Homecoming week is coming up on UTEP’s calendar, which means there will be plenty of Miner spirit throughout the campus for the week. Spanning from Oct. 23-29, this annual campus tradition is going to be filled with events in UTEP’s different colleges with opportunities for students to connect.
To kickstart the week, the yearly SGA Homecoming Pageant will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21.
This year’s homecoming theme is masquerade and will welcome many interpretations of a masquerade, from classic pageant costumes to costumes inspired by Carnivale in Rio de Janeiro.
“So, we work closely with the homecoming association,” said Javier Martinez, a Senator-at-Large for UTEP’s Student Government Association. “They’re the ones who give us the theme, and who organize the whole event to select Mr. UTEP, Ms. UTEP, the College of Mines and so forth.”
The week after the pageant is filled with events of all kinds.
The 12th Annual Miner Dash will begin homecoming week’s festivities from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., Oct. 12. Including a 5K run and a 3K walk, this dash welcomes people as the first event of the week.
A range of events will be hosted throughout the day, Oct. 24. The first event is the “Best Miner Masquerade Theme Picture,” where current students will join virtually to show their best Masquerade Miner Dress. Another event on the same day is “Moving the Campus,” a widespread campus event with dance sites across UTEP to share dance and perspective with the people. Following these events is another event, “Where Are They Now?” which shows the community where past graduates are today.
A cookie giveaway and brunch hosted by the English Department are a few more events scheduled for the same day. Joining these events is an event at the College of Education with popcorn and flyers, informing students of what is to come this semester.
The following day hosts a Co-ed Movie Day with a variety of films at the College of Education.
Shaved ice will be offered by the College of Education at their building Oct. 26, and on the same day, the 2022 Gold Nugget and Alumni Celebration will be honoring and celebrating the College of Liberal Arts Alumni at 6 p.m. at the Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall.
The next day, Oct. 27, will consist of a Co-ed Mixer by the College of Education for alumni at 6 p.m.
The Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner, held in honor of Gold Nugget recipients and other distinguished alumni, will take place Oct. 28.
Beginning Oct. 21, the College of Education will hound out blank masks for students to start working on, with finished products due Oct. 27. The same goes for the wall mural, which teams or individuals can start Oct. 21 at their assigned wall, until judges go around at noon to judge them Oct. 28.
“The College of Education is hosting homecoming events and contests in an effort to be more engaged and connected to our student body,” said Ileana Rojas, Assistant to the Dean. “With Covid, many of the outgoing or new student engagements when put in pause and the college has noticed that students might be feeling a bit disengaged. In order to show our student body that we do not just support their educational goals. but also their individual creativity, social engagement and overall college experience.”
The last day of homecoming festivities, which is Oct. 29, will feature various events. From brunches, a summit, tailgating and the annual homecoming football game to end it all, the last day will surely finish off things with style.
More information about the UTEP homecoming events can be found at UTEP’s Events Calendar.
Elisha Nuñez is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected].
