On September 30, an article was published identifying issues in the “flawed” Homecoming Court selection process. As the Executive Board of Traditions Commission, the organization that runs the student side of Homecoming, we are disappointed by the writer’s misinformed opinions and inaccurate claims. Since the author did not contact anyone involved in the planning, we would like to offer some insight into a few of the statements.

First, the author states “homecoming is a missed opportunity to recognize students with other worthy attributes, like perseverance in overcoming personal or physical obstacles.” Had research been conducted, one would find many past candidates have done just that. From veterans, to single parents, to overcoming abuse and bullying based on sexual orientation, we find it insulting to discredit past candidates’ struggles and insinuate they have not overcome adversity. The author is unaware the “rigorous” process also includes short answer questions and an interview, which both give potential candidates opportunities to showcase life experiences.

Second, the overarching claim that the Court process is not inclusive to all types of people and “favors those who are members of large student organizations…who have a captive audience they can campaign to” is inaccurate. Arguably, finalists are well-connected, but that is because they are involved and engaged with the campus community. If the author researched more than the one past court member mentioned, she would have found people from all walks of life, as outlined above. The Traditions Commission strongly supports inclusivity, and the selection process would never exclude any qualified candidate on the grounds of race, gender, class, sexual orientation, disability, etc. Additionally, the claim that “the exhaustive list of prerequisites to the application makes no mention of gender identification,” is partially correct. The ‘prerequisites’ we believe she is referencing are: (1) senior status, (2) being on campus for fall 2015 and (3) completing the application. We hardly would call this exhaustive. There are no rules forcing applicants to select ‘King’ or ‘Queen’ based on gender. Anyone can run for King or Queen—it is their choice, not ours.

Lastly, we take this tradition seriously and always look for improvement. We are proud of our past candidates and feel the article was clearly a biased and uninformed representation of the process. Homecoming is a long-standing tradition and we encourage everyone to become involved in our events held October 19-24 – find out more at studentactivities.syr.edu. Go Orange!

Syracuse University Executive Board of the Traditions Commission