Loco for Hoco

STILLWATER, Okla. –Alpha Omicron Pi members are making final preparations for this year’s Oklahoma State University Homecoming Walkaround 5 p.m. Oct. 18 on Greek Row.

Tissue paper and chicken wire are used to create images which are placed on decks built in front of the fraternity houses, Bills said. During the Homecoming Walkaround evening, the community could walk around and see the OSU spirit in these decks, Bills said.

House decorations began in the 1920s at Oklahoma A&M College when sororities began decorating their house doors, according to the Alumni Association website. Bringing the community together is the event focus, said Leigh Bills, Alpha Omicron Pi design director and a fire protection and safety engineering junior. She said this was her first time helping with Homecoming Walkaround.

“I’m excited to see what we’ve been working on for almost the whole year just come to life,” Bills said. “It’s really exciting to have something you put so much effort into.”

The first step this year was meeting with the fraternity Alpha Omicron Pi members are paired with and designing the deck, Bills said. This year, Alpha Omicron Pi members and Phi Kappa Tau members are paired together, Bills said. At the meetings, the students brainstormed themes and decided what the deck is going to look like, Bills said.

Her job was to draw out all the ideas and put them into Photoshop, Bills said. She added she then took the photos and put them into Stitching, an app designed to create the grid pattern students follow when pomping. Once the grids were made, they were printed out and attached to the decks so students could start pomping, Bills said.

The head directors are the main line of contact between the Alumni Association and Greek Life, said Anna Andrews, Alpha Omicron Pi and Phi Kappa Tau head homecoming director and an accounting junior. She also added her job is to make sure deadlines are met and students are fulfilling their jobs properly. Some other essential tasks she must perform include gathering materials, collaborating with Phi Kappa Tau members, organizing weekly meetings, and delegating tasks, Andrews said.

Directing positions start January, Andrews said. Since January, Alpha Omicron Pi and Phi Kappa Tau members have been working toward creating a design and building it, Andrews said. She added she thought the most gratifying part was seeing it all start coming together and getting to see others’ reactions once the long-kept secret is revealed.

While sorority and fraternity members are preparing Homecoming Walkaround throughout the year, there are certain time constraints for different stages of deck building, said Sarah Haven, Alpha Omicron Pi corresponding director, Alpha Omicron Pi vice president of finance and an agribusiness junior. During February, directing teams met up and chose the overall Homecoming theme which is “As the World Turns Orange,” Haven said. Later, the sororities and fraternities chose their individual themes, Haven said.

At the end of the spring semester, the deck sketches were prepared and the fraternities are preparing measurements, dimensions, and moving parts for the decks, Haven said. The design director computerized the sketches during the summer, Haven said. She added there was also an official pomping start time, where sororities and fraternities are first allowed to begin the pomping process, Haven said.

Tracking the sorority and fraternity budget, making sure the money is spent wisely, and tracking students’ hours are her main jobs, Haven said.

Along with showing OSU pride at Homecoming Walkaround, all of the decks are judged and a winner is announced at the football game the next day, Haven said. All hands must be off the decks at 3 p.m. the day of Homecoming Walkaround, Haven said.

“I want people to be aware of how much time and effort the houses put into each specific deck,” Haven said. “Even though everyone doesn’t get placed, each deck is so unique to that specific pairing that it makes it great in its own way.”

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Pomped Deck Closeup

Photo by Chelsea Alexander