By Samantha Smith
Youngstown State University’s homecoming game is Saturday, and to celebrate, the university planned events for students leading up to the day of the game. The events include a drive-in movie, “Not Your Granny’s Bingo” and a Build-a-Penguin Lottery.
The drive-in will be featuring the movie “Monsters University” at 7 p.m. in the M82 parking lot Thursday. Students must reserve a spot online beforehand through Student Activities’ website to attend. Face masks are required and vehicles are limited to four passengers.
The Build-a-Penguin Lottery will begin Friday at 10 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. A limited number of students who entered to participate in the event were chosen to build a stuffed penguin.
“Not Your Granny’s” virtual bingo night will be hosted via Zoom from 8-10:30 p.m. Friday. To participate in bingo, students must register before the event through Student Activities’ website. Prizes for the winners include a Chefman Instant Coffee Maker, Nutra Ninja, 50” TCL Android TV and more.
Saturday, the homecoming football game will be at the Stambaugh Stadium starting at 12 p.m. To pick up a ticket, students can go to the stadium’s ticket office from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Tickets will not be distributed Friday or Saturday. They will also be providing free YSU T-shirts to the first 100 students attending the game.
Along with these events, there was a window painting contest for the student organizations in place of the traditional parade that goes on. Carolyn Jesko, assistant director of programming, explained the contest.
“We had student organizations paint windows in Kilcawley Center, so that’s kind of been a replacement for the homecoming parade,” she said. “We wanted to still offer a way for student organizations to get involved. They were able to sign up to paint a window.”
The judging on the student organizations’ window paintings was Wednesday. There are first, second and third place prizes for the winners, along with three honorable mentions.
Jesko explained why these events may be important for students at YSU, especially during the pandemic.
“Some students value that in-person connection, and it helps them create a better sense of belonging on campus,” Jesko said. “We’ve also offered virtual programs too, for a way students can get involved if they don’t feel comfortable coming to anything in person.”
For more information on all Homecoming events, go to Student Activities’ website.
