The Student Activities Board hosted events every day last week, leading up to the Homecoming football game, taking students to Texas, New Orleans and back to Arkansas State University because, as per the homecoming theme, “all roads lead home.” 

Red Wolves Road Trip: All Roads Lead To Home was the theme for A-States’ homecoming this year. Members of SAB said they worked hard to make sure all the events during the week leading up to the homecoming football game were on theme and got students excited, hyped and ready to cheer on the Red Wolves. 

Chauncy Betts, a junior Strategic Communications major from  McGehee, Arkansas, is the director of campus traditions for SAB and said he has been planning the events since September. He said he had the overall idea for homecoming since he interviewed for the position in April.

“Finding events that coordinated with the theme was one of the easier parts for me. I actually had the days created before I had the overall theme. So, I knew with the days I had and how they would turn out and, conversing with my advisor, we came up with Red Wolves Road Trip. As I wanted students to experience these notable places in a sense,” Betts said. “The most stressful thing for me was remembering what all needed to be done and coordinating the events the day of.  There are so many small details that go into planning these events that can a lot of times be forgotten.”

On Monday, SAB held the Hot Ones at Home and Battle of the Beats event. This event was modeled after the “Hot Ones” talk show, hosted by Sean Evans. Just like in the show, contestants took a bite of a chicken wing or French fry, smothered in hot sauce, then answered a question asked by the host.

Betts, who hosted the event, chose Women’s Head Basketball Coach Destinee Rogers, Men’s Head Basketball Coach Ryan Pannone and Residential Education Coordinator Zhedrick Jackson to be contestants. 

Battle of the Beats took place right after the  Hot Ones at Home event. A wheel with different music genres on each section was spun twice, and whichever two genres it landed on would then “battle” to see who could get the crowd hyped the most. 

Following the events, the homecoming court was announced. 

Each year, SAB comes up with different events that go along with the homecoming theme. Since this year is a road trip theme, the next event they hosted included fair favorites with a spin on “Everything’s Bigger in Texas.” 

At Everything’s Bigger at A-State, students could play carnival games including connect four basketball, balancing on a spinning log and an obstacle course.   A food trailer handed out funnel cakes and fried oreos and SAB handed out catering from Hood Rolls as well as giving out cowboy hats and bandanas to students who wanted to participate in the theme. 

Zoe Mathes, a senior strategic communications major from Forest City, Arkansas, said she enjoyed having an excuse to get together with friends.

“The highlight of the event had to be the food. The catering from Hood Rolls was delicious, I had never tried barbecue egg rolls,” Mathes said. “I love that A-State partnered with a small business for this event, it was a great addition to the activities. As a Strategic Communications major, I appreciate attention to community connections like that.”

Students could also get a free homecoming t-shirt if they brought a non-perishable food item and donated it to the A-State Food Pantry. 

Moving   along on the road trip, SAB brought New Orleans to A-State with their event Mardi Gras Madness. Students were encouraged to celebrate Mardi Gras culture by listening to jazz music, holding snakes and eating traditional New Orleans food provided by Big Easy Catering. Students were also able to make street signs with a phrase of their choice to take home. SAB again provided bead necklaces and Mardi Gras masks to students who wanted to show their Mardi Gras spirit. 

“I think students liked the Hot Ones at Home and Battle of the Beats event and Mardi Gras Madness the most. The students really liked the snakes, street sign making, and Cajun food. I myself really enjoyed that event, as that was one where I really got to take a break and experience all the fun I put on for the week,” Betts said. 

On Thursday, there wasn’t a physical event but more of a challenge. For Paparazzi With The Pack, students were encouraged to find an SAB Board member and take a selfie or post a TikTok with them. 

Once posted, students would receive one entry for a selfie or three entries for a TikTok.  These entries would then go toward the Red Carpet Prize Package where the winner would win gift cards and A-State merch. 

The week ended with the Yell Like Hell-Party in the ASU event. Attendees were encouraged to go all out in their A-State attire to show off their Red Wolf spirit. The A-State Spirit Squads and band went over some chants and cheers to prepare students for gameday. Several organizations including Hermana y Hermano,  Delta Zeta Sorority, Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship and more participated in a lip sync battle. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity received the title of champion.

Ariel Allgood, a first-year radiology major from Jonesboro, said this was her first homecoming. 

“As a freshman and this being my first homecoming, I would say that it definitely lived up to my standards, maybe even beyond,” Allgood said.

The final stop on the Red Wolves Road Trip was at the Centennial Bank Stadium where Caleb Sterrett, a junior civil engineering major from Dumas, Arkansas, representing A-State Spirit and Abigail Spain, a senior strategic communications major from Milan, Tennessee, representing the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, were crowned the homecoming king and queen, respectively. 

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