By Jen Lassen

Contributing Writer

This past weekend, I witnessed something spectacular: I saw the most amount of orange and blue I’d ever seen in my entire life. And not just the colors, but numerous people of all ages displaying pride for the University.

The sense of school spirit I felt from homecoming weekend overwhelmed me in a good way. People of all ages came to campus this past weekend for the homecoming festivities, and as a first-year with a relatively new connection to the University, I couldn’t have been happier to see a mix of alumni, family members, and younger children showing support.

On Saturday morning, I was somewhat surprised yet totally impressed to see the great number of people who attended the football game. The stands were filled with tons of people connected to the University, and their pride began to rub off on me. Looking out into the crowd, a sea of orange and blue filled my eyes and showed me how exciting it is to be at a place like this. I then started to realize how special of a place the University is for so many people.

Seeing the hundreds of alumni on campus this past weekend made me realize something. I realized how significant of a role four years at the University has played in the lives of so many different types of people: not just for their career, but for their personal qualities and friendships. I witnessed alumni tailgating with their sorority sisters, newlyweds taking their children (who were dressed in kid’s Bison gear, might I add) to play in the inflatables near the football field, and recent graduates catching up with their friends. It was just so great to see how the University still means so much to so many; the faces of older alumni were all so cheerful, signaling their happiness and excitement for being back at the place they called home for four years. Aside from the immense amount of school spirit displayed, this element of homecoming weekend in itself made me the most proud to call myself a University student.

For this reason, I feel that homecoming weekend is something all students should attend. I saw sheer pride for the University displayed amongst the young and the old, making me feel it, too. I think that each student owes it to himself to take a few hours next homecoming weekend to see this immense display of pride, spirit and love for the orange and blue that has extended over generations for the sole purpose of appreciating what a wonderful and special institution we all attend. The next time students find fault with the “Bucknell bubble,” remember how each homecoming weekend brings back thousands of people who love the University and everything it stands for, and how we should take notice of this love and embrace it ourselves.