Bishop’s University hosted its annual homecoming where alumni and active students come together to bond and create memories over the first football home game of the year.

As I approached the tailgate around mid-afternoon in front of the sports complex, the parking lot looked to be flooded with purple attire in celebration of school pride. The Bishop’s University graduates and current students assembled from all walks of life and partook in an open barbeque and drinking event where people generously shared stories and reminisced on their days at Bishop’s University. 

On my wandering search through the masses of purple, I had the luck and pleasure to meet Matt Saunders, a graduate in 2000 and former editor of The Campus newspaper. During our conversation when I asked about what he thought Ho-Co brings to the Bishop’s community, Saunders replied, “The people here speak for themselves, the flags are flying, and there’s purple everywhere to be seen.” Ironically, just as Saunders says this, the opposing football team’s spectators, dressed in red from Mount Allison University, can be seen enjoying themselves as well, regardless of the colours they wore. Among other alumni in my series of interviews, the reoccurring comments were related to how inclusive the university is and how the campus facilities have improved.

“The opposing football spectators are literally walking right through the tailgate and enjoying themselves just as much as the roughly 300 Bishop’s students and alumni with no conflict at all,” Matt Saunders said.

         Not only was the Ho-Co tailgate extremely inclusive, but the land and crowd were also treated with respect as there were no broken bottles, litter or people in distress to be seen. Security was also notably giving people their space while enforcing safety precautions when needed to ensure everyone could safely participate. Having the reassurance of safety, respect and inclusiveness is what made the 2022 homecoming a major success. 

I eventually came across my friend and first-year student, Thomas Dupont, who gladly commented, “It gives everybody a chance to reconnect, have a good time, and even get out of their comfort zone to experience the university for what it is.” Without the annual homecoming tailgate and football game, the new first-year students wouldn’t have the opportunity to represent and express school pride or meet and greet other students to expand their circle of friends and broaden their horizons.

         After spending the afternoon among the purple mass at the tailgate, the football game had started, and people made their way to fill out the stands at Coulter Field. The football game had the stands filled with energy and the crowd erupting in cheers, on the edge of their seats, until the secured victory of 19-6 had been achieved. Though the tailgate and football game were over, later that evening I made my way into town, crossing through Reed Street and Little Forks. Without surprise, I witnessed alumni and current students having harmless fun in the name of school pride, continuing to create that same energy I experienced at the tailgate and football game. As the night grew closer, the streets quickly became that same familiar jungle of purple mass that I had seen earlier. The same purple mass also maintained the care and respect for one another as much as the thrill became amplified through a wild and fun-filled night for all participating students.

“I’ve definitely witnessed less responsible drinking events; in fact, this is probably the most responsible drinking event I’ve ever attended because the university could have told us to take it to Reed Street but are generous enough to let everyone come here instead for the tailgate,” Thomas Dupont mentioned.