Wine and beer ended a week of events for students and alumni that included a concert by hip hop superstar Lupe Fiasco, a debate covering the ins and outs of the American porn industry and a Division I soccer victory against the University of Vermont.
Hundreds of Binghamton University alumni returned to the school over the weekend to reminisce about college years and celebrate Homecoming 2008.
“It felt really strange being back,” said Justin Gioia, who graduated from BU last spring with a history degree. “There were a lot of new faces and changes to the dining hall — but still [it] reminded me of being back in school.”
Students, alumni and members of the community enjoyed a variety of events held throughout campus. The weekend’s features included campus tours for alumni, a School of Management mentoring and networking event, Hinman College’s Dorm Wars and Tailgate ‘08.
According to Steve Seepersaud, a communications specialist for the department of Alumni and Parent Relations, the School of Management mentoring event had a stronger attendance than in previous years.
Seepersaud said the events were successful and that it was a “record-breaking year for homecoming.”
“We don’t have exact figures on the attendants yet, but at this point we’ll estimate that we had more than 2,000 alumni, family members and friends attend the functions at this homecoming,” he said.
The three-hour tailgate event, the first one held on homecoming, was located in the Events Center parking lot on Sunday evening before the Division I men’s soccer game. Beer, food and wine were available.
“It seemed really put-together,” said Gioia, who is now a graduate student at Hofstra University. “Everyone was really friendly.”
Binghamton won the match against the University of Vermont, 1-0.
According to Seepersaud, city of Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan started off the event with a proclamation recognizing the impact that the University has on the community.
“The tailgate event was very successful,” Seepersaud said. “There was a great crowd, hundreds of alumni present.”
Student Association Vice President for Programming Aaron Butler was also pleased.
“Hopefully it’s something we’ll be able to see again in the future before big games,” Butler said.