Homecoming Events TODAY ■ Pep Rally: EMU East Lawn Noon to 1 p.m. ■ Students Activities Fair: EMU East Lawn 2 to 5 p.m. ■ Duck Party: Valley River Inn 9 p.m to midnight $10 per person $8 UOAA dues-paying member ■ Class Reunions: UO campus and Valley River Inn SATURDAY a 3K/5K Campus Fun Run: Starts at Johnson Hall 9 a.m.. $12 per person $10 UOAA dues-paying member (preregistration required) a Duck Tailgate Party: Alumni Tent, Autzen Stadium 10:30 a.m. Free a Homecoming Expo: Autzen Stadium, Stadium Piazza 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free SUNDAY a The Grind: Intramural field behind Mac Court 1 to 10 p.m. Free Pep rally kicks off Homecoming events The Alumni Association said this year’s events will involve more students By Doug Irving Student Activities Editot Thousands of Uni versity alum ni will crowd Eugene this week end. Parents will rush into town. And most of the student body isn’t going anywhere. So how do you amuse the mass es on Homecoming Weekend? You throw a “baby boomer” dance. You set up booths to edu cate people about University pro grams and opportunities. You schedule a football game against a nonconference opponent. And you get people to run a few kilo meters. That’s exactly what the alumni associations plan to do. “It’s a chance to meet more peo ple," said Julie Smith, homecom ing chair for the Student Alumni Association. That association worked with the Alumni Associa tion to organize most of the week’s activities. “It’s more of a student activity this year. It’s gonna be fun.” Many students had said they re sented the focus on alumni and parents at previous homecomings. The weekend activities were aimed at older people, they said. Student activities had dominat ed Homecoming until the mid 1960s. Students marched through Eugene, painted the UO sign on Skinner’s Butte, threw parties and celebrated Homecoming. Homecoming '97 doesn’t quite return to that, said Kelly Evans, as sistant director of communica tions for the Alumni Association. Still, this Homecoming should in volve students better than last year’s, she said. “There are almost two different sides to Homecoming this year,” she said. "There are alumni events and there are student events.” Homecoming events started Monday, with a University-wide scavenger hunt. The Alumni As sociation printed clues every day in the Emerald’s classified ads; the winner of the hunt will take home a gift certificate for dinner at West Brothers or Mona Lisa. The actual Homecoming Week end begins today with a pep rally from noon to 1 p.m. on the EMU East Lawn. The Oregon marching Band, cheerleaders and the Duck mascot will be there. Football head coach Mike Bellotti will speak, and Oregon sports caster Jerry Allen will be the Master of Ceremonies. Student programs will also staff an activity fair after the rally. About a dozen student groups will look for new recruits. Students can also test their skills at guess ing games and miniature golf. A “Duck Party” will close to day’s activities. The dance, at Val ley River Inn, is designed for alumni, but students of legal drinking age and parents can also attend. The Bouncing Baby Boomer Band and the Legendary Boomettes will perform. The dance costs $10 per person. Saturday — the heart of Home coming — opens with a Campus Fun Run for students, parents and alumni. Runners can chose to am 3 or 5 kilometers; winners of the 5K race will get a pair of Nike shoes. The nin starts at Johnson Hall at 9 a.m. and costs $12. The main weekend event—the ballgame — kicks off at 1 p.m. in Autzen Stadium. The Ducks take on the Utah Utes. The Alumni Association has or ganized a student march to the game in past homecomings, but gave that idea up this year. "Everybody kind of does their own thing before the game, any way,” Smith said. Homecoming ends Sunday with the rescheduled Oregon grind. The "funky” concert is usu ally held Spring term, but was moved to Homecoming Weekend to attract students, said Jonathan Zwickel, spokesman for the Cul tural Forum. The Cultural Forum still orga nizes the event. This year's acts include Weapon of Choice, Broun Fellinis, and Mumblin’ Jim. The concerts will be on the Intramural Field behind MacArthur Court. “Kids should get their money’s worth,” Zwickel said. "It’s kind of a closer for the weekend. ” The alumni associations don’t slant the activities toward stu dents or alumni, Evans said. Stu dents who want a more active stu dent homecoming should organize events, like they did in past years, she said. “Our biggest thing is to get more and more people involved," Evans said. “We just try to bring people together and make them feel good about the University.” "M .. V > ■ Your Campus Information Source! Publishing Daily Monday through Friday! Campus. 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