Flower power, this year's homecoming theme, was displayed all over campus last week as students gathered at events to celebrate school spirit.
Organizers agreed that participation in all homecoming events had increased compared to last year's attendance.
\Overall, I thought homecoming week was a huge success,"" UW-Madison homecoming committee member junior Jamie Wagner said. ""We had more people involved than usual and we made a lot of money for a good cause.""
Homecoming committee co-chair junior Marci VanAdestine said the best part of homecoming was the student reaction and celebration.
""It is the spirit of the University of Wisconsin, the events, we have people able to step back and say, 'Wow, I'm in this huge university but look at the spirit and pride that is here and I'm a part of that,'"" she said.
With a large student population, it is hard to find events that unite large groups of students quite like homecoming does, Wagner said.
""This week is a little different than all the other weeks because it's homecoming week,"" she said. ""There are so many people and so many events that bring people together.""
The two most popular events were the charity ball, which took place Oct. 12, and the homecoming parade Friday.
""I think the homecoming dance is something people miss from high school. So it's fun to be able to come back and dress up and hang out with your friends,"" said homecoming committee member Kelly Lavin.
The ball raised in approximately $4,000 in its second year, up from $3,000 last year. All funds are donated to the Dean of Students Crisis Fund.
Many events, including the Badger Games and Tug O' War, had student organizations competing against each other.
""Each of the groups were able to raise the morale of their group by competing against other groups and learning the importance of teamwork,"" VanAdestine said.
Wagner said she thought some events excluded students who do not participate in student organizations.
""Nonaffiliated students ... can't participate in some of our events,"" she said. ""That is something we are trying to change, ... It's hard to get 44,000 people involved.\
