OU's annual Come Home to OU festival set for Jan. 27-29

Set for Jan. 27-29, the annual Come Home to OU festival features honorary alumni co-chairs David Baker Lewis, SBA ’65, and Cameron Brunet-Koch, Ph.D. CAS ’78. Lewis is chairman and founding partner of Lewis & Munday, P.C. and formerly served as director and trustee of the Oakland University Foundation. Dr. Brunet-Koch is president of North Central Michigan College and also has served as director of CIPO and assistant director in the Department of University Housing at OU.

“Homecoming is a wonderful opportunity for alumni and friends to reconnect with the university community,” said Glenn McIntosh, dean and assistant vice president for Student Affairs. McIntosh also co-chairs the Come Home to OU planning committee. “The event is now in its fourth year and has grown into a cherished campus tradition.”

This year’s homecoming includes a wide array of events and activities, starting with an Alumni Welcome Reception from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, at Meadow Brook Hall, where alumni can reconnect with friends and former classmates while enjoying appetizers and a cash bar. This event is free, but attendees must pre-register at grizzlink.oualumni.com/events. 

Later that evening, participants will be treated to a Friday Night Live Comedy Show from 7-9 p.m. in the Campus Recreation Center Pioneer Room. Performer Nick Pike will deliver a fast-paced mix of juggling, acrobatics and laughs. The night will conclude with the time-honored tradition, “Guard the Grizz,” along with the “Snow Bowl” intramural flag football game from 9 p.m. to midnight. A “Car Smash” event is also planned, with all the action taking place outdoors near the Campus Recreation Center.

Festivities will continue on Saturday, Jan. 28, with a variety of academic unit open houses to take place throughout the morning. Additionally, the Varsity “O” Reunion of all varsity alumni athletes will be held from noon to 2 p.m. in the Oakland Center to commemorate 47 years of spirited competition and tradition at OU. Other receptions and activities are scheduled, including the OU Student Body Tailgate Party from noon to 3 p.m. in the P-16 parking lot. The Alumni Association Family Festival will run from 1-3 p.m. in the Campus Recreation Center; Center for Multicultural Initiatives and Black Alumni Social from 1-3 p.m. in the Oakland Center Oakland Room; the OU Housing Reunion from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Vandenberg Hall Cafeteria for hall directors, resident assistants, and housing personnel; and the first-ever Retired OU Faculty and Staff Reception from 2-3 p.m. in the Recreation Center Pioneer Room. 

Additionally, men’s and women’s basketball games will take place in the OU Athletics Center (O’rena) from 3:30-8 p.m., followed by OU’s annual Casino Night from 8 p.m. to midnight in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms. Presented by the Student Program Board and University Housing, the evening is packed with food, music, games and novelty acts, along with a chance to win various prizes. 

The weekend will round out with the Golden Grizzlies Homecoming 5k Run/Walk on Sunday, Jan. 29. Early registration for this event (before Sunday, 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. For an entry form, visit the runmichigan.com race calendar. For questions, 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.