Homecoming Is Back With Plenty of Activities

By Jalen Gaynor  | Published by October 14, 2021

Homecoming is officially returning for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Kean’s festive event is returning in full force with games, prizes, and many other fun activities.

“Yes, we will have a Homecoming Weekend but not only weekend, we have the whole week full of different activities and events for students to participate in,” said Jason Pleitez, Executive Board President of Student Organization. “We know that students are excited to be back in person and that they also missed out on a lot in the past 3 semesters during the COVID-19 pandemic. They want to experience different events and that is why we want to go all out in our programming events.”

Homecoming activities will take place over the course of a week and include carnival games, food, and a musical act that will be announced at a later date.

During spirit week, students will also be encouraged to dress up in different attire including their class colors, movie or tv show characters, and as twins with friends.

Sept. 1 marked not just the beginning of the Fall 2021 semester, but the transition back to in-person classes after a year’s worth of virtual classes that began back in March 2020.

“Being Student Government President has been a valuable experience that I am excited to carry on for the academic year. This is a unique year since this is our return back to campus since the beginning of the pandemic. The past few weeks, I have been able to connect with students I haven’t encountered for over a year and a half in addition to meeting the sophomore class who was virtual for an entire year as well as our new freshman class,” Pleitez said.

Many students can relate to Pleitez’s comments, as many have been unable to interact with several of their classmates over the past year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pleitez understands that he plays an important role in helping the university to regain some sense of normalcy.

“All of us are coming back to some sense of normalcy on campus. Just like we had to adjust to the virtual environment, we now have to adjust with this new norm. I am excited to play this important role during the first semester back on campus because this is our time to rebuild. With all the events that took place this past year and a half around the world, we need to be unified more now than ever,” Pleitez said.

Pleitez was open, but hopeful about how difficult it has been for himself and the rest of the staff and students to adjust to the new normal with the protocols put in place by the university.

“It has been difficult to adjust, as it has been for me personally. But we are grateful for the science and vaccines which have allowed us to return to some sense of normalcy. The university has kept safety as their number one priority as they rely on state and federal officials to determine university protocols,” Pleitez said.

There are many events being planned for the semester that may cause excitement. Pleitez reassured that Vice-President of Programming, Yessica Jimenez is currently working on upcoming events for the academic year.

With the return of on-campus events, there might be students who feel hesitant as the pandemic is on-going, but Pleitez says that he has been active on social media and uses an Instagram account to stay connected with students.

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