Homecoming candidates pose on stage after being announced as Homecoming court members at the 2014 Royalty Reveal on Sept. 29 in Pruis Hall. DN PHOTO KAITI SULLIVAN
Barbie and Ken, Olaf and Anna and Princess Tiana and The Frog Prince all made appearances Monday night at the Homecoming royalty reveal. Couples from each campus organization dressed up in themed costumes before the top 10 king and queen candidates were announced.
About 5,000 votes were submitted this year for the candidates, nearly double last year’s turnout.
“I think this year we really pushed the social media,” said DJ Pulce, the royalty chair for the Homecoming steering committee. “We really tapped into it and made it a movement.”
The candidates were encouraged to post selfies on social media to help them campaign, and the Homecoming Steering Committee also put together “Man Crush Monday” and “Woman Crush Wednesday” events at the scramble light so people could get to know the candidates and encourage students to vote.
Cierra Payton, a junior public communications major, mainly used Instagram and Twitter to encourage people to vote for her, as well as posting to her Snapchat story. Payton is one of the 10 candidates for Homecoming queen.
“People who I talked to through social media responded to that well,” Payton said. “I was also an orientation leader for two summers so I reached out to all the freshman students I had in the past and I think that made a difference.”
Still, not all of the nominees relied on social media.
Daishawn Smith, a sophomore social work major, passed out cards at the scramble light asking people to vote for him.
He said when he first started campaigning at the scramble light, it was disheartening because he wasn’t being received the way he thought he would.
“This campus is so large and a lot of people don’t know what homecoming is,” Smith said. “After the first time passing out fliers I got more comfortable. It felt great as I got more into it.”
Smith said he thought he would campaign more than other people because he didn’t feel he was as well-known. He said as one of the Noyer residence hall candidates, he felt like the other organizations were better known than his.
“I think that if I don’t win, it will still have been a great experience to be in the running,” he said. “I’ve done my best to support not only myself but to try to support others as well.”
The top 10 candidates that were announced at Monday’s royalty reveal will interview in front of a panel of judges, and the interviews, along with the online vote, will determine who the top five candidates will be for king and queen. One of the top five in each group will be king and queen and the rest will be members of the court.
“They’re looking for passionate students that have that cardinal pride and … also they look at what [candidates] have done at Ball State,” said Jack Hesser, general chair of the Homecoming Steering Committee. “It’s designed to be fun and showcase involved people who really give back to Ball State.”
The 2014 Homecoming king, queen and their courts will be named at Air Jam at 9 p.m. on Oct. 9 in Emens Auditorium.
King Candidate |
Organization |
Queen Candidate |
Organization |
|
| Wesley Crouch | College mentors for kids | Cierra Payton | Alpha Chi Omega | |
| Dylan Stone | Phi Gamma Delta | Jes Wade | Student Voluntary Services | |
| Enoch Carlstrom | Alpha Chi Omega | Loren Cihlar | Student Athlete Advisory Committee | |
| Lincoln Clauss | Dance Marathon | Kayzie Priebe | College Mentors for Kids | |
| William Hammons | Kappa Delta | Audrey Rees | Code Red | |
| Leslie Thomas | Black Student Association | Emily Brumfield | DeHority | |
| Terry Miller | Student Voluntary Services | Emily Nickels | Sigma Phi Epsilon | |
| A.M. Haas | Something Else Sketch Comedy | Ali Gann | Chi Omega | |
| Nate Gossett | Sigma Phi Epsilon | Brogan Drumm | Catholic Student Union | |
| John Filip | Catholic Student Union | Rachel Janitz | Dance Marathon |
Read More
Ball State baseball ties with Indiana Hoosiers in extra-inning thriller
By Nick Shelton / 24 minutes agoThe game, which was forced into extra innings following a late-game collapse by the Cardinals, ended in Ball State tying the Hoosiers 7-7. The game was called due to darkness to give the Cardinals their first tie game of the season.
Victims and survivors of sexual assault share their stories at ‘Take Back the Night’ event
By Maya Kim / 8 hours agoThe ‘Take Back the Night’ event provided information about the history of sexual assault and what resources are available to Ball State students.
Wes-Del baseball defeats Wapahani in conference rivalry game
By David Moore / 9 hours ago“Right now our focus is being back and ready to play tomorrow,” Wes-Del head coach Daniel Hanson said. “We try not to look at the big picture, not look at the rankings, to the end of the year, none of that. Just getting in and getting better at focusing on what we can control.”
