THE
DC
Fall 2023 Vol. 105, Issue 1 A Publication of SMU Daily Campus
PLUS Behind the Scenes of SMU’s Pampered Pony
The Backbone of SMU Football is Female
Love on the Hilltop: Mustangs Find Love
Homecoming Issue 2023
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The Daily Campus | Fall 2023 Issue
4-5 Holding Ownby Accountable a Century Later by Ceara Johnson From Ponies to Cash Cows by Hannah O’ Gara The Backbone of SMU Football is Female by Liz Cruz
TABLE OF 8-9 CONTENTS
Love on the Hilltop by Sara Hummadi
6
7
Community Creates Homecoming by Ellen Rogers
Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Four Decades by Amara Asrawi
Staff Editor-in-Chief: Ellis Rold
10-11
Managing Editor: Ceara Johnson
An Evolving Tradition by Katie Bergelin
Copy Editor: Elizabeth Guevara
Engagement Editor: Liz Cruz
Pumped-up Pigskin Revue by Saki Teng
News Editor: Sara Hummadi Co-Sports Editors: Hannah O’Gara Caleigh Daugherty Ceara Johnson Co-Arts & Life: Ellen Rogers Amara Asrawi
Editor’s Note
Social Media Editor: Lauren Villarreal Welcome to this semester’s edition of The DC, a publication of The Daily Campus. As we enter the fall season, we’re ushered into one of the most anticipated times of the year – Homecoming. Homecoming isn’t just about football games, parades or Boulevarding. It’s about the reunion of old friends, the creation of new memories and the chance to reflect on the legacy of a university that has grown and evolved. We explored the SMU archives to find traditions, stories and photos of past students that helped shape our university. In this issue, we celebrate the traditions that make the SMU community so strong, while also
SMU Daily Campus Homecoming 2023 Listen to the Daily Campus Homecoming 2023 Spotify playlist to hear songs that have created current and pasts student’s Hilltop experience. Check out the Pony Podcasts included as well.
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painting a full picture of the checkered past of our university. Dive into stories about our complicated football history. Read about love on the hilltop, past Homecoming royalty, cherished traditions and more. As our team worked on this edition, we were constantly reminded of the power of storytelling and its ability to bridge the gap between generations. The Daily Campus has always strived to be the voice of our student body. In this Homecoming issue, we hope we’ve captured the myriad of voices, both past and present, that make SMU such a strong community. Thank you for reading and supporting student journalism! Editor-in-Chief, Ellis Rold
Podcast Editor: Katie Bergelin Photo/Video Editor: Saki Teng Layout & Design: Elizabeth Guevara Ellen Rogers Sports Photo Editor: Mark Reese Faculty Advisor: Jacqueline Fellows
Support us Join the SMU community and stay up to date using our socials, which help support the journalism division. We strive to work together in providing credible, trusted and timely news. Learn more at smudailycampus.com.
Follow us Listen to award-winning student prodcued and created!
Dear Mustangs,
@smudailycampus @thedailycampus smudailycampus@gmail.com www.smudailycampus.com Cover photo by Mark Reese, Bayley Kumpf and SMU
The Daily Campus | Fall 2023 Issue
SMU’s Pampered Pony
Behind the scenes into SMU’s mighty mustang Caleigh Daugherty | Co-Sports Editor A Renowned Reputation A Renowned Reputation Living up to Peruna’s past is a challenging feat. Peruna IX is 12 years into his reign as SMU’s live mascot, and being ninth in line comes with quite a reputation to uphold. A deep dive into SMU’s archives revealed the monumental history of the school’s beloved pony. Peruna I earned the “spirited” name from alcohol-laced “Peruna Tonic.” The tonic was a popular medicine in the 1930s and Dorothy Amann, an SMU librarian, pitched the idea in a contest. The name was chosen in hopes Peruna would be a good luck charm to the Mustangs, according to the Dallas Morning News. Continuing down the line, Peruna V nailed down its haughty reputation and was known as the deadliest mascot of its time for killing the Fordham Ram with one kick to the head. Peruna V also had elevator privileges at the lavish Stevens Hotel in Chicago.
Peruna dashes across the field to celebrate a Mustang touchdown. Photo by Mark Reese Peruna VIII even traveled to Washington D.C. to lead the Presidential Inauguration Parade for President George W. Bush in 2001. SMU’s current stallion has a sweet personality but is known to show another side when he knows people are watching. Peruna handler Blake Gebhardt said it’s important to remember that though he may be a small Shetland pony, Peruna packs a big personality. “He’s a very nice horse,” Gebhardt said. “But he is still a stallion. He has a bit of a wild spirit, but it’s a good, spirited kind of feisty.”
Peruna’s game day snacks come early, due in part to an incident at the SMU vs. Navy game in 2022 when he pooped near the 40-yard line. The incident delayed the game 15 minutes as handlers scrambled to clean up. Not only did thousands of fans witness the event live, but it was also broadcast on ESPN and spread quickly on social media.
Peruna wakes up with bed head most mornings before getting groomed. Photos courtesy of the Peruna team
After his morning snacks, Peruna is brought to campus where he prepares for the Mustang Walk. He leads the spirit squads, Mustang Band and SMU’s football team down the Boulevard. Along the way he nods to the fans, poses for the cameras and soaks in the spotlight. “He’s been doing this for 12 years,” Mayer said. “He knows his job really well.” An hour before kickoff, Peruna is taken into the Gerald J. Ford Stadium where he is able to rest and prepare for the main event. When he emerges from his personal garage, Peruna already knows what comes next. The sound of the football hype video floods the stadium and Peruna gets set to lead the Mustangs out of the tunnel, through the fire and across the field. “He gets really antsy,” Gebhardt said. “Sometimes he rears and bucks and it’s really cool to watch.” Peruna runs to celebrate every SMU touchdown, but other than that he enjoys a sideline view of the game. After the festivities he gets loaded up and taken back to his home away from campus. His handlers give him some well-deserved treats and he settles in for some much needed rest.
Gameday Groove
Home Sweet Secret Stable
Peruna is best known for his iconic dash across the football field when the team scores a touchdown, but his game day routine starts long before he trots through the tunnel. He is fetched from his home by his handlers four hours before kickoff. “We go to Peruna’s home and if he’s super dirty we will give him a bath,” veteran handler Ingrid Mayer said. “Most of the time we just brush out his mane, tail and forelock, pick his hooves and give him some carrots.”
Though he is always present when the Mustangs need him and loves his job on campus, very few know anything about the life Peruna leads away from the Hilltop. Back at his “super secret” off-campus residence, Peruna leads a quiet life. He has friends and takes visitors from time to time—visitors meaning his handlers who often come bearing treats ready to pamper the pony to his heart’s content. Mayer said she often goes to give him bubble baths and
hang out with him in a quieter environment. When he isn’t with his SMU squad, he can be found socializing with other animals. “The cutest thing is when he sees his friends at home,” Mayer said. “He lets out a loud whinny and gets really excited.” He enjoys the peace and quiet, but will always perk up for some playtime with his favorite toy. “He has a ball that he loves to play with. He’ll kick that around and go chase it, but he’s not a trick pony,” Gebhardt said. It’s important to note that it’s not all fun and games away from campus. Peruna does have a training regimen to maintain his physical fitness. “Sometimes we will go over and practice with him,” Gebhardt said. “Just so we know he’s staying in shape and ready to run for gameday.” Peruna handlers aren’t the only ones who love the pony to pieces. Students like junior Kaitlyn Polhemus say the SMU experience wouldn’t be the same without him. “I honestly think he’s such an icon,” Polhemus said.
Peruna poses on the sidelines getting ready to take his run on the field. Photo courtesy of the Peruna team
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The Daily Campus | Fall 2023 Issue
Holding Ownby Accountable a Century Later
From Ponies to Cash Cows
Accountability. For SMU students of color and their allies in the Human Rights Program, this word means holding the administration to its promise to fulfill a long list of demands for their community, many of which began in the 1960s by the Black League of Afro-American College Students (BLAACS) and continued into the 2000s with the Black Unity Forum (BUF). One of those demands includes addressing the racist history represented in a street sign connected to the former football stadium. In the spring 2023 issue of The DC, we published research from the SMU archival records and reporting from SMU libraries that showed Ford Stadium’s preceding structure, Ownby Stadium, began with a $10,000 contribution (roughly $179,547 today) from Jordan Ownby in 1922, an SMU alumnus who once performed in blackface performances at a 1920s-era campus event called the Kill Kare Karnival. The university demolished Ownby Stadium in 1998 and replaced it a year later with Ford Stadium. Ownby’s name still marks one of the university’s most used streets near the stadium, Ownby Drive. Construction for the Garry Weber End Zone Complex removed the physical sign for Ownby Drive, but ”Ownby Exit” signs are still visible inside the Binkley Parking Garage and the name is still visible on Google and Apple maps. The name of Ownby Drive should be changed. It should no longer stand as a painful reminder of racism to the students of color that drive past it. The Association of Black Students (ABS), the Black Unity Forum, the Human Rights Program and other cooperative groups agree Ownby’s past has no place in the Hilltop’s present. Last semester, DC spoke with former ABS president Kennedy Coleman about its plans to ask for Ownby’s name to be removed from SMU’s campus for good. The current ABS president, Damondre Lynn, said efforts will continue. “We’re going to get this process re-started,” Lynn said. For a century Ownby’s name has been immortalized as a founding father of what would eventually be the home of SMU football. In 2020, BUF, comprised of many organizations on campus that support and empower Black students, including ABS, African Student Association and the Black Law Association, authored a letter to SMU’s administration, respectfully asking for initiatives and actions on campus that would make the Hilltop an inclusive environment for all students. Three years later, Lynn says, it’s good to see some of these demands being met. Following the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, this letter asked SMU to hold itself accountable for not only educating but protecting and praising its students of color. As a result of America’s racial reckoning in 2020, many historically marginalized groups requested the administration strip racist An archival image of Ownby Stadium from namesakes from the 1920s. Courtesy of SMU Archives
Thirty-five years after the Death Penalty was instated against SMU football, the program now faces its biggest changes that will influence its future: membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The offer to join the conference came on Sept. 1 and boosters hope the move will put SMU football back on a path to prominence. “This is such an important day for SMU,” said SMU Board Chair David B. Miller ‘72. “Becoming a member of the ACC will positively impact all aspects of the collegiate experience on the Hilltop and will raise SMU’s profile on a national level. SMU is committed to excellence in everything we do, and this move will strengthen that commitment.” Some fans of the ACC project fear that SMU will not hold their own, merely becoming another small school that teams will trample. The pressure will fall entirely on SMU to prove doubters wrong. Even though SMU will be losing broadcast revenue, boosters have stepped up to support the move; the university raised $100 million from donors in the week after the ACC announcement. Change seems to be on the horizon 35 years after one of the most infamous college football punishments was cast upon SMU. The early 1980s was the time to be an SMU football fan. The Mustangs just came off back-to-back national championship recognition in 1981 and 1982, and running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James had just put SMU football on the map. The backfield duo was known as the “Pony Express” and remains the cornerstone of what was the most iconic era of SMU football. However, their reign as the most famous part of the program came to a crashing halt in 1987. SMU was busted for paying players and recruiting violations. It faced the NCAA’s harshest sanctions. SMU football has yet to recover. SMU finished in the collegiate Top 10 three times between 1981 and 1984 and has not seen a single Associated Press ranking since. John Williamson, SMU class of ’89, arrived on campus his sophomore year, unaware of the events that would unfold and drastically change his college experience. “It was surreal because nothing like that had ever happened before,” Williamson said. “Everybody knew that teams were cheating, but for them to just completely shut down the football program was just shocking.” After the suspension, a majority of recruits left SMU football in the dust and transferred schools. Upwards of 50 scholarships were stripped and nine sponsors were restricted in working with Dallas’ team. SMU students at the time had no idea the impact the suspension would cause in years to come. For football fans such as Becca Bets, SMU class of ’00, she was sad she had missed the years when SMU football was a crown jewel. “It’s funny now because when I was going to school here, SMU wasn’t even playing on their campus yet and so it was hard for all of us as fans to rally,” Bets said. “My family and I now live in Highland Park, come to each home game and so to see the expansive school spirit for the football team nowadays just does not remind me of my time as a student here.” Story continued on page 5
Ceara Johnson | Managing Editor
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Opinion
It’s time for the Ownby name to exit campus, writes SMU Daily Campus Editor Managing Editor Ceara Johnson. Photo by Lauren Villarreal monuments and buildings on SMU’s campus. Yet some names remain plastered around the Hilltop today. BUF is committed to conducting research on how to begin the process of removing Ownby’s name from campus on behalf of the Black community at SMU but hasn’t officially demanded it. “At this time, a formal request to pursue the removal of this name from the street has not been made,” BUF co-president Nick Jones said in a written statement. Trust is not easily gained, especially from a school with a campus that features buildings that bear the names of enslavers (Caruth Hall), Ku Klux Klan supporters (Selecman Hall) and ethically ambiguous Nazi artifact collectors (Harlan Crow and Kathy Crow Commons). “SMU should do the right thing and show that [they] are sensitive and responsive to a changed America,” said Dr. Rick Halperin, director of the SMU Human Rights Program. “As long as there is accountability, there is a hope for a better, more inclusive version of the Hilltop.” Ownby’s legacy has no place in SMU’s 2023 Homecoming celebration. His hateful representation of Black people should not be honored by an increasingly diverse SMU. Black football players and students who must stand in what was formerly Ownby Stadium should not have to dwell on physical reminders of a century-old donation he paid to begin the school’s first stadium. College campuses serve as small echo chambers of a greater society and as a reflection of that institution’s values and priorities. As SMU seeks to become a more inclusive space, it must expand the sense of belonging felt by those who step onto this campus and address BUF’s list of demands. an increasingly diverse SMU. Black football players and students who must stand in what was formerly Ownby Stadium should not have to dwell on physical reminders of a century-old donation he paid to begin the school’s first stadium.
Hannah O’Gara | Co-Sports Editor
The Daily Campus | Fall 2023 Issue
The Backbone of SMU Football is Female
Sports interns, NFL reporters and girlfriends provide crtitical team support Liz Cruz | Engagement Editor
If someone told you that nearly all of the SMU football intern staff is female, would you believe them? Probably not. And why would you? The majority of faces on the sideline are men. The SMU football team is fostered, supported and promoted by women through their unpaid intern positions. Players are front and center of SMU football while seven recruiting interns help make the magic happen. When football recruits visit SMU, the interns are in charge of making them feel included in campus life. Kylli Asaro, a sophomore who has been managing football and basketball teams since high school, does this by getting to know the recruit before they set foot on campus. She analyzes the players’ stats, memorizes faces and finds gold. “I’m in control of a big part of how they perceive SMU,” Asaro said. “I want to give them the best possible experience to make them want to come back to SMU and play with us.” Growing up, Asaro received backlash from boys for wanting to be in the sports industry. She’s used to them “mansplaining” different sports to her. “They don’t know me,” Asaro said. “They don’t know that as football manager she kept track of player stats and swapped out practice equipment or as basketball manager she brought essentials for game day and lost sleep over the wins and losses. Now, those boys who made fun of her are learning from her everyday.
Laura Okmin was her own cheerleader on the sidelines. Courtesy of Laura Okmin Story continued from page 4 This year also brought benefits to Gerald J. Ford Stadium as construction began on the Garry Weber End Zone Complex. Garry A. Weber, SMU class of ’58, donated $50 million, the largest gift in SMU athletics history to begin the project. The new complex features three levels that will enhance the overall experience of SMU football for both current players and incoming recruits, including a locker room, weight room and kitchen. Between the ACC and the upgrades to the stadium, SMU hopes to boost recruiting efforts, including with staff scouting and hiring. Sophomore Preston Stone, SMU’s starting quarterback, will be playing in a new conference and renovated stadium. He hopes the enhancements will bring recruits to SMU.
The third longest tenured sideline reporter in NFL history, Laura Okmin, can relate. She was a “guy’s girl” her whole life. She understands how women need to fight for their place in any industry, especially in the sports industry. “I was a bit confused when I started hearing that girls had no place in sports because that’s not the world I grew up in,” Okmin said. Okmin has interviewed icons like Michael Jordan and high-profile Super Bowl players. Like Okmin, Asaro is committed to her personal development in the sports industry. “There’s a newfound respect for me because I know sports and like sports,” Asaro said. Asaro feels accomplished when she sees online encouragement. Personal DM’s, reposted Instagram stories and tweets from recruits are ways Asaro connects with them once they leave campus. Recruits thank and remember her. “Excited to join the SMU Football family,” a current player who didn’t want to be named posted on his Instagram. “Seeing that made me feel like it was well worth the chaos and energy that comes with typical game day operations,” Asaro said. “Everything we sweat about to make sure everything is perfect was worth it.” She did it. Finally, some public recognition. It’s not just Asaro but a school of women who uplift and support SMU’s 126 football players. Not on the recruiting intern staff, but just as important to players are girlfriends like Emma Gretzky who lend support from the stands or at home. As an avid tennis player, Gretzky understands the importance of emotional support on gameday. Her boyfriend, Stone Eby, showed up for her games and now she makes sure to do the same. “I want to stay for him,” Gretzky said when talking about why she goes to SMU football games. Coming from a family who lives and breathes sports, Gretzky knows how a sport can be emotionally and physically chaotic. With a last name like Gretzky, she says she is used to a busy sports schedule but still makes time for those she loves. “Winning or losing, Stone will come talk to me about how he felt on the field,” Gretzky said. The abundance of support from the variety of women show the dedication to sportsmanship that often goes unnoticed. “I think the new Garry Weber End Zone Complex will attract a lot of highly scouted recruits, especially those looking for the opportunity to stay close to home,” Stone said. “Dallas has always produced an abundance of highly recruited players, and I think the complex along with a conference change will allow us to keep more recruits at home.” The Garry Weber Complex is the most historic addition to the structure of SMU’s stadium since September 2000, when Ford stadium was first built. Previously, home games had taken place in Irving, Texas. A large part of the construction is a new seating area for Mustang fans, intended to put more fans in seats and keep them there for the whole game. With blue blood programs on SMU’s horizon, such as Clemson and Florida State, the athletic department is hopeful that not only Dallas fans will start packing the games, but supporters of ACC teams across the nation.
A 1942 Rotunda Yearbook photo illustration shows SMU women rooting for SMU football. Photo by SMU Libraries Sophomore intern Lily Podolsky works with the team to recruit but also on their nutrition. She attends 5:45 a.m. practices, makes personalized smoothies and prepares snack bags for players. These are just a few of her daily tasks. She loves what she does, not just for the athletes but to support her dreams. “I wanted to take every opportunity that I could to put myself in the best position for my career,” Podolsky said. While Asaro and Podolsky agree that the SMU Football team is extremely grateful for their work, women are not the face of the team. They’re the backbone. The backbone provides structure and support. And to win the game, you can’t lose it.
SMU quarterback Preston Stone plays in Ford Stadium. Photo by Mark Reese
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The Daily Campus | Fall 2023 Issue Best words I've ever learned are “Yes, ma’am.” -Buddy
From Campus Glances to Forever Romance By Sara Hummadi, News Editor
“College is a time to find yourself and love is just a part of that.” -Melody
Your palms are sweaty, your heart is racing, your stomach drops, and everything goes quiet. For a moment, you forget to breathe. It’s love at first sight. We’ve all heard about it. And these mustangs found it.
Melody Mattox (‘91) and Ken Mattox (‘90)
It was the summer of 2000. The sun had set, and Ford Stadium was under construction yet perfectly moon-lit. SMU graduates Melody Mattox and Ken Mattox crawled through a slightly open fence. They walked through the seats, looking for where they might sit once it opened. Then they made their way to the roof. The stadium was almost complete. Melody met Ken in her first week at SMU. She was a freshman and he was a sophomore. As Ken was unpacking his car to move in, Melody was instantly drawn to him. “He had pink shorts on and a tank top ... and he was very tan and very muscular,” she said. “My first impression was ‘He’s hot.’” At a party later that night, Melody knew she had to be there because Ken would be there, too. The two hit it off and talked all night. They left and sat on a grassy knoll on Skillman Road, which still brings back memories every time they drive by. The next day, Ken couldn’t remember how to find Melody. All he remembered was her residence hall. “The next day he showed up,” she said. “ I was walking out and he was walking to try to find me. That’s when we made plans for our first date.” After the first date, came the second. That’s when they knew. “I spent the whole day with this guy and we had so much fun. I was like, ‘Maybe he could be the one, right?’ That was the very first time I ever thought that about anybody,” she said. It turned out, he was. The two dated throughout the rest of college and continued for a few years after that. When Ken proposed six and a half years later, it was on SMU’s campus, at a place he knew was special to Melody. The two were out for dinner with friends, and Ken managed to get Melody back to campus where his plan could unfold. When Melody was in SMU’s student senate, the revitalization of the seal on Bishop Boulevard was near and dear to her heart. It was a project she had been working on her senior year. The seal had just been cleaned when Ken took her to see it on Homecoming weekend, years later. On that seal he got on one knee and asked her to marry him. The couple wed a year and a half later. November 6, 2023, marks 30 years since the couple got engaged.
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Buddy Ozanne (‘70) and Linda Ozanna (‘74) Ken and Melody hold hands on top of the seal that Ken proposed to Melody on. Photo by Saki Teng
Ken and Melody at a party on Feburary 9, 1989. The lamp to the left is an SMU-branded lamp given to Melody by Ken, it is inscribed “To my light.” Photo courtesy of Ken and Melody Mattox
On September 15, 2023, Buddy and Linda Ozanne celebrated their 50th anniversary. Yet, Buddy Ozanne has never forgotten July 16, 1973 . He was a graduate in the SMU class of 1970 and an emcee for a bible study group holding a conference at SMU. Linda Stewart was a rising senior at Baylor attending the same conference. The two immediately felt drawn to each other. So much that Linda let him call her the wrong name. “He called me Glenda and I was too embarrassed to correct him,” she said. “One of the girls, who was attending, finally said ‘Her name is Linda.’” Linda returned to Waco after the conference and the two began a long-distance relationship, visiting each other on the weekends. One weekend, just before class registration at Baylor, Buddy surprised Linda with a visit. “There’s no such thing as cell phones, no email and Waco was a long distance call,” he said. “I was visiting with a client and I asked him if I could borrow his [landline] phone. He just laughed and said, ‘Sure.’” Buddy called Linda to ask her out and headed down to Waco, where the two took a stroll at nearby Katy Park. Then and there, just two months after the couple met, Buddy spontaneously asked Linda to marry him. The two drove back to Dallas to tell Buddy’s parents and began to talk about the wedding. Two words from their bible study teacher would change the course of their lives: “Why wait?” “We planned a wedding in three weeks,” Linda said. They married September 15, 1973, at 5 p.m., the only date available at Perkins Chapel. And then they moved on to the next question. Where would Linda finish her senior year? “I wanted to liberate her from Baylor,” Buddy said. He did just that. Buddy made a call to SMU President Willis Tate’s office, a man he called “one of the finest human beings that has ever lived,” and he asked Tate’s assistant to speak with him.
Courtesy of Buddy and Linda Ozanne
The Daily Campus | Fall 2023 Issue
Dan Pitts (‘16) and Alicia Pitts (‘16, ‘19)
Music was blaring. Dan Pitts was a diver on the SMU swim and dive team, but tonight, he was a DJ at a party. Alicia Arnold was invited to the same party by a mutual friend. There, the two were introduced and were instantly hooked. They began to hang out right after. Throughout the next three years, the couple fell more and more in love. One of the special places on campus for them were the benches outside of Perkins Chapel. There, they would sit together, days and evenings.
“Be each other’s best friend. Don’t withhold pieces of yourself.” -Linda
Linda and Buddy Ozanne on their wedding day in Perkins Chapel. Dan and Alicia with their daughter at the Boulevard.
Not thirty seconds later, he was on the line, Buddy said. “He said, ‘I’ll make 15 minutes available to you,’” Buddy said. “‘You be in my office at 4:15 this afternoon and you bring that pretty bride of yours.’” Sure enough, the two went to his office. Tate looked at Linda’s transcript and said “This is not going to be any problem at all.” Tate picked up the phone. He made a call to the dean of the education school. “[He said] ‘I got a young couple, he graduated from SMU in 1970, and she just finished her junior year at Baylor,’” Buddy said. “‘We want to make her a Mustang.’” Linda then began her senior year at SMU. The two wed weeks after, and Linda graduated from SMU in 1974.
Buddy and Linda Ozanne on their Boulevard plot that they currently share with Ken and Melody Mattox. Photos courtesy of Buddy and Linda Ozanne
“I wanted to marry him from the third time I’d hung out with him,” Alicia said. One of the central things in their relationship is faith, Alicia says. “He was fun, cute and also loved Jesus,” she said. “We’re both very devout Christians and that honestly is what made me interested in him to begin with.” Late October 2015, on Family Weekend of their senior year, Dan and Alicia got engaged. It was pouring rain, and Dan was standing outside of Perkins Chapel with an umbrella. Alicia knew what was coming. She got out of the car, having switched her yellow rain jacket with a white one her mother had, and Dan got on one knee and proposed. From inside the chapel, family and friends were watching as the two embraced in the rain. “He had it all planned out,” Alicia said. “We got married two weeks after we graduated from college.” After Dan graduated from SMU, he was instrumental in restoring Young Life on campus. He was the director of Young Life at SMU from 2019 to 2023. Alicia graduated from SMU in 2016 and again from SMU Law School in 2019. The couple has a 1-year-old daughter, Rory and two dogs. They live in Lake Highlands and remain involved at SMU.
Alicia in her white raincoat when Dan proposed to her in front of a rainy Perkins Chapel. Photos courtesy of Dan and Alicia Pitts
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The Daily Campus | Fall 2023 Issue
Peruna’s Homecoming Adventure
Community Creates Homecoming
Saki Teng and Leah Kelly | Photo/Video Editor, Contributor
Ellen Rogers | Co-Arts and Life Editor
Alumni remember Peruna, parties and football With old Rotunda yearbooks scattered across a table in the DeGolyer Library, stacks of yellowing photos at my elbow and dozens of archived editions of the Daily Campus pulled up on my computer, I thought I knew everything about SMU Homecoming. I had sifted through over 100 years of homecoming history and knew all of the traditions that have fallen to the wayside: the alumni tree-planting, the pre-game picnic, the Friday night bonfire and the annual freshmen versus upperclassmen tug-of-war. Why, I wondered, had these events ever ended? I asked Joe Clark, SMU class of 1966, about his memories of the bonfire and the tug-of-war. “I don’t remember that at all,” he said. I looked at my notes: an image of the 1965 bonfire, a picture of tug-of-war in 1962 and a 1969 WFAA clip on the annual tradition. Penny Harvey, a friend of Clark’s and part of the class of 1967, said she vaguely remembered a bonfire, but doesn’t remember attending. Maybe the all-school-picnic, held before the homecoming game every year from 1951 to 1980, would ring a bell. “This is gonna look pretty bad,” said Sharla Bush, class of 1977, “I don’t remember a picnic either.” Neither did her husband, who graduated from SMU a year before her. It was clear the events that were so consistently covered in campus publications didn’t have the same staying power in the memories of alumni. “It was really about the game and the excitement,” Bush said. She was a cheerleader and Homecoming was a busy weekend for her. She remembers feeling pressure to energize the crowd, welcoming alumni into her sorority house and her parents coming down for the game. Clark and Harvey remember the actual game as the highlight of the weekend as well. Back then, all home games were held at the Cotton Bowl, but there was no tailgating or organized transportation to the game. Instead, dates would double up and drive to the Cotton Bowl together after the parade on the Boulevard, Harvey remembered. “You wouldn’t think of going to Homecoming without a date,” Clark said. A decade later, when the game was held on campus at Ownby Stadium, dates were still the norm. “If somebody hadn’t asked you by Wednesday, you weren’t going to Homecoming,” said Bush. Now, students seem to go to games in big groups, Harvey said. She’s returned to many SMU Homecomings as an alumni and has seen the birth of new traditions, like
SMU cheerleaders lead the crowd at the 1975 Homecoming game against University of Texas. Courtesy of SMU Libraries
Boulevarding, which began around the time President R. Gerald Turner left his position as chancellor at University of Mississippi and started at SMU in 1995. “I’ve been to the Boulevard numerous times since they’ve had it, and I think it’s a great thing and a wonderful thing to do,” Harvey said. “And it’s nice that each of the colleges generally have an area or a tent to have their alums come to.” A staple of Boulevarding is SMU’s mascot, Peruna. “I’ve met Peruna twice in person,” Harvey said. “Both after I graduated, once with my two granddaughters.They thought it was so cool.” The little black pony starred in Clark’s homecoming memories. When Clark was at school, SMU was part of the Southwest Conference and the Homecoming game was almost always against a Texas team. Attempted and successful mascot heists affected the Baylor bear, Bevo, UT’s Texas longhorn and of course, Peruna the pony. “For homecoming, they had to be very careful,” Clark said, recalling one of his friends who was a Peruna handler. “He would spend most of the weekend in the stable with Peruna, as well as some other people to guard her,” Clark said. For Clark, Harvey and Bush, Homecoming boiled down to three things: football, Peruna and community. None of them had much to say about the school-sponsored events leading up to the game, but told fond stories about roommates, sorority sisters, Homecoming dates and friends. While homecoming traditions have come and gone over the past 100 years, Homecoming brings together former, current and future Mustangs, from the football spectators to the toddlers who are more interested in Freshmen lose tug-of-war to upperclassmen in 1962, a now defunct Homecoming tradition. Peruna than the pigskin. Courtesy of SMU Libraries
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The Daily Campus | Fall 2023 Issue
Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Four Decades Since the 1980s, the Tate Lecture series has brought in well-known celebrities Amara Asrawi | Co-Arts and Life Editor Southern Methodist University’s Tate Lecture Series gives university members and the Dallas community an opportunity to hear from America’s most recognizable names and faces, from renowned political scientists like Henry Kissinger to hospitality stars like Martha Stewart. For decades, SMU has been devoted to spreading knowledge. “SMU’s Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series has contributed to this mission by bringing thought-provoking and entertaining icons to the SMU campus and Dallas community,” said Jeff Lockhart, associate director for the Tate Lecture Series. The series started in 1982 and was named after activist and academic Willis M. Tate. Tate earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at SMU and later served as the university’s assistant dean of students and university president. The series that shares his name has been beneficial for SMU and serves as an academic resource, said Pareeni Shah, Student Foundation’s Tate lecture chair. “I think it makes a big difference when you not only see people on the news and hear about things in your classes, but when you have a one-on-one opportunity to hear about them and see them in person,” she said. Each Tate Lecture is an all-day event that brings SMU students, staff, faculty and the Dallas community together. A student-moderated forum provides a question-and-answer segment with the guest speakers before the lecture. In the evening, thousands fill the historic McFarlin Auditorium. Guests are greeted by ushers from Student Foundation, an organization that helps run the Tate Lecture Series. This year, Student Foundation created a campus liaison position to bring more awareness to the lectures on campus. “I normally go to classrooms to inform students about the lecture,” said Nise Olawale, Student Foundation’s outreach chair. The Tate Lecture Series also gives back to SMU students. “The series returns over $800,000 for academic support and scholarship,” Lockhart said. “Over the past 10 seasons,
Martha Stewart speaks as a Tate Lecture guest May 2, 2023. Courtesy of SMU Libraries
Henry Kissinger was one of the first Tate Lecture speakers. Courtesy of SMU Libraries the series has returned almost $10,000,000 for academic programs and scholarships.” In 1990, SMU increased the number of speakers, enabling attendees to learn from more guests with diverse views. “In the beginning, we had four speakers per season and now have eight, so there is a Tate Lecture every month of the school year,” Lockhart said. With a list of speakers, each lecture series takes months of preparation. “We begin booking speakers approximately 10 months prior to the start of the season in September and announce the upcoming lineup at the last lecture of each season,” Lockhart said. Guests can purchase single event tickets or coveted season tickets for the lectures. The Tate Lecture Series entered its 42nd season on SMU’s campus, welcoming U.S. Navy four-star admiral James Stavridis, journalist Fareed Zakaria, and former presidential adviser David Gergen. Nearly 1,600 guests attended the sold-out lecture on Sept.12. Daphne Lee, a local from Dallas, was among them. “Everyone in Dallas knows about the Tate Lectures,” Lee said. “I come as often as I can get tickets.”
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The Daily Campus | Fall 2023 Issue
An Evolving Tradition
Homecoming royalty: A more inclusive court Katie Bergelin | Podcast Editor
On the second floor of Fondren Library, the archived past of Southern Methodist University lies in precisely categorized file folders and neatly labeled boxes. I plopped a giant box labeled “Homecoming” on the table and began to sift through each year, starting in the 1960s all the way to the mid-2010s. Black and white photos unveiled bright smiles, shiny Homecoming crowns and extravagant floats, sights still familiar. From 1968, a photo shows Bob Hope (yes, that Bob Hope) adorned in his Homecoming King crown as he goes to hug students Shelley Knight and Jill Thrift. Other photos show nominees wearing beautiful dresses and pantsuits, outrageously decorated mums and bejeweled crowns. But a series of photos, Daily Campus newspapers and excerpts from a book entitled One Hundred Years on the Hilltop show a stark diversion from the outwardly positive aspects of Homecoming. In 1969, with civil rights politics still impacting the nation, SMU’s Homecoming tradition shifted when Peyton Hall announced Yvonne Clement as their nominee for Homecoming Queen. This made her the first African American nominee in SMU Homecoming history. Though Clement did not win the crown, she was presented alongside the other nominees during the halftime ceremony. The following year, all 16 nominees were white. As a result, The Black League of Afro-American College Students (BLAACS) tried to nominate one of its members, Jacqueline King, but since she was not a representative of a dorm or sorority, the Alumni Association did not accept King’s nomination. Thanks to a last minute compromise, BLAACS was able to present King as a Homecoming Queen nominee. Between the first and second quarter, King was presented, but the final half of the BLAACS ceremony was interrupted by Baylor’s marching band. When the other candidates were presented at halftime, nearly 30 black students walked out in protest. After that year, the Alumni Association amended eligibility rules for Homecoming, allowing campus organizations to join sororities and dorm residences in the nomination process. The effects of the amendment remain to this day. As the social climate of the country continues to evolve, organizations, like the Human Rights Council (HRC), have pushed for other changes in Homecoming. In 2022, SMU’s Homecoming court expanded to include more gender inclusive language. Now, each organization participating in SMU Homecoming can nominate up to two candidates regardless of sex or gender identity. But the road to get there was challenging. Associate Director of the Human Rights Program (HRP), Dr. Brad Klein recalled the long conversations about the council joining Homecoming traditions. “When [HRP students] were first thinking about becoming part of Homecoming, there was a lot of resistance because there were many individuals in the community who
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felt like this was not for them,” he said. “Some who identified in the LGBTQ community who just felt like, ‘This doesn’t fit me, it doesn’t fit my identity, it doesn’t fit how I see the world, and I don’t think that I would be welcomed in the process.’” The HRC first started to push for a gender-inclusive process in 2018 and communicated with Student Foundation, the organization responsible for planning Homecoming. The framework discussed allowed organizations to nominate up to two candidates regardless of sex or gender identity. Each nominee could then choose to be referred to as either King, Queen or Royalty, which would only be used during the announcement of the winners during halftime. The HRC was under the impression that their plan was accepted and would be put to action. But, the proposed process was reversed two years in a row, leading to a boycott of Homecoming by the Human Rights Council in 2020. Current co-strategic Director of the Human Rights Council, Guadalupe Roman, said ideas of retaining SMU tradition set back the hope of having a more inclusive blueprint for homecoming. “Administration was pushing back along the lines of, ‘It’s SMU tradition. We can’t just get rid of tradition, right? How are we not going to have a homecoming queen and king?’” Roman said. In the Human Rights Council’s open letter published on The Daily Campus website, they point to SMU’s Statement of Nondiscrimination: “SMU’s commitment to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.“ Klein urges all members of the university to uphold SMU’s values, even if they seem small in the bigger picture. “Are we living up to who we say that we are, and if we really want every student to be included, what do we have to do tangibly to make them feel that way?” Klein said. “It may be a small thing in the overall scheme, but it matters, you know, the words matter, structures matter.” Meredith Hughes, the 2023 Homecoming Chair and a Dallas native, has experienced SMU Homecoming traditions since she was a child. She has watched involvement grow from SMU and the Dallas community at large over the years. She noted that more opportunities for on-campus organizations have allowed for more diversity and inclusiveness in the event. “Over time, we’ve been pushing for more organizations to become involved in Homecoming, trying to give them more outlets financially and more opportunities in general,” Hughes said. Roman explained that inclusivity does not take away from the nature of the event, and she encouraged students and faculty to consider the people who are impacted by the exclusive nature of words like “queen” and “king”. “Ultimately, nothing is really changing. Homecoming is still homecoming,” Roman said. Photos from top to bottom: Homecoming crowning 2022 Courtesy of SMU Archives, Bob Hope 1968 Courtesy of SMU Archivess, Human Rights Council Homecoming 2022 Courtesy of SMU Archives, Daily Campus Homecoming Issue 1970 Courtesy of Daily Campus, Homecoming 2003, Courtesy of SMU Archives
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Top three photos courtesy of SMU Libraries Bottom two photos by Catherine Ramsey
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student body to be worth it,” he said. “I’m hopeful that this collaboration will reignite the community’s involvement with this long-stranding SMU tradition.” Unlike some universities that receive significant funding for such events, SMU’s Student Foundation is entirely student-run and supported by the Student Senate. Students at SMU and similar universities like Baylor noticed that Texas Christian University (TCU) brought Kesha to perform, which Emmert estimated was around $500,000. Other schools have university funding that goes towards entertainment while SMU does not, Emmert said. “The cost adds up really fast before even paying the artists to come,” he said. Student Foundation pointed to a previous concert featuring the band Coin from SMU’s 2022 Homecoming. Though well-executed, only 500 students showed up. They were hoping for 1,500 students. “Coin was a $50,000 investment, and if you look at Waka Flocka Flame, getting him costs double the amount of Coin,” Emmert said. Though the concerts were expensive, some students said the concert gave them priceless memories. SMU senior Grace Hiestand, felt Student Foundation’s Homecoming concert was a good way to meet new people when she was a freshman. “It’s a bummer there isn’t a concert this year because the concerts were always very fun for me as a college student with low funds,” Hiestand said. “So many people find so much joy in music and the options we have are limited for people who don’t have the funds or the comfort to go to a typical concert.” But Emmert said Student Foundation wanted to highlight the talents of SMU students. “We want to make sure that what we are putting out is something that students want to come to,” Emmert said. “I don’t think this is a step backwards by any means.” Pigskin Revue’s iconic status of a “must attend” event on the campus calendar declined over recent years due to a combination of factors, said Tommy Tucker, assistant director of the Mustang Band. One notable factor was the Death Penalty, the NCAA punishment for recruiting violations that shut down SMU’s football program for two seasons. It resulted in Homecoming festivities overlapping with soccer games. This scheduling conflict deterred many alumni from returning to The Pigskin Revue. Another contributing factor was the broadcasting contracts for football games. This allowed networks to determine kickoff times with as little as six days’ notice, leaving event organizers and attendees in the dark about whether a Saturday night football game would coincide with the revue. ak “This year, the partnership with Student Foundation should iT help us reach a broader student audience for participants as well en as attendees,” Tucker said. “I believe the attraction of this being a g, milestone anniversary will attract a few more alumni, especially former Ph oto band members.” /Vi Tucker has been with the band for 45 years. This year is his last. d eo “The 90th anniversary of the Pigskin Revue is important since there aren’t too E di many things around Dallas that have been going on for 90 years,” he said. “I believe to r this should truly be a showcase for all manner of campus talent, not just the Mustang Band.” You can see The Pigskin Revue Friday Oct. 27 at McFarlin Auditorium.
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MU’s Student Foundation changed one of the most anticipated events of Homecoming this year and announced there will not be a concert headlining the festivities. Instead, the homecoming committee returned to an old tradition: The Pigskin Revue. The variety show featuring music, comedy sketches and satirical videos celebrates its 90th year and remains one of Southern Methodist University’s longest-standing traditions since 1933. Over the years, the Pigskin Revue saw a decline in attendance, but the Mustang Band kept the tradition alive. With Student Foundation’s help this year, the revue takes a more prominent place during Homecoming weekend, highlighting an eclectic mix of performances from campus groups, including alumni, current students and faculty members. Catherine Ramsey, vice president of programming for Student Foundation and a member of the Mustang Band, has deep connections to The Pigskin Revue. “I think this is a really cool opportunity for students who have that talent to show their skill,” she said. The revue also adds a traditional element to this year’s Homecoming and marks a more collaborative student experience, Ramsey said. Ramsey performed at the Pigskin Revue in 2022 when Ginny Diaz attended. Diaz remembered laughing at the skit about construction on campus. The skit featured makeshift instruments, including plastic trash cans skillfully played with bass drum mallets, a lengthy plank of wood expertly manipulated with snare drum sticks and brake drums brought to life with the artful touch of acrylic mallets. Midway through the performance, the ensemble temporarily paused while the drum captain delivered a humorous monologue replete with jests and quips about the ongoing campus construction. The audience laughed and clapped. Following the comedic interlude, the skit took a daring turn as participants were tasked with playing the wooden plank while it oscillated and spun, adding an element of dynamic surprise to the performance. “The instruments fit the construction piece so well and when the band was joking about the Owen Fine Arts construction, it was hilarious,” Diaz said. “The audience loved it.” The Mustang Band describes the revue as SMU’s very own Saturday Night Live. Student Foundation aims to bring a community together to celebrate the success of current, former, and future students, Will Emmert, entertainment coordinator of Student Foundation said. “The Pigskin Revue has been dying off, and we wanted to revitalize it and reincorporate it back into part of the homecoming festivities,” Emmert said. “I think it’s really important for people to come and listen and support their other students.” Emmert, a vocal performer, wants to make music a central part of the vision for Homecoming. “I think it’s important for us to support the Mustang Band, because they go to every football game, and they give our student athletes and our students section support,” Emmert said. The decision to forgo the concert was primarily driven by financial constraints, Emmert said. “We knew pretty early on that we weren’t going to be able to fund an event that would bring in enough of the
The Daily Campus | Fall 2023 Issue
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