A love of purple is just the beginning of what drew us to working with Northwestern’s Homecoming celebration. While this year’s theme focuses heavily on our school colors with the slogan, “got purple?” there is so much more to the week-long celebration. Students, alumni and the Evanston community will come together throughout the week in events incorporating all things NU.

This year’s events kicked-off Sunday with Make a Difference Day. Sixty-five Northwestern students came together for a day of service in the Evanston and Chicagoland area at sites ranging from animal care to helping those living in low-income areas. Despite being the middle of midterms, at 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning, students were decked out in purple, smiling and ready to go serve their community. This caring spirit is what makes NU the outstanding community that we call home.

We invite the Evanston and Northwestern communities to join us in the rest of this year’s festivities, including Monday night trivia at Merle’s in a joint effort with Dance Marathon, a two-day blood drive in the Louis Room co-sponsored by Student Blood Services and Theta Chi, and our annual pep rally and parade this Friday beginning at 7 p.m. For the first time ever, the pep rally will be held outside on Deering Meadow, giving students and the community the opportunity to meet Coach Fitzgerald, football players, cheerleaders, Willie the Wildcat and our NU Marching Band. Friday night’s homecoming parade will feature Grand Marshal Chicago Bears linebacker Nick Roach (WCAS ’07), as well as floats from student groups and fraternity and sorority houses. Our biggest event of the week will be an interactive, competitive improv show by professional comedy group Comedy Sportz. The event will be held in McCormick Auditorium in Norris University Center on Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. For more information on all of the events, visit our Web site.

We encourage all students to show they’ve “got purple” by wearing purple all day, every day this week. Don’t forget to vote for your friends for homecoming royalty. Check out the painted windows in downtown Evanston, decorated by members of student groups – and remember to vote for your favorites. We hope students will attend the events and come cheer on their friends marching in the parade. Showing you’ve “got purple” is not limited to just this week though; display your pride all year by attending events across campus, cheering as loud as you can at all athletic events and instilling a sense of NU pride in all that you do. As we’re entering our last years here, we’ve found one of the things we’ll miss the most is the sense of community and the students who bleed purple every single day.Homecoming and purple love

-Catrina Miksis and Yazmin Harris

McCormick senior and Weinberg senior

Co-chairs, NU Homecoming 2009