Baker University is a place full of traditions, which have evolved over the years. Among the traditions of Thursday chapel services, class gates and the famous bagpipes is one that many students look forward to each year: homecoming week.

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Homecoming week focuses on organizations

Homecoming week is especially exciting for the Greek chapters on campus, as it is one of two main events to look forward to, the other being Greek Week.

However, this year, the homecoming tradition has been changed.

Rather than pairing the sororities and fraternities to form teams, the Student Activities Council has decided to place an emphasis on student organizations as a whole rather than have the homecoming activities be centered around the Greek affiliates.

This means no pairing up. This means the tradition is gone.

Some Greek houses are unhappy with the decision to make these changes, and have opted out of participating in the activities at all. Most of the chapters have entered a team in order to still participate in the events.

In an effort to get away from centering homecoming week around Greek partnerships, individual student organizations were encouraged to sign up. However, Up ‘Til Dawn is the only non-Greek affiliated organization, and a team of independents is also signed up.

The intent of SAC is to get more student participation in the event and allow organizations to participate no matter if they’re involved in Greek life or not. It is up to the individual students whether they want to participate, but this change is something to embrace. SAC is giving everyone the chance to have some fun during homecoming week. By accepting these changes and making an effort to participate, these changes will ultimately benefit the campus as a whole.

Another homecoming week tradition is the homecoming dance on Friday night, which is traditionally hosted at the Salt Mine. This year, the dance has been moved to campus, in the parking lot between Harter Union and Rice Auditorium. Although it is not what students are used to, it is a way to keep us closer to residence halls and Greek houses and could ultimately keep everyone safer.

It’s human nature to stray away from or fear change, but sometimes change is necessary to create a building step toward a better future.

The beginning of something new marks the beginning of a new tradition. While it’s not the homecoming week we’re used to, it’s a homecoming week that will become tradition with time. Old or new, tradition is tradition.