UIC Homecoming aims to show Flames pride

UIC will highlight school spirit as homecoming week returns for the second straight year.

The celebration, which is coordinated by the Student Activities Board in partnership with many campus organizations, is centered on showing Flames pride and building a deeper sense of community. Events are scheduled from Feb. 4-11.

“The point of this week is to promote school spirit and to make UIC feel like home to students,” said Almasa Pecanin, president of the UIC Student Activities Board. “A lot of people have complained that it’s more of a commuter campus where you go in and out. You go to your classes, you go home. And we don’t want that.

“As a student activities board, our main focus is to make students feel like this is their home in the sense that they can go to their classes, but also be able to attend events here and meet new people.”

The festivities kick off with “Paint the Windows,” a two-day project that gives student organizations an opportunity to decorate Student Center East. Coordinators hope the artwork will help students gain a fuller understanding of all that is happening on campus.

“It’s really cool because the next day you’re walking down the hallway, and you get to see what all the student organizations on campus are doing,” event lead Sunil Dommaraju said. “It raises school spirit a little and definitely creates a community.”

The Student Activities Board will officially welcome the UIC community to homecoming week with a pep rally in the Student Center East Inner Circle Feb. 6. Participants can win prizes and play games from noon to 2 p.m.

Of course, athletics will also play a role in homecoming week. The men’s basketball team hosts Youngstown State at the UIC Pavilion Feb. 9 and Cleveland State Feb. 11. Students receive free admission to all basketball games with a valid i-card.

“A great way to show your loyalty to the school is to go support the basketball team,” Pecanin said.

The culmination of homecoming week is Feb. 10, as the UIC community is encouraged to demonstrate their school pride and hit the dance floor. At 12:30 p.m. Feb. 10, in the quad, students, faculty and staff will meet to snap a special Flames Friday picture that captures on-campus school spirit. Then at 8 p.m., the second annual homecoming dance begins in the Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier. Tickets to the dance are $12 and shuttles to and from campus are provided.

Organizers want homecoming week to offer the UIC community a way to enjoy coming together outside of the classroom.

“We want to bring new and innovative things to campus and build traditions on campus that UIC will want to be a part of,” Pecanin said.

“If you’re going to events that your campus holds, then your overall college experience is improved,” added Dommaraju. “School can be stressful and a lot of these events are just geared toward fun.”