For yet another year, A&T students, administration and alumni prepare for what has been deemed the “Greatest Homecoming on Earth.”

Students began to line up at the ticket office starting at 8 a.m. Friday, Aug. 21th. The Student Government Association worked on getting ticket sales as early as possible. In a record time, homecoming tickets were available for purchase during the first week of school.

“Tickets went on sale so early for Homecoming 2009 because the majority of everything we were planning on, from the concert to the gospel show to the concert were already locked down,” said SGA Vice President of External Affairs Travis Jackson, a sophomore public relations major from Charlotte, N.C. “Also students were getting their refund checks, so that’s the time they had money.”

The events lined up include the gospel, comedy and step shows, as well as the concert and football game.

The gospel show on Oct. 27th will possibly feature Donald Lawrence and Co. or James Fortune at 6 p.m. in Harrison Auditorium.

Tickets for the gospel show will vary from $5 for A&T students to $7 for others. The comedy show will feature “The Double Trouble Comedy Show” with Arnez J, Kevin Hart and special guest Leslie. There are a limited amount of $10 tickets available for A&T students, however after those are sold, tickets will be $15.

“I am very excited about the comedy show,” said Jeannette Dalton, a freshman theater major from Greensboro. “Kevin Hart is hilarious and I am ready to roll.”The step show will take place on Oct. 30th at 7 p.m. at Greensboro Coliseum. Tickets prices for the step show include $12.50 for all students and $17.50 for the general public.

The next day at 1:30 p.m. the Aggie Football team will take on Bethune-Cookman at Aggie Stadium.

A&T students will not have to pay ticket prices with a valid Aggie One Card, however the general public tickets run $35.

There are reserved tickets available for $40 and $20 for students of other universities and high schools; tickets for children 12 and under are $15.Last, but not least the concert will feature the “Swag City Tour” with FLY, GS Boys, Mario, Fabolous, Trey Songz, Keri Hilson, the Gucci Crew, Nikki Minag, OJ Da Juiceman, Gucci Mane and surprise guests. It will take place Oct. 31st at the Greensboro Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. The first 1,000 students were able to purchase tickets for $25; after those, tickets are sold to the 2nd 1,000 students at $27. All tickets thereafter will be $31.50, $34.50 and $39.50 the day of the show.

“We chose the homecoming concert lineup this year to cater to diversity. The strategy was to get somebody that everyone likes,” said Jackson. “For instance, if someone doesn’t like Gucci Mane, they can listen to Trey Songz.”The Vice President of Internal Affairs, Valerie Dudley, plans to attend every event at homecoming this year.

“It’s great [concert] how they integrated both Hip-hop and R&B,” said Dudley, a junior Biology major. “It will really attract difference audiences, but everybody is still on one accord.”

The Jasmin administration is also working together with the University Police Department in order to ensure safety for students on campus during the events. “Because so many events are on campus this year, we definitely creating a stronger bond with UPD so we can make sure our students are safe as they go about the campus during homecoming events,” continued Dudley.

As of Tuesday evening, the ticket office has sold approximately 35 homecoming Gospel tickets, 300 comedy show tickets and around 1200 tickets for the concert.

• Jasmine Johnson