In the fall semester, Homecoming Week connects University of Idaho students with alumni and to build Vandal pride.
Until recently, there was no event in the spring semester for Vandals to rally around. That’s where I Heart Idaho Week comes in, said Student Alumni Relations Board (SArb) member Trevor Kauer.
“The main focus is to have some kind of event to gather around and focus on creating and instilling Vandal pride in the students, which is one of the main goals of SArb,” Kauer said.
Several events will take place Monday through Saturday this week, beginning with Social Media Monday. The organizer of the event, SArb’s I Heart Idaho Week Chair Austin Blacker, said it started the week by engaging students and alumni online.
“Anyone who wants to can post something they love about the university with the hashtag #iheartidaho and post it to our pages or on their own social media account,” Blacker said. “Each day we select random winners to receive T-shirts as well as Vandal swag bags.”
The living group banner competition also began Monday. Blacker said all living groups are invited to make a banner around the theme of love for UI. He said judges will walk through campus at 1 p.m. Friday to decide the winner.
The next day is Take Over Tuesday, with the main attraction being a living group capture the flag game on the Administration lawn at 5 p.m.
“We’re really looking for people to get together and have a good time. It’s pretty casual,” Blacker said.
From 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, students can play bingo in the quiet room at Bob’s, and Blacker said Sodexo will provide free snacks.
With Love Wednesday comes next, giving students the opportunity to write a letter to their mom from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Idaho Commons food court.
Blacker said the big event Wednesday is an alumni event from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Martin’s Smokehouse in downtown Moscow. SArb will provide the first round of appetizers. He said it’s geared toward UI graduates of the last decade, as well as seniors graduating in May.
“It’s like their first alumni event. Kind of getting a feel of what an alumni event is and building social and professional networks before they graduate,” Blacker said.
Thank You Thursday hosts several events in the Commons food court showing appreciation for UI employees. Blacker said SArb will hand out cupcakes beginning at noon, and at 12:15 p.m. they will announce the I Heart Idaho Week Professor of the Year.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Blacker said SArb will provide letter-writing materials for anyone to use in order to send letters of appreciation to anyone who deserves one.
Fantastic Friday kicks off with a Vandal community group photo on the Admin lawn at 11 a.m. Blacker said SArb wants anyone available to come and wear Vandal gear for the big picture.
A Traditions Keeper event will take place from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the Theophilus Tower lawn. Blacker said it’s essentially a scavenger hunt for tradition spots on campus, like the “I” Bench outside the Administration building. He said those who compete will get a prize from the alumni office.
Friday night is the Great Late Potato Bake.
“From 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. right outside the Corner Club Friday night, we’re just going to be selling baked potatoes to anyone who wants them,” Blacker said.
He said it’s actually a fundraising event for the Homecoming Committee, but it fit right into I Heart Idaho Week. They put on the event last year on campus, but due to low turnout decided to move it downtown this year.
Saturday will include two Easter egg hunts. Kauer is the Easter egg chair for SArb and organized both. He said while the hunts are not technically part of I Heart Idaho Week, they decided to put them together this year because the dates are so close together.
At 10 a.m. on the Admin lawn, Kauer said the Alumni and Friends Easter Egg hunt will take place for the whole community. He said they will fill about 3,000 eggs with candy and scatter them across the Admin lawn for children to find.
“Not much hiding is going on, because when you have 3,000 eggs there’s not many places to put them,” Kauer said. “But the beauty of the event is it cleans up itself.”
However, Kauer said that event doesn’t really draw in UI students, so he had the idea to have an after-dark Easter egg hunt that night to attract the older crowd. At 8 p.m. all over campus, the hunt will begin for about 50 glow-in-the-dark eggs, each with a substantial prize voucher like free Dutch Bros. coffee or boating gear from NRS. Kauer said SArb will hand out maps at the VandalStore with areas of greater egg density highlighted.
He recommended dressing for the weather and bringing a flashlight.
“Get ready to have fun, because we’ve got a lot of really great prizes,” Kauer said.
Jack Olson
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