By Joseph Abraham, Editor-in-Chief

Published on Nov.5, 2014

Last week was UNCG’s Homecoming, the week that comes around once a year, usually always a week before or after N.C. A & T’s “GHOE”. Every year during homecoming there is always a group of people who get on my nerves by complaining about homecoming.

Every year these students take to the streets and social media to say things like, “Our homecoming sucks,” or “GHOE is so much better. The irony, of course, is that these students rarely participate in the homecoming festivities.

I will admit that I do the bare minimum when it comes to homecoming. This year I attended the bon fire in front of the Elliott University Center, voted for homecoming court and went to both the volleyball and men’s soccer game on Saturday.

Was Homecoming 2014 the best weeks of my life? No.

But it is unfair for me to criticize the events that UNCG students just like me spend weeks planning if I do not take the time to actually go to events.

On Friday night when I attended the bon fire, I spent about twenty minutes looking around. There was a decent turnout of about 100 students at the time,. And then a thought hit me: the problem with UNCG’s homecoming is not that the events planned or the musical guest that was selected, but rather student involvement and a dose of reality.

I have never been to “GHOE”, but I have heard the stories of how great it is, and that is terrific. However, UNCG and N.C. A & T’s homecomings are very different. While there are always some alumni who come back for UNCG’s homecoming, it fails in comparison to N.C. A & T.

Every friend I have made from N.C. A & T participates in their homecoming. This along with the large number of alumni who come back every year is why their homecoming garners so much praise from much of UNCG’s student body.

Instead of complaining about how UNCG’s homecoming needs to improve, actually go to the events because not showing up means you never gave it a chance. If you choose to continue not participating, than you shouldn’t waste time complaining.