UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 29, 2024

Halloween, homecoming coincide, typical dance events converge

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The Homecoming dance and Howl stomp collided on Dixie State College’s Homecoming Week schedule.

The DSC Student Association determined it would be more effective to combine the Homecoming dance with the Howl into a Haunted Homecoming on Oct. 27 because both events fell on the same weekend.

The Howl is one of the big Halloween dances DSC hosts at Staheli Farm every year. It’s a casual stag stomp where students come dressed in their Halloween costumes.

DSCSA Social Chair Ashley Graf, an integrated studies major from St. George, said the athletics department chooses which fall home football game would be the best choice for the season’s Homecoming game. Other Homecoming events are then planned during the week of that game.

“We know that having a Howl is important,” Graf said. “It’s just really sad that we can’t have it, so we’re trying to make our Homecoming extra special and extra cool with all the spooky stuff we’re doing.”

The event committee will position the Haunted Homecoming under the Graf Performing Arts building bleeding out from the walkway below out and around the building. Graf said this area is exciting because it echoes under the building. She said there will also be light refreshments and a haunted living room for photos and relaxing. 

Graf said originally the DSCSA planned the Homecoming dance as a masquerade ball. However, she said some students may have been disappointed they couldn’t wear their Halloween costumes, so she said the committee dropped the masquerade ball.

“I think it’s exciting because it’s going to be a little different,” said Sami Warnick, vice president of student life and a senior business major from Wanship. “The reason we switched to Haunted Homecoming is because we wanted to be more open to what people can wear. You can come in a costume or you can come in your nice dress. Whatever you want to wear is fine, [but] maybe not too hoochie. This is kind of a classy Halloween event.”

Warnick said people always consider Homecoming to be a date dance. She said it’s not important if students or alumni don’t have dates for Homecoming but either way to at least go to the dance. She also said the dance will be free for everyone.

“You don’t have to have a date; we just want you there,” Graf said. “You can ask people if you want, it’s still an option. We’re going to have True Rebel Night still and you’re still supposed to kiss somebody in the fountain, but you don’t necessarily have to have a date to do that.”

Because the two events are combined, there will be another event in the budget. However, Graf said it is uncertain what that will be.

Warnick said Homecoming and the Howl Stomp will also be falling into the same week next year resulting in the potential for a Haunted Homecoming Two. She said it just so happened the best time for the Homecoming games turned out the same week two years in a row.