SHARE Memor y A Enjoy these excerpts of memories from members of the USF Alumni Association. Email your favorite USF memory to jacksonk@usf.edu or post it on our Facebook page.
I was in the first class that graduated in the Sun Dome. Margaret Hartstein, `81 I was an usher there from 1989-1991when I was in school – lovely green vest and all. I saw many cool concerts. It really was an awesome oncampus job to have. Allyson MacKay Bulger, `91 I saw Ray Charles, Neil Diamond, Cher, Aerosmith, and many WWE wrestling events there. What venue the Sun Dome was. Vicki Shookner Steckel I remember going to the Madonna concert with my friend in the 80’s. We dressed like Madonna, too. My husband graduated with his Masters there. Sad to see it go, but can’t wait to see the new one. My son is a 9th grader and he said that he is going to USF, so go BULLS!!!! Lisa Planamenta Machado I saw Billy Joel there in `87 when I lived in The Village. Ahhh, those were the days. Suzanne Evans Mitchell, `88 Three nights of Neil Diamond, followed by three nights of Billy Joel. I was a Sun Dome lead (black vest) from November 1980 through September 1989. Let’s hear it for all the staffers through those great years. Allen Solomon, `81
That was Then; This is Now By Erin E. Potter Class of 2012
A Greek Reflects on Homecoming On an average day walking home through Greek Village is quiet and calm. A few friends pass as we walk to our respective houses, rushing to enter the cool air conditioning on these warm fall days. But there is one week in the year where everything changes. There is a scent of excitement in the air followed by smells of paper mache and glue – that week is Homecoming week. When I walk through Greek Village during Homecoming Week, I see people scrambling around tractors covered in crepe paper and glimpse our competitors’ floats as they prepare for the Homecoming Parade. Each year fraternities and sororities pair up to compete in the team competitions during Homecoming Week. These competitions include a variety of events – sporting, academic and philanthropic – designed to ignite Bull pride in all participants. At the flag football tournament, students flood the field wearing Greek-lettered T-shirts and USF gear, cheering on their teams as they take part in the most intense portion of the competition. For three years now I have sat on the sidelines cheering on my team; only the toughest get recruited to play. The Charit-a-Bull competition is one of my favorite aspects of Homecoming Week. Walking past our Marshall Student Center, the sidewalks are full of students stacking canned goods into structures so intricate that you have to look twice to recognize that they are constructed out of nonperishables that will later be donated to charity. It’s just one example of how, as members of fraternal organizations, we connect our values in our every day lives. Charit-a-Bull gives us the opportunity to show the University and community how the Greeks live our values. At the Homecoming football game, between the tailgates and victory celebrations, there lies the three most anticipated hours of the week. I am the first to admit that I don’t know all the technical aspects of the game of football, but there is something about the atmosphere of the Homecoming game that turns me into a devoted fan, even when I’m not entirely sure what just happened. The end of Homecoming Week also means the concert and carnival. A note to all attendees: make sure you enjoy your tasty funnel cakes after the spinning teacup ride. Looking forward to the upcoming week reminds me of this time last year when I stumbled upon a scrapbook in my sorority house of a Homecoming celebration from the 80’s. There were enormous floats and the USF spirit jumped right off the pages. As I prepare to ride in the Homecoming Parade again this year, it fills me with pride to know that I am part of a continued tradition on our campus. No matter how many years pass or how events change I still follow the same path that my Tri Delta sisters and fellow students once took – and that is our USF tradition. OCTOBER 2011 | ALUMNIVOICE
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