How a Fall Tradition Came Home to UTSC
On the past and present of university Homecoming.
It’s the climax of every teen film, the pinnacle of the university experience, and an excuse to get shit-faced in the first month of the school year. Bonfires lighting up the night, echoing chants in a packed stadium, beaming cheerleaders tumbling gracefully through the air. A flawless touchdown followed by deafening, ecstatic whoops. It’s the quintessential school spirit event, remembered for years to come.
If you were raised viewing American media outside of Canada and the United States, this is likely the perception you have of Homecoming. Of the many university traditions popularized in media, Homecoming is the one that is perhaps the most distinctly North American. To anyone who grew up elsewhere in the world, it is somewhat mystifying. It’s not immediately clear what a dance, a popularity contest, and a game of American football—an enigma of its own to us foreigners—has to do with coming home. But a glance at the history of this much beloved, oft-storied tradition explains its true purpose.
The 1911 football game between the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas, considered the first collegiate Homecoming // Photo via the Mizzou Alumni Association
Homecoming began as an annual event, during which alumni of a university would return to their alma mater and participate in festivities near the time of an important football match, often the first home game of the season. Several institutions claim to have invented this tradition. The yearly football game between Harvard and Yale has been attended by alumni since 1875, but the traditional Homecoming celebration is widely thought to have been pioneered in 1911 by the University of Missouri. That game, against the University of Kansas, also included a parade, pep rallies, and a bonfire, which went on to become key parts of the tradition today. However, the University of Illinois claims to have hosted the first Homecoming a year prior, with reunions and social events organized around a face-off with their football rivals at the University of Chicago. And even before that, in 1909, Baylor University held what they called a “Good Will Week” during which alumni returned to the campus for school spirit activities and a football game.
Regardless of its origin story, Homecoming has become a widely-celebrated tradition on university campuses across America. It was subsequently picked up by high schools, which also featured a dance and a contest to determine the Homecoming Queen and King. This Homecoming royal court is composed of upper-year students selected by the rest of the student body, often for their general popularity. It has since become a staple of teen media, from The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999) to A Cinderella Story. (2004).
The climactic Homecoming football game in A Cinderella Story (2004) // Photo via IMDb
While the Homecoming tradition is not as popular in Canada as in its southern neighbour, several universities across the country host large celebrations in September or October, usually around the time of a big football game. Queen's University hosts a weekend of reunion events, open houses, and sports games, including the customary Saturday football game (this year, against the University of Ottawa). This celebration has garnered such massive appeal that Kingston police officers go door-to-door in the student housing neighbourhoods to remind people to party responsibly and inform them of the fines they could face otherwise. Meanwhile, at Western University, Homecoming weekend dates can be found on the alumni website up to 5 years in advance. The Homecomings at Queen's and Western are widely attended in Ontario, even by students at other campuses. Indeed, with no official Homecoming celebration at the University of Toronto (U of T), many students head to Kingston or London for a weekend of partying.
Kingston police arrive at a large street gathering where some students climbed onto roofs during Queen’s Homecoming in 2021 // Photo by Curtis Heinzl via The Queen’s University Journal
It's not hard to see why. It's an open secret that U of T has little in the way of a so-called party culture. Barring a few Greek-letter organizations—none of which are officially recognized by the university—based mostly at the downtown campus, social life at this institution is sustained largely by student club-hosted events and study groups formed in lectures. We pride ourselves on academic reputation and our location in the country's largest metropolitan. Ravers and binge-drinkers we are not, for the most part anyway.
There is also the problem of the central event of Homecoming: the game itself. Athletics at U of T get little appreciation from the majority of students, despite remarkable performances from several Varsity Blues teams. Few people know, for instance, that students get free tickets to any Varsity Blues home game—for any sport, and as many games as you care to attend. There is no shortage of talented athletes at any of our campuses, but many students are too busy coping with a barrage of assignments alongside work-study, clubs, and other responsibilities to show up in the stands. Take away this central tenet of Homecoming, and it's small wonder the tradition never took off here.
The Varsity Blues football team scored a 33–19 win against the McMaster Marauders on September 30, 2023. // Photo by Aru Das via Varsity Blues
Of course, one could argue that the community is better off without an annual Homecoming celebration. The wariness of city officials and police highlights the unflattering side of Homecoming weekend. In 2022, Kingston police issued nearly $70,000 in fines related to street gatherings, while paramedics responded to a serious road accident as well as two separate cases of partygoers falling from a roof. Similarly, raucous crowds take to the streets of Ottawa every year around the Panda Game, an annual football match between Carleton University and uOttawa. Over one weekend in October 2021, uOttawa revellers overturned a car in the residential neighbourhood of Sandy Hill, while students celebrating McMaster University’s Homecoming did the same in Hamilton.
An overturned car on Russell Avenue in Sandy Hill, Ottawa after the 2021 Panda Game // Photo via CBC
Indeed, the image most commonly associated with university Homecoming is an unappealing one: for many of us, drunken football fans, sweaty frat houses, and cheap beer would hardly form positive memories of our time at school, let alone inspire us to come back for years after graduation to experience it all again. But a few schools are redefining the tradition to create a more inclusive event.
In 2019, Nova Scotia’s Saint Francis Xavier University opted to showcase women’s rugby over men’s football for their Saturday afternoon Homecoming game. This event also marked the 50-year anniversary of women’s athletics at the university. For a women’s rugby team with six national titles to their name, such recognition was well-deserved.
Here at UTSC, this tradition is still young. The second annual Homecoming was held on September 23 this year, and featured an all-day schedule of activities and food open to the public. At first glance, it hardly resembled a classic Homecoming. There were no varsity sports games or marching bands in sight. The only alcohol available at the event was served out of a makeshift bar set up in the parking lot near the residence buildings. Multiple officers from Campus Safety guarded the only way in or out of the beverage tent, so good luck taking that Bud Lite anywhere to cause a ruckus.
Yet, Homecoming at UTSC is arguably more faithful to the true purpose of the tradition. From fun science demonstrations featuring spiders and slime to free lectures on sustainable business and mathematical patterns open to the public, this event was driven by the goal of connecting UTSC to the community. Family-friendly activities, such as games, rides, and interactive educational displays, encouraged alumni to bring their children to their alma mater. The Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences hosted a milestone celebration of reaching 1000 graduates of the Master of Environmental Science program. Campus tours, information sessions, and engagement activities by various departments also served as outreach, with the hope of inspiring a new generation of students, artists, and innovators to find a home at UTSC. And a spotlight on local vendors and artists highlighted the talent and entrepreneurial spirit of Scarborough, the vibrant home to this campus community.
Science engagement activities at UTSC Homecoming 2023 // Photo by the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences via Instagram
Moreover, as a campus with an undergraduate international student population totalling nearly 30 percent of the student body, Homecoming enables students to connect with Scarborough. Particularly for first-year international students, this is often their first opportunity to experience what the local community has to offer. From food trucks serving up various cuisines to vendors selling artisanal goods inspired by their own cultures, the sheer diversity of Toronto’s most multicultural neighbourhood is on proud display at this event. For students living away from home, this community welcomes them with open arms.
Ferris wheel at UTSC Homecoming // Photo by UTSC via Instagram
At its core, Homecoming is about connecting with the community on and around campus, whether you’re in your first year or have graduated decades ago. The differences among institutions only highlights the distinct character of each campus, and the people who call it—or once called it—home. For UTSC, Homecoming is poised to become a beloved celebration of its colourful, spirited community.
