Ohio University Homecoming: Covid-19 Edition

With Ohio University being the first university founded in the state of Ohio in the year 1804, the annual homecoming celebrations are taken very seriously. Regularly scheduled in the fall, homecoming weekend is an opportunity for alumni to return to Athens, Ohio to reminisce and celebrate their glory days of being a Bobcat. Normally, homecoming weekend consists of a home football game, a massive parade that marches through campus, plus a wide variety of different social events for both current students and alumni to participate in. Overall, the week is usually filled with excitement, pride and lots of green and white! Sadly, this year's celebrations looked very different due to the status of Covid-19 across the country and specifically in the small college town that is Athens, Ohio.

The Ohio University Alumni Association announced in August that Homecoming 2020 would be held virtually due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Ohio and the US. While this announcement was expected by many, it was still disappointing to hear. A virtual homecoming meant there would be no parade, no football game and no on campus activities. Overall, alumni were discouraged from returning to Athens at all.

Luckily for them, the OUAA was still determined to plan a week full of events and celebrations for all Bobcats to enjoy from the comforts of their own home. The alumni association utilized social media, alumni email’s and the official Ohio University website to advertise and host these virtual activities.

Broken into the categories of family fun, alumni leadership and learning, relive campus, and on Court Street, there was something for everyone. Some activities hosted by the university included; Bobcat Trivia Night, a HoHo cake demonstration, downloadable Bobcat themed coloring pages, an alumni vs. students ESports game, an international alumni panel, a coffee and book chat, workouts with Wellworks as well as an opportunity to take a 360 degree walk through college green.

Despite the pandemic and stress weighing down on our country, state and small college town, it is great to know that Ohio University continues to value its alumni, students and faculty while we all come together to share our bobcat pride. This year’s virtual celebrations will make the hopeful return back to Athens in 2021 even that more exciting.

Many of this year's virtual homecoming events are still available for streaming and download at ohio.edu/homecoming/activities.

* This blog was written in 2020 and originally published on the 1804 Communication website.