat Court co-chair and a senior studying sociology and women’s and gender studies. It also expanded who is eligible for the role.
“The fact that it had to be a male and female is very heteronormative, as well as very limiting for people who might not identify as male or female,” Shaw said.
Interested students were able to apply for the position or were nominated by a professor or peer. Ten seniors were selected as finalists after interviews with school administrators.
Another change to this year’s court includes the addition of seven underclassmen, two each from the junior and sophomore classes and three from the freshman class, who were chosen as finalists for class representative.
Only one student was chosen from each grade, Shaw said.
“We’re hoping that during Spring Semester we can get all of the court together and they can do a community service activity,” she said.
This is not the first year changes have been made to the Homecoming court.
According to an article in The Athens Messenger from Oct. 12, 1969, the first Homecoming queen wasn’t elected until 1946, even though the first Homecoming was held in 1921. The first non-Greek queen was chosen in 1948.
The queen title disappeared in 1971 when Homecoming was switched to Oktoberfest, but the Black Student Cultural Programming Board crowned a queen in 1976 at the start of its coronation ball.
“This is just an opportunity for students to take an active role in helping each other,” said Seyi Odunaiya, president of BSCPB and a senior studying public relations.
According to an article in The Post from Oct. 19, 1984, the Air Force ROTC tried to reinstate the queen in 1980, but the idea was met with disdain.
Lack of student interest is the most likely reason for the lack of a queen in the 1980s, said Lindsey Marx, staff advisor for Homecoming 2012.
The Greek system implemented its own king and queen program in the ’80s that exempted non-Greek students; however, Marx said the creation of a student-planned committee reinstated voting in 2010.
ao007510@ohiou.edu
