Food, fun and music rang out as Rattler’s celebrated homecoming with its annual student government barbeque, “Taste of the Hill.” Located in FAMU Park, students and the community came out to partake in one of the many homecoming events for 2012.
With the new arrangement of homecoming dates, the absence of many organizations and vendors became noticeable. In the past the FAMU Career Center, Toyota, Coca-Cola, the U.S. Air Force and BET College Tour embodied the park. But on this day, only food and deejays filled the void.
“The SGA barbeque had high attendance as anticipated,” said FAMU student body president Marissa West. “I think we had a big celebration [since] Barack Obama won last night. So all the students are here with a positive spirit and [are] excited about homecoming.”
After watching the historical event of President Barack Obama’s re-election into his second term, many were amped to celebrate his defeat with homecoming festivities.
“I’m really enjoying the event. We have a lot of food. And it’s like a family reunion out here,” said Alexia Wallace, a sophomore accounting student from Jacksonville.
Minus a couple of side food items, SGA’s menu consisted of chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, fish, grits and peach cobbler. Irie Ice and the soda stand were also available.
Wallace, who also attended the event last year, noticed the absence of some key entertainment.
“The only difference is that BET isn’t here. But it’s FAMU…we keep going and keep rocking,” she said.
Besides Wallace, other students took notice of the absent BET College Tour. The tour usually showcases students, their school and the culture of their communities, through games, endurance challenges and more.
“This event has definitely changed,” said Martez Hurt, a junior criminal justice student from Washington, D.C.
According to the 2012 BET website, Sept. 7 kicked off the college tour with Virginia State and ended Nov. 2 with Prairie View A&M University. Just a couple days shy of FAMU’s new homecoming dates.
“BET brought out more people, compared to just having a deejay and food. But they just missed out on the opportunity to come down here and party with FAMU on its 125th anniversary,” said Hurt.
Not fazed by limited entertainment, students continued to participate in dance contests and grabbed a quick plate before heading off to class. This day Rattler pride took on a whole new meaning.
“It’s just good to see the black community out here having a good time, eating food, enjoying music. It’s a great feeling,” Hunt said.