“font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; line-height: 14px;”>Friends

reunite. Students party hard. Alumni enjoy the first cookout tray

they’ve had since last homecoming. The football team attempts to

win and everyone proudly wear their blue and gold in support of the

marching band.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

#GHOE! The Greatest Homecoming on Earth.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

Friends reunite. Students party hard. Alumni enjoy the first

cookout tray they’ve had since last homecoming. The football team

attempts to win and everyone proudly wear their blue and gold in

support of the marching band.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

Homecoming is exactly as it reads. Aggies come home to their roots.

The place where they decided to pursue higher education. The place

where they’ve met lifelong friends and some husbands and

wives.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

The place that started their current career paths and have placed

them in opportunity’s hallway. Homecoming is the epitome of what it

means to be in college.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

Unfortunately, some people on campus do not feel the same about

homecoming as most of us do. A lot of people think homecoming does

not live up to the hype and that it is a waste of time and

space.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

I could not disagree with these people more. Homecoming is a time

of celebration. Being chocolate wasted is an understatement and

Aggie Pride is shown more than ever.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

A&T raises a significant amount of money during homecoming each

year. Millions of dollars are raised for our university during

homecoming that benefits us all. Look around you.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

Every year, our university adds new buildings, services, and

resources for the Aggie community and homecoming revenue plays a

large part in that.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

Take the city of Greensboro into consideration. Imagine what

Greensboro would be like if GHOE did not exist. Greensboro looks

forward to A&T’s homecoming every year. This is Greensboro’s

moneymaking weekend. The community comes together like no other

time and everyone has a good time.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

Some people do not agree on how we carry ourselves during this

glorious time of celebration. One may argue that we can spend our

money on better things such as school supplies and textbooks that

we need, resources that are more beneficial than concert and game

tickets, and bargain shopping instead of paying to watch Couture

and Verge battle at the Carolina Theater.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

However, I can’t help but to ask, why would anyone go to college

and not enjoy homecoming? Who thinks about paying for textbooks and

parking passes during GHOE? Who thinks about eating café food to

save money instead of eating the most delicious fatty foods ever if

only for a weekend?

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

Who sits and watches everyone else have fun and be carefree because

they want to keep extreme tabs on their bank accounts?

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

It’s homecoming. It’s a time of fun. If you never get out and live

and just disregard everyday worries every once in a while, you will

miss out on life.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

Not only do some of you think GHOE is a waste of money and does not

live up to the hype, some of us think homecoming is a means of

exploitation.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

Is it a race card that is being played? Does Greensboro exploit

black people by hosting GHOE? If that’s the case, the entire

country is being exploited during the Fourth of July.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

If exploitation was the purpose of having events, the NCAA and CIAA

tournaments, the PGA Golf Tour, New Years Eve, Christmas, Spring

Break in Miami, and every other big event is doing a great job of

getting our money.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

At the end of the day in any case, business is business. Wherever a

significant event is being held, that location will always benefit

from that event.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

When people shop for Christmas, trees are always going to be more

expensive because that is a necessity for that holiday and people

will buy a Christmas tree regardless of how much it

costs.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

During GHOE, thousands of people come to Greensboro to celebrate;

therefore, business, restaurants, stores, etc. all makes money due

to the wealth of people coming to the city. To say that homecoming

is exploitation is by far a stretch.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

Homecoming is still a business and everyone makes good from

it.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

For those who will keep checking bank accounts during GHOE, who

refuse to go to Cookout because they don’t want to be exploited by

buying and Cajun Style Tray, and who decide to study all weekend

instead of party; you guys can have fun sitting at home while the

rest of us scream “Unh” while listening to Rick Ross run out of

breath at the Coliseum on Saturday.

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;”>

As for the rest of us Aggies, “It’s Homecoming Y’all!”

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: MyriadPro-BoldCond; mso-bidi-font-family: MyriadPro-BoldCond;”>

[email protected]

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: MyriadPro-BoldCond; mso-bidi-font-family: MyriadPro-BoldCond;”>

And follow us on Twitter:

“text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0pt;”>

“mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 120%; font-family: MyriadPro-BoldCond; mso-bidi-font-family: MyriadPro-BoldCond;”>

@ATRegister

 

• Kamilah Blackston, Contributor