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 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

SMU’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 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.

“This year, the partnership with Student Foundation should help us reach a broader student audience for participants as well as attendees,” Tucker said. “I believe the attraction of this being a milestone anniversary will attract a few more alumni, especially former band members.”

Tucker has been with the band for 45 years. This year is his last.

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“The 90th anniversary of the Pigskin Revue is important since there aren’t too many things around Dallas that have been going on for 90 years,” he said. “I believe 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.

Editor