Marshall’s… Whoooo’s Bringing The Thunder!

Of course, we all know who’s bringing the Thunder. Our goal is to make sure the Rice Owls know Whoooo’s Gonna Bring It to the Homecoming game on October 27 at 4:30 p.m. in the Joan C. Edwards Stadium!

Congratulations go to Marshall student Tiffany Mellace, the $100 winner of the Homecoming Committee's contest to name the theme for Homecoming 2007. 

Here are some of the exciting events occurring during the week of October 22-27.

A huge thank you to our Homecoming sponsors: Bank of America, CSX, the Marshall University Bookstore and Liberty Mutual.

On Saturday following the Homecoming Game, at 7:30 p.m. and repeated at 10 p.m., the Department of Music will present a Broadway Cabaret in the Jomie Jazz Forum. Admission is free... more

Monday:
 

Office Decorations. Employees are asked to decorate their offices to promote the Homecoming theme, “Marshall’s… Whoooo’s Bringing The Thunder” Prizes will be awarded at the Coaches Breakfast Friday morning.

Wednesday:

The Tri-County Alumni Club of the MUAA will host the Sixth Annual Thunder into Mason County Tailgate Party at the Mid-Ohio Valley Center from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. in Pt. Pleasant. Among those planning to attend are Dr. Sarah Denman, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Royce Chadwick, head coach of the women’s basketball team; Jean Gilman, director of recruitment; and Tish Littlehales, director of alumni relations. Entertainment will be provided by the Wahama High School marching band and Thundering Herd mascot Marco. Food and drinks will be served.

The event is open to the public. For more information or directions please check out the website at www.marshall.edu/movc or call the Mid-Ohio Valley Center at (304) 696-6320.

Thursday:
 

The Naming of the Homecoming Court will be in the lobby of the Memorial Student Center at noon.

Office Decoration Judging will begin at 1 p.m.

The Student Government Association is conducting a canned food drive on campus to help the City Mission. They will also be taking donations for the Habitat Restore, a store Habitat for Humanity runs where people can take household items to be sold at low prices.

     
Friday—Green & White Day:
 

The first official Alumni Association event of Homecoming weekend is Friday’s Coaches Breakfast at the Erickson Alumni Center. This live radio broadcast lets those present as well as radio listeners get to know the coaches. The DAWG, 93.7 FM, will start broadcasting at 6 a.m.

The Fourth Annual J-Walk will be on Friday, beginning at noon on the student center plaza. This fundraiser for the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications has raised more than $18,000 for equipment. You can walk or sponsor a student to walk for you. You can also bid on silent auction items donated from area businesses. Local radio stations will be doing live remotes and Marco and the MU dance team will entertain the crowd. All walkers get a free t-shirt. For more information on how you can get involved with the J-Walk you can contact the J-school at (304) 696-2360... more 

There will be a Reception for Dr. C. Robert Barnett, who is retiring at the end of the fall 2007 semester after 35 years of service to Marshall as a coach, faculty member and administrator. The Division of Exercise Science, Sport and Recreation is hosting the reception in the Drinko Library Atrium, located on the third floor of the Drinko Library, from 2 to 4 p.m. Alumni, faculty and staff are invited to share refreshments and wish Dr. Barnett well in retirement.

The Marshall University Foundation will kick-off The Bridge at 3 p.m. at the John Marshall Statue on John Marshall Drive. The Bridge will connect academics, athletics and alumni through the construction of the College of Information Technology and Engineering Laboratory facility, the women’s softball field and the new Alumni and Foundation Center. 

College of Information Technology and Engineering will hold an Alumni Reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at Savannah’s Restaurant at 1208 Sixth Avenue. There is limited capacity, so please R.S.V.P before October 18 by calling the CITE office at (304) 696-5453.

Kick off Parent & Family Weekend with a Friday evening reception hosted by Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp and his wife, Jane, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Memorial Center Lobby. During this informal gathering, you will have an opportunity to mingle with Dr. and Mrs. Kopp along with deans from each college. Light hors d’oeuvres and punch will be served. Registration details here.

The Party at Pullman Square will begin at 7 p.m. with a live band and plenty of food. The Subway Beach Band will feature music from the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s. This event, sponsored by the MU Alumni Association, will last into the evening. Please join us!

Members of Black Alumni Inc. will gather on Friday at the Pullman Plaza Hotel, with Registration beginning at 7 p.m. They will join for a viewing of the movie, We Are Marshall, at 7:30 p.m. The Dance at the Plaza begins at 9 p.m.

Saturday:

The Twelfth Annual Marshall Alumni 5K Run/Walk, sponsored by the MU Recreational Sports Office, will be held Saturday at 8 a.m. Registration is $15 through October 27th (non-refundable); $20 on Race Day. Call Sharon Stanton at 696-2943 or e-mail stanton@marshall.edu for more information.

Saturday’s events for Black Alumni Inc. include the Annual Business Meeting, Election and Awards Ceremony at the Alumni Lounge, Memorial Student Center, at 9:30 a.m. At 1 p.m. the group will visit the cemetery for a graveside ceremony for the 1970 football team.

Following the joint Tailgate Party with the MU Alumni Association (see below), there will be a Dance for Black Alumni at the Pullman Plaza Hotel.

Plan on joining the Black Alumni Association for Homecoming at these events. The cost of the entire package is $75 per person. For questions and RSVP please call Janis Winkfield at 696-3158 or 416-0938.

Parent & Family Weekend continues with a parent and student breakfast at 10 a.m. in the Don Morris Room of the Memorial Student Center. Student speakers will provide updates for campus projects. Then you are invited to join the crowd along Fifth Avenue for a great view of the Homecoming Parade. On Saturday afternoon, wear your green and gear up for the game at a parent tailgate party. Registration details here. 

The Homecoming Parade, sponsored by the Student Government Association, begins at noon downtown near the Big Sandy Superstore Arena and ends at the Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Join Marco, the Marshall cheerleaders, the Marching Thunder and some special dignitaries as we get ready for the Homecoming football game against Rice University. Come see the floats and bands and watch Marco’s antics!

This year’s Grand Marshal is NFL football player Mike Bartrum. Bartrum, who retired after the 2006 season, was regarded as one of the best long snappers in the NFL. He played 13 years with the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. At Marshall, he was a two-year starter and three-year letterman (1989, 1991 and 1992), earning all-Southern Conference honors as a senior and helping lead Marshall to the Division I-AA national championship in 1992. He was awarded The Distinguished Alumni Award in April 2007.

This year the newly-formed John Marshall Fife and Drum Corps will march in the Homecoming parade. The corps will be joined by Lutricia Tampa Fields and Jennifer Raczok Bailey, Marshall alumna who currently perform with the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps in Washington, D.C. Led by Dr. Wendell Dobbs, the 15-member ensemble of elite university music students performs in revolutionary war era uniform and performs on Cooperman McDonagh fifes and authentic rope drums. Their music is drawn from the traditional music of the era.

Marshall's H.E.L.P. Program will hold its 2007 Open House/Meet the Tutors at Wilbur E. Myers Hall on Saturday, October 27th from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. This will be an informal opportunity for parents to meet and discuss their students’ progress, followed by a brief program. All interested persons are cordially invited to attend and refreshments will be served. Then we hope all families and alumni will attend the tailgate and football festivities!

The Parent & Family Weekend continues with a Pre-Game Tailgate from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Thunderzone Corporate Area located on the east side of the stadium just across from Gate E. Get ready for kick-off with some food and excitement!  Registration details here.

The 1971 Young Thundering Herd Football Team will join the M Club Tailgate at the Bobby Pruett Pavilion at 2:30 p.m. Join your teammates and friends for food, drink, and fellowship before the game.

The College of Information Technology and Engineering will have its Eighth Annual CITE Tailgate at the Football Practice Field (just east of the Football Stadium on Third Avenue). A barbeque lunch will be provided. The tent will be open from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. No reservation needed. Call (304) 696-5453 for more information.  

A joint Tailgate Party with the MU Alumni Association and Black Alumni Inc. will be held from 1:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the Thunder Zone, located on the east side of the football stadium.

MU vs. Rice, Kickoff 4:30 p.m.

On Saturday following the Homecoming Game, at 7:30 p.m. and repeated at 10 p.m., the Department of Music will present a Broadway Cabaret in the Jomie Jazz Forum. Admission is free... more

The Step Show, sponsored by the National PanHellenic Council, will be held at the Keith-Albee Theatre on Saturday at 7:45 after the game. The cost is $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased in Memorial Student Center Room 2W27; 1W25; Xpressions 4 U, 825 Fourth Avenue, Huntington.