Thomas Iacobucci | The Crow’s Nest
By Savannah Carr
While the staple homecoming traditions returned to USF St. Petersburg this year, students likely noticed one major change.
This year, the Student Life and Engagement offices across all campuses decided to change the term “Homecoming Queen and King” to “Homecoming Royalty.” The goal was to make running for homecoming inclusive for all by removing gender labels.
“It was a system-wide decision across all three campuses to be as inclusive as possible,” said Student Programs Coordinator Akyanna Smith. “Last year, we let anyone apply for queen or king, regardless of their gender. We hope that using more inclusive language with royalty, people will feel more support in applying for court.”
The change allowed for USF St Petersburg students to vote two male students, Daniel Ciccia and Spencer Gomez, as their Homecoming Royalty.
“I feel so grateful that Spencer and I won because we worked super hard campaigning and now we got to make history on our campus as the first two kings,” Ciccia said. “We are the only one in about 20 universities in the country to make homecoming gender neutral.
“I’m glad that Spencer and I were given the opportunity to represent our school together.”
Monday started the festivities with the homecoming kickoff, which included a balloon-drop and a performance from the South Florida All Stars dance team. Following the performance, students gathered around Cheryl the Bull for a group picture.
“The homecoming kickoff was a great experience,” junior Fred Poole said. “However, my favorite part was getting a picture with my friends in front of the Bull statue.”
The annual Carn-a-Bull was moved to the ballrooms due to rain. However, the event – which included inflatable Twister, bumper cars, a mechanical bull – remained a hit. USF Tampa’s Battle of the Bands’ winner, Nightbreakers, also gave a free performance.
“The carnival was excellent for making memories with my friends,” said freshman Emmaleigh Tucker. “But I’m still wondering how they managed to get bumper cars and a mechanical bull on the second floor.”
Tuesday brought the “Night of Bull Royalty” homecoming ball. As usual, USF St. Petersburg students donned their best outfits for a night full of dancing.
In between songs, the South Florida All Stars performed once more, and Daniel Ciccia and Spencer Gomez were crowned.
The next day was the Laugh-a-Bull comedy show with comedian Jenny Zigrino. whose style had students roaring with laughter.
“The comedian was extremely witty, and her enthusiasm added to the positive atmosphere,” said freshman Maddie Grosse.
Thursday brought the annual cardboard boat race. This year, the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library took first place and the award for “Best Original Design.” The event seemed to be a hit with students and the local wildlife after a dolphin swam near the boats during the race.
That night, rapper Gunna performed at the Yuengling Center in Tampa. While students enjoyed the concert, Gunna made the mistake of addressing the crowd as “UCF.”
Friday featured the “Running of the Bulls” parade with a float for the St. Petersburg campus and students. The parade also had floats for different organizations across all three campuses.
The week culminated with a football game against Brigham Young University. Despite being down through most of the game, USF rallied in the fourth quarter and scored 13 points, leading them to a 27-23 victory over the Cougars.
