Come Home to OU celebration promises to be best yet

By Eric Reikowski, media relations assistant

Plans are shaping up to make Oakland University’s third annual homecoming celebration an exhilarating, pride-filled and memorable experience. Set for Jan. 28-30, this year’s Come Home to OU event will feature three honorary alumni chairs: Oakland County Circuit Judge Leo Bowman, CAS ’76; Karen Newman, CAS ’82, the “Voice of the Detroit Red Wings;” and Bryan Barnett, SBA ’98, mayor of Rochester Hills.

“The homecoming celebration has grown tremendously since it started in 2009,” said Glenn McIntosh, dean and assistant vice president for Student Affairs. McIntosh also chairs the Come Home to OU planning committee. “Our alumni take a great deal of pride in the university and we expect this year’s event will draw a large number of grizzly faithful back to campus.”

This year’s homecoming includes a wide array of events and activities, starting with an Alumni Welcome Reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 28, at Meadow Brook Hall, where alumni can reconnect with friends and former classmates while enjoying appetizers and a cash bar.

Later that evening, participants will be treated to a Friday Night Live Comedy Show with Derek Hughes from 7-9 p.m. in the Vandenberg Hall Cafeteria. The night will conclude with the time-honored tradition, “Guard the Grizz” Coaches Pep Talk and the Snow Bowl from 9 p.m. to midnight. Join OU basketball coaches Greg Kampe and Beckie Francis for three hours of fun that includes an intramural flag football game, basketball piñata toss and sparklers extravaganza.

Festivities will continue on Saturday, Jan 29, with a variety of academic unit open houses to take place throughout the morning. Additionally, the first-ever All-Sport Reunion of varsity alumni athletes will be held from noon to 2 p.m. in the Oakland Center to commemorate 46 years of spirited competition and tradition at OU.

Other events to be held that day include the OU Alumni Association Family Festival from 1-3:30 p.m. in the Campus Recreation Center; OU Student Body Tailgate Party from 2-6 p.m. at the O’rena (outside mall area); men’s and women’s basketball games from 3:30-8 p.m. inside the O’rena Athletic Center; and Casino Night from 8 p.m. – midnight in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms.

The weekend rounds out with the Golden Grizzlies Homecoming 5k Run/Walk on Sunday, Jan. 30. Early registration for this event (before Saturday, Jan. 22) is $10 for OU students and $15 for the general public. Late registration is $15 for OU students and $20 for the general public. On-site registration starts at 7:30 a.m. and the race will begin at 9 a.m. The race begins and ends at the Athletics Center, with an awards ceremony taking place in the O’rena immediately following the race. To obtain an entry form, visit the runmichigan.com race calendar. For more information about the race, contact Paul Rice at rice@oakland.edu.

For a complete listing of homecoming activities and further information about specific events, visit the Come Home to OU website.