Great moments meant to help Central relive glory days

By Kollin Bell, Reporter

Every year the Homecoming Committee and members of the UCM community work to decide on a theme for all the festivities, and this year’s theme focuses on group collaboration.

The theme for this year’s Homecoming is “Great Moments.” The theme is chosen by a committee comprised of several different offices on campus that collaborate together, which includes the Office of Alumni Relations, Student Activities, Public Safety, Student Athletics and the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce. Jamie Jennies is in charge of calling the main meetings together to come up with Homecoming theme ideas.

This committee tosses out ideas amongst its members, but in past years there have been calls sent out to the student body and other student organizations to inquire on what they feel a Homecoming theme should be for the upcoming year. The theme is usually selected the spring semester before the next Homecoming, so that student groups can start their planning over the summer.

“One of the things we try to do in selecting a theme is try to make sure you have something broad and general enough that allows it to be a pretty broad interpretation, because if you get something too specific you’re going to have 47 floats that all look alike,” said Director of Student Activities Beth Rutt. “This year I think the committee did a good job in making a selection.

“‘Great MOments’ allows a student and student organizations to look at perhaps some of the great things that have happened at the university from the time of its inception when it was a normal school or the students may look at the great things that are happening within the tenure of their being here at the university, so it adds a lot more flexibility to it so I think that’s the key.”

Past themes have included “Mules Make a Difference” in 2012 and “Traditions” in 2011. When asked what makes this theme different from others Rutt said, “I think this one, ‘Great MOments,’ is catchy and you know it ties in with MO the Mule. This one allows you to have a broad spectrum as far as the reflection of what is it that makes Central great so at Homecoming, you can celebrate those, and not all of our themes in the pass have done that.”

Each year’s theme has a different meaning for those past and present at UCM, and Rutt said she hopes that this theme will encourage community members and alumni reflect on some of their “Great MOments” while at UCM this weekend.

“I think that’s what’s fun about Homecoming, it’s just in the name itself of Homecoming, we hope that our alums feel like they are coming back home … You remember the good things that happened there while you were at home and the positive feelings that you had and the people that you affiliated with and associated with, and that’s what we want people to think about, think of all the things that you experienced while you were a UCM student. … Relive some of those ‘Great MOments’ that you had as a student.”