Homecoming weekend invites alumni and online students back home

• Alumni come home to Liberty to reconnect over food, carnival rides and a football game.
• As part of the Liberty family, alumni have access to discounts and the Career Center.

Last weekend, Liberty University welcomed back several thousand graduates with activities, athletic events and fun for the whole family during homecoming weekend Oct. 13-14.

Alumni from all over the world gathered to celebrate their shared heritage as graduates of the largest Christian university in the world and reengage with campus through athletic events, a carnival and an alumni social, among other events. According to Liberty University News Service, registrations for this year’s activities rose 8 percent from last year’s 9,000 registrants.

“Homecoming is honestly a celebration,” Alumni Director and 2006 Liberty graduate Tyler Falwell said. “(Homecoming) reminds (alumni) that (campus) may look different, but the mission and core is still the same. It gives them a greater excitement to know that it is not a different place. It’s more enhanced and looks better— the amenities are far greater. But under it all, we’re still the same.”

Friday, Oct. 13

Registration kicked off bright and early at 9 a.m. in the LaHaye Event Space and carried on through the day. Registration gave alumni plenty of opportunity to get checked in, purchase some spirit gear and take photo booth pictures for the Liberty University Alumni Facebook page. Photos were posted with the hashtag #WetheChampions in honor of the schools new campaign.

The university realizes that, because Liberty’s alumni are relatively young, many alumni will have children, Falwell said. Therefore, the school offered a carnival with activities that included a Ferris wheel, a carousel and traditional fair food such as funnel cakes and cotton candy. Campus hayride tours were also available throughout the afternoon. To end the day, alumni reconnected at the alumni social in the Pavilion Lot.

“The carnival is so much fun because who doesn’t love carnival rides and just like hanging out?” Tobi Laukaitas, staff writer for the Liberty University Marketing Department and 2015 graduate, said. “You’re with people that have the same kind of memories and the same kind of experiences. You’re going through and remembering those times.”

Saturday, Oct. 14

Saturday proved to be even more eventful, as Liberty’s best-known figures strutted down University Boulevard for the annual homecoming parade. Led by the university’s marching band, “The Spirit of the Mountain,” the parade began at 3:30 p.m. and drew a sea of spectators clad in red. In addition to floats sponsored by various clubs, organizations and departments on campus, Liberty President Jerry Falwell and First Lady Becki Falwell, among other campus celebrities, rode down the boulevard in sporty cars and tossed candy to bystanders.

Because there is always something going on around Liberty’s campus, alumni had plenty of opportunity to reconnect with old friends, visit newly constructed facilities and participate in campus life. However, the weekend culminated with the football game against Kennesaw State University. Liberty fell to the Owls 42-28, but fans stuck with the Flames through the “four quarters of fury.”

Liberty Online student and Liberty sponsored NASCAR driver William Byron also made a special appearance for homecoming. Byron revealed his new No. 24 stock car he will race in the Monster Energy Cup Series starting next year.

Despite the team’s loss, alumni, online students and parents alike said they reaped the reward of attending homecoming— being welcomed back into the Liberty family.

“(Homecoming) feels connected to community,” business administration and healthcare management student Jonathan Tate said. “Being an online student, it’s nice to be able to come on campus and feel like a part of the wider community.”

Though homecoming is the most anticipated alumni event of the year, the Alumni Relations Office works hard to ensure Liberty’s some 250,000 graduates are included in the university’s family every day of the year.

“We are a family, and families look after one another,” Tyler Falwell said. “It’s incredibly important to stay connected and show the world our pride in our alma mater. A collective unit is always much stronger than any one individual.”

With an alumni identification card, alumni are able to use their benefits, including discounts, merchandise and career services. Liberty graduates can receive both national and local discounts for businesses and services. Additionally, Falwell said all alumni have access to career services through the Career Center, including resume critiques and job search tools, among other services.

“We hope our alumni will be there for us, but we’re always there for them,” Falwell said. “We want to be there to help (them) get a better job, (or) to meet new people.”

While Liberty boasts a wealth of services for alumni, Falwell explained that graduates continue to give to the school long after receiving their diplomas.

“Everybody has been helped by those that came before them,” Falwell explained. “Those before us helped pave a way. We (all) have some sense of responsibility when in the position to do the same for those who follow.”