“If you can imagine a circus, a family reunion [and] a mid-way of a fair … all of that in one spot,” said Charley Deal, the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Alumni Relations.
Quad City offers just that, Deal says. Quad City is a student organized event that offers faculty, students and alumni a place to come together as a family once a year.
“We have reunion tents, live music featuring The House Band, a kids’ carnival, sorority village, a petting zoo [and] a rock climbing wall; there’s something for everybody,” Deal said. “That’s what we wanted … to create a fun family atmosphere for our alumni coming back to campus.”
This year is no different. Quad City, beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 5, is an annual event held the Saturday morning prior to the start of the football game. Fall 2013 marks the 10th anniversary of Quad City with over 70 student organization tents and events, including “Hawk Walk,” where UTM’s band is lead around the Quad by the football players and Homecoming award winners.
“We’re anticipating the largest crowd ever; we will have about 6,000 people in the Quad that day. [The event] is so spread out; it looks great to have that many people back on campus,” Deal said.
However, Homecoming isn’t all about fun. Deal says Quad City is about celebration and renewal of the bond between students and their school.
“I think for the current students it’s a time that they are able to come out and be with friends, create that bond with their university.”
Quad City also acts as a network or springboard for current students to meet with alumni in their field. This allows students to discover not only what they need to get into the job market, but also make a connection with someone in their chosen career field.
“What I hope that happens is [students] involved with a student organization or with their college tent meet alumni. You really need to have a network of individuals that you can rely on to be successful in your job search,” Deal said.
This year’s theme is based off the Roaring Twenties. This theme also marks a coming of age for UTM as opened in the late 20s when Hall-Moody closed its doors.
“A lot of our history, who we are today, started in the 20s,” Deal said.
One of the main attractions this year will be a zip-line located outside the administration building, which stands around 40 feet tall and is sponsored by the Student Activities Council. Once students sign a wavier form they can zip down the 250 foot track.
“[The zip-line] should give you a real good view, or as I call it the Skyhawks’ view, of Quad City,” Deal said.
Quad City and Homecoming are entirely student-organized events by the Undergraduate Alumni Council. Several different organizations come together to help organize and plan the events, including Student Recreation and the SAC.
“It goes to show who we are … we have a lot of small groups who really bond together well. That’s what makes our university come together, it makes it more of a family atmosphere.”
For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 731-881-7610 or via email at alumni@utm.edu
